The Giants of Tula

First Friday of Lent. I went to mass on Ash Wednesday and was mind-blown to see that there were people walking around Toluca with stamps of ashes. STAMPS! Instead of the priest using his thumb, he dipped it in some ashes and stamped foreheads. Do we even do that in the states? Not that I know of. Anyways, no meat on Friday so Bruno and I went out for Sushi (but apparently chicken doesn’t count as meat here. Don’t ask me how). However, it was Mexican sushi. Almost all of the sushi rolls had chili, avocado, chipotle, or a combination of those ingredients. But all the rolls we got were excellent! The restaurant was in a mall so we walked over to the theater after to see The Cobbler. We had a 2 for 1 pass. It was entertaining enough. What’s cool about theaters here is that you choose your seat when you buy your ticket so you’re guaranteed a spot with the people you came with.

On Saturday we went to visit Bruno’s sister and her 3 sons in Huehuetoca, Hidalgo. Her husband is in the military so they live on a military base. He’s on a mission for a few months so he wasn’t around. We went through two security points to get there that weren’t very strict. I was surprised but then Bruno said it was because we are just going to the housing and not in any military buildings. He also said it depends on who is working as to how strict they are with the questions they ask you before entering. The base was huge. We drove for more than 10 minutes just to get to the apartments. There was a park, a pool, and other public areas for the families to enjoy. When we get to the apartment, his sister was very hospitable. She made me pozole and chocoflan (chocolate cake and flan) because she knew I hadn’t tried pozole yet in Mexico and that I love desserts. She had toothbrushes waiting for us and even gave up her bed. It felt like home.

In the afternoon, Bruno and I went to downtown Tula to explore a little bit. We attempted to go to the pyramids but they were closed for the day. There was a book fair downtown so we walked through that, explored the church, and met a traveler from Switzerland. It was a very cute area. When we went back to the apartment, there was a boy’s birthday party in the common area of the complex so we helped ourselves to some chicken with mole. After the party, we went to a neighbor’s apartment for karaoke. Man, did he have a voice! I’m pretty sure he woke up the whole complex… and possibly neighboring ones, as well.

On Sunday, Bruno and I went with his sister and the kids to the pyramids. The kids are 4, 6, and 8 so it was quite the adventure. We were all parents for the day. On top on one of the pyramids, there were columns shaped like figures which are famous in Tula. They're called the Giants of Tula or Los Atlantes de Tula. It was a very natural archeological site. I personally think it could have benefitted from a little more up-keep but it was interesting to see it, nonetheless.

After the pyramids, we went to downtown Tepotzotlan. We ate at a buffet as soon as we got there. They had everything: tacos, pastas, meat, chiles en nogada, fruits, desserts, everything. What a dangerous place for me. After lunch we visited a church and a museum called Museo del Virreinato (Viceroyalty of New Spain) that was attached to it. The museum houses artworks and other objects related to the colonial period of Mexico. My fave exhibit was of giant old church music. Attached there was a temple in which everything was decorated in gold. It was stunning. Bruno and I took the two older boys to the museum and they were going picture crazy with our phones and cameras. They had a lot of fun. We dropped Bruno’s sister and son’s back off at their place and headed back to Toluca.