Cuentepec

Yesterday we went to small town in Morelos called Cuentepec. Cuentepec is very small, traditional, indiginous town near the Xochicalco pyramids where Larissa has been going every Friday through her school to help the people record their history and do community service. When we headed out there early in the morning the mountains were so foggy we could barely see the cows blocking the road. Soon the fog lifted and the amazing views from this mountaintop town were revealed. The people in Cuentepec still speak Nahuatl, but many also speak spanish. The women all wear dresses with tightly pleated skirts covered by and apron and a rebozo. The schools are taught bilingually and most signs are in both Spanish and Nahuatl. The town consists of small homes, a tiny Library, two small school houses, a new medical center, a few small stores, and the church.

The older homes are made of adobe brick with tin roofs and there are gates made from dried corn stalks. The more modern buildings and homes are made from cement block. The Library is small room containing books and a couple old word processors.Larissa and her class worked on several projects during the school year including painting this mural in the elementary school.Cuentepec is also known for it's clay figures - they make bowls and pots, but the best are the animal figurines they make. My mom and I wanted to buy some clay pieces so we asked around until someone led us to a home where the family makes clay figures. They invited us in and there were three generations of women who showed us the figures they made - and of course my mother and I bought a ton. Once we had almost cleaned them out each of them gifted us a piece - beginning with the grandmother, then the mother, and then the little four year old girl held out a little clay piece as a gift. It was so sweet. Visiting Cuentepec was like catching a glimpse of Mexico's past. I'm so glad I got to see the work Larissa's been doing this year and I'm really proud of her.