Cuetzalan’s men are handsome, soft-spoken, and courteous to tourists and visitors. Cuetzalan, its name derived from the beautiful bird known as Quetzal is a magical town in the middle of nowhere up in the sierras, in the northern part of Puebla, a Mexican state. It was founded 200 BC and conquered in 1522 by Spain.

Today, while writing an article in Spanish for El Mensajero Newspaper about how safe it is to travel in Mexico these days, many pictures and memories came out from a recent visit to this magical town. Cuetzalan is, in my opinion, a nation that speaks first Nahuatl, then Spanish, living in Mexican territory.

Traveling alone this summer in Cuetzalan, Puebla and other places through Mexico, has been safe, fun and interesting. Traveling to Mexico is more safe than what the news outlets have shown, and it also takes common sense from the visitors.

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Back to the reason I am posting… I’ve found Cuetzalan’s men handsome and polite, and it was fun to see couples together, and how a man takes care of his woman, as it was good to see many indigenous women alone, working, selling, walking…so strong.

Men or women, observing Cuetzalan’s locals was a good experience. Their faces are mine or yours because at the end we are all part of the same family, isn’t that true?

Text and pictures by Lupita Peimbert