| The town boasts a spectacular landscape.
What cannot be easily seen is the enormous underground lake, which
emerge as the springs in Tamazulapan.
Visitors admire the beauty of the setting long before arriving in
the village. The 'El Mirador' lookout is perched on a 400-meter
high plateau that offers a great view of the entire town. As you
arrive, look for ancient terraces on nearby hillsides.
MIXTEC WORLD
Apoala is a Mixtec word meaning 'where they share the water.'
Most of the trails and sites of interest are reached by following
the Apoala River. According to the Mixtec creation story, two giant
trees growing along the banks of this river fell in love and linked
their roots and branches. From this union emerged the first Mixtec
man and woman.
A must-see is town is the city library which has a copy of the Nuttall
Codex that depicts the origin and history of the Mixtecs and of
their towns.
Besides portraying the region and its haracteristics, the document
narrates the heroic feats of a great ruler named Eight Deer Claw
of Jaguar.
NATURAL WORLD
Apoala has numerous trails to explore. A local guide is necessary
to make any trek.
The Picturas Respuestas (Discovered Pictures) are glyphs that are
at least 5,000 years old and the oldest Mixtec drawings in existence.
Near the campsite area is Cueva de la Culebra (Rattlesnake Cave)
which has two chambers filled with stalactites and stalagmites.
The first chamber has an underground lagoon. The second chamber
has a stalagmite shaped like a tiara or miter, which the villagers
call the Stone of the Archbishop.
Returning to the plain called Arriba del Agua, hike about two kilometers
until reaching Morelos Canyon. Two enormous peaks approximately
400 meters high and 200 meters long are divided by a narrow passage
of from ten to fifteen meters in width. This passage is called peña
que se junta (the peak that joins), because when looking up you
get the impression that the peaks come together.
A highlight of any visit is the hike to the waterfall Cola de Serpiente
(Serpent's Tail). The hike follows the Apoala River two kilometers
downhill at which point the river becomes a 60-meter high waterfall.
CULTURAL WORLD
The Santiago Apóstol Chuch was constructed in the sixteenth
century. |
