Here is my Mexican guide Juan, who stopped at the grasshopper image at one of the Baths of Montezuma, where perhaps the ancients had baths much like the Romans of the other "old world"
Toltecs named the area "grasshopper hill", which would later become "Chapultepec" according to Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapultepec - Early in our walk, we took off our shoes to get grounded to the land, and Juan would tell stories of his uncle and "now you can bring others here in a good way" I did bring tobacco and corn meal to leave offerings, as I did to both the big tree here and in the cave grotto, that is another portal ---
Juan talked of the balance of spirit energy here in the park, "
Bosque de Chapultepec", or forest of Chapultepec, starting here with the masculine, the fountain to honor temperance has a male figure, and just behind is the "Sargent" tree remains - Wiki "One dead specimen is called the Ahuehuete of Moctezuma, commonly
referred to as El Sargento (The Sargeant) or as the Centinela
(Sentinel). The last two names were given by cadets of the
Heroic Military Academy
during the 19th century. The 500-year-old tree remains as a monument to
the area's history, measuring fifteen meters high, forty in
circumference. Another tree of the species, still living, is El
Tlatoani, which is more than 700 years old and is the oldest tree in the
park. In addition to these trees, there are sequoias, cedars, palms,
poplars, pines,
ginkgos, and more.
[
Here is the base of that big tree ----
Greenery from inside the cave, the feminine energy where Juan asked for prayers to bring the ancient healing teachings of the north to connect with the south, healing for the people WAY beyond the current politicians greed for money ----
One of the dry areas of the bosque, forest, and behind a fence looks like one of the old trails up to the top of the hill that is PC pre columbian and pre cortez ---"Chapultepec Hill. It is a formation of volcanic rock and
andesite, which is common in the Valley of Mexico and contains small caves and sand deposits.
[11]
"Chapultepec" in Nahuatl means "grasshopper hill" but it is not clear
whether the "Chapul" (grasshopper) part refers to the shape of the hill,
or the abundance of grasshoppers in the surrounding woods.
[6]
This hill was considered special during the pre-Hispanic period from
the Toltecs in the 12th century to the Aztecs up to the time of the
Conquest by the Spanish. Remains of a Toltec altar have been found at the top of the hill, a number of burials and its use was reserved only for
Aztec emperors and other elite.
[11][15]"
A grasshopper sign on the circular trail we walked around the hill in the coolness of the morning
I was drawn to the two Montezuma cypress, locally called "ahuehuetes"upright drum in water"
[5] or "old man of the water."
[2] drawn Very serene and relaxing here by the still waters, and watching 2 workers clear all the plastic waste from the water ---Amazing how many 2 leggeds just throw stuff on ina maka without thinking or praying :-(
The two Montzuma bald cypresses with their feet in the water that attracted me to this place!
Juan, next to Another old bald cypress, very old on the trail around the Pec, Hill "
The sabino became the
national tree of Mexico in 1910.
[9] The tree is sacred to the
native peoples of Mexico, and is featured in the
Zapotec creation myth.
[10] To the
Aztecs, the combined shade of an
āhuēhuētl and a
pōchōtl (
Ceiba pentandra) metaphorically represented a ruler's authority.
[11] According to legend,
Hernán Cortés wept under an ahuehuete in
Popotla[12] after suffering defeat during the
Battle of La Noche Triste.
[13]Montezuma cypresses have been used as
ornamental trees since
Pre-Columbian times. The
Aztecs planted
āhuēhuētl along processional paths in the gardens of
Chapultepec because of its association with government.
[14] Artificial islands called
chinampas were formed in the shallow lakes of the
Valley of Mexico by adding soil to rectangular areas enclosed by trees such as
āhuēhuētl;
[2] they also lined the region's
canals prior to
Spanish conquest.
[9]
Living part of the old tree, and Juan gave me a small piece as a medicine to carry here.
Old lava flows at the base of the hill, some signed pointed to some petroglyphs here, likely 1000's of years old before the European invasions
Completing the circle, here is a young man, doing bici jumps by the temperance fountain-----in the bosque, forest here.
After our walk and an adventure to find a coffee grinder and French coffee press pot to give to Juan for his home, he took me to a nearby more fancy restaurant, owned by friends of the family down the street, in the house he hopes to convert into some Airbnb space -----Here a taco lingua, and I found them very tasty --made of beef tongue, reminds me of the Weaver German family tradition of eating tongue as a kid, a vestige of my dad's Weaver/ Weber farming roots, to waste nothing of the cow!
Waiter Preparing Pescado with Sal ---Fish in salt, and taking out the meat at the table side--first white table cloth dinner here in DCMX other than breakfast where the MKP Leader Group is staying here.
Juan and I having a little coffee and me some vanilla ice cream to complete our comida --finished around 5 PM when the mariahi musicians were warming up and Juan remarked, "the politicians come in later like at 6- 7 here" Jokes about politicians and how they take money abound here as well, just like the US Bank Stadium to take a billion from the people just to make a concussion sport look good! Sigh, funny animal the two leggeds
Morning views, first light during my meditation time and then at breakfast with one of the local workers clearing out the pool, with the Bahia de Banderas behind ----
Some water still flowing now during the dry season in the grotto ----
