9781422286944

The States of Mexico

A colonial-era church can be seen below the active volcano Popocatépetl, in Puebla.

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Some of Mexico’s oldest churches are in Puebla; they were built only months after

Cortés’s arrival. However, if you look inside some of these churches, you will see that the Spanish conquistadors and missionaries failed to fully Christianize the native people. Images from native mythology are mixed with Christian icons, revealing the mixture of these two religions that still exists in Mexico today. Puebla’s two volcanoes, Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl, are the second- and third-highest mountains in the country. According to native traditions, “Popo” was a warrior who loved Ixtaccíhuatl, an emperor’s daughter. These star-crossed lovers remain loyal to each other, and “Popo” expresses his frustration and longing by smoking from time to time. Experienced climbers can go up to the top of both these mountains. Morelos As you circle around to the northwest, you will cross the border into the state of Morelos. This small state first became a vacation spot when the Emperor