Monte Tláloc

The highest point of the Río Frío Sierra is Mount Tláloc, at 4,151 meters, or 13,618 feet. The ascent takes about three hours, mostly through a pine forest; the trail is not steep at all, and the vertical gain is of 516 meters.

This trek is recommended for people in regular physical shape, who work out a couple of hours per week. The terrain is easy, to the point that the use of helmet is not necessary.

From San Pablo Ixayoc we take the dirt road to the trailhead, where we park and start our trek.

After two hours of walking, we leave the forest (the tree line in Mexico is at 4,000 meters/13,100 feet), progress through a canyon, and reach the summit. We are at the highest archeological site in Mesoamerica; this place was sacred to the peoples of the de la Triple Alianza in the XVth century.

We enjoy a view of Mexico City, and of the Iztaccíhuatl and Malinche volcanoes. If the day is clear enough, we can also see the Pico de Orizaba, Mexico’s highest peak.

We descend using the same route. It takes us less than two hours to trek back to our starting point, we are do some stretch exercise before boarding our cars. One and a half hours later we arrive in Mexico City.