All hail the high priest of Pulque

Without doubt the star attraction of Tepoztlan is the 13^thcentury El Tepozteco temple. Erected in the 14^thCentury to honour the Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl, it’s perched on a clifftop high above the town. Probably so he could keep an eye on his followers and make sure they were keeping the faith.

Actually, Quetzalcoatl sounds like our kind of bloke; as well as guaranteeing a fantastic score in Scrabble, he's also the god of wind, learning and most importantly (in our eyes) Pulque. 

Pulque is the local hooch and it's been keeping the locals inebriated for a couple of thousand years. A curious cocktail of fermented cactus pulp, water and whatever else is lying about – usually mango, orange or melon, but they’re not fussy, they’ll throw anything into the mix – we even sampled some cheese Pulque, which was …vile.

"Mojito for me mate, cheers"

Anyway, the hike up to the temple is a must, so we load up with water and snacks and set off bright and early to beat the crowds. We’re keen walkers and like to think we’re pretty fit, but my god this was a toughie. More of a climb than a hike it’s pretty much straight up from the valley floor for an hour and a half.

What a reward though. The temple itself isn’t much to write home about; quite small and dilapidated, but the views over the town and surrounding countryside are something else. As is usually the case in Mexico any nod to Health & Safety is cursory, so no railings or anything, just a 700 ft drop if you lose your footing or get too clever with your selfie.

We think we have the place to ourselves when this fella and his mates rock up. Inquisitive, bold, and cheeky they’re called Coaties (Wend reckons Cuties would be more apt). Weirdly, they're more interested in the snacks in our backpacks than the million dollar views.

Later, we enjoy some downtime at our AirB&B. Our host, Pilar, is an artist and her paintings cover the walls. They’re not really our thing but certainly brighten the place up. Her charming terrace looks up at the hill we just climbed. Not too shabby an aspect when you're enjoying an afternoon cuppa.

Then, to top off a busy day, we went over to the dark side. All week the excitement has been building for the Dia de los Muertos celebrations and this evening the gig starts in earnest. It’s a bit like Halloween on steroids, with kids dressed in all kinds of terrifying garb, skeleton mariachi bands, ghoulish dancers and of course, the obligatory fireworks.

Even the churches get in on the action. We love it that this one decided to dress up as hell for the occasion.