Discover the Hidden Charms of Zacatlan, Mexico
In this episode, David takes listeners deep into the misty mountains of Puebla, to a town that feels worlds away from Mexico’s sun-soaked coasts. Zacatlán—known for its apple orchards, clockmakers, and cobblestone charm—is a creative and cultural haven just two hours from Mexico City.
Joined by Eirick Rodríguez, General Manager of Casa San Miguel, David explores the town’s fascinating blend of history, nature, and craftsmanship. From 18th-century architecture to caves, waterfalls, and local cuisine that redefines mole, Zacatlán offers an authentic slice of mountain Mexico few travellers ever experience.
Topics Covered
• Zacatlán de las Manzanas – The mountain town where mist meets creativity and tradition.
• Local Art & Architecture – How community mosaics and colorful alleyways celebrate regional pride.
• Adventure in Nature – From ziplining and waterfalls to mysterious rock formations like Piedras Mágicas.
• Boutique Hotels & Glamping – Why design lovers and nature seekers alike are discovering Zacatlán.
• Apple Cider & Mole Lasagna – A taste of how local flavors blend Mexican roots with culinary innovation.
Where to Stay
Casa San Miguel – A beautifully restored 18th-century home turned boutique hotel in the heart of town. With 16 rooms, a spa, temazcal, coworking space, and on-site restaurant, it blends history with contemporary comfort.
Mantra Glamping – Perched in the hills above Zacatlán, this stylish glamping retreat features transparent domes, modern chalets, a spa, and panoramic views of the canyon below. Ideal for travelers looking for something a little different—and deeply relaxing.
Top Things to See & Do
Piedras Mágicas – Hidden deep in the forest and accessible only by 4x4, this surreal natural formation of gravity-defying rock pillars feels straight out of Avatar or Pandora. A magical experience in every sense.
Grutas Karmidas in Zapotitlán de Méndez – A thrilling cave hike about an hour and a half from Zacatlán, where visitors walk through an underground river surrounded by stalactites and stalagmites. A must for adventure travelers.
El Callejón del Hueso – Known as the “Bone Alley,” this colorful street is lined with mosaic art created by local residents. The tradition began when an artist from the U.S. introduced the technique, sparking a local art movement that now adorns many homes.
Zacatlán Clockmaking Heritage – Visit workshops where clocks have been handcrafted for over a century. The first monumental clock in Latin America was built here, and today, Zacatlán exports them across the country—including to Mexico’s Tren Maya project.
Town Center & Apple Culture – Stroll through the cobblestone streets, sip apple cider from local producers, and enjoy bakery-fresh pan de manzana (apple bread) as church bells echo through the mist.
Where to Eat & Drink
Casa Fernandez – A great spot for local dishes and artistic atmosphere. Don’t miss the lasagna de mole—a creative twist on a classic, blending pasta, beef, and rich mole sauce.
La Chichipinga - a great place for the traditional take on Mole.
Apple Cider Tastings – Try Zacatlán’s locally made cider, a crisp and refreshing symbol of the town’s heritage.
Cultural Notes
Zacatlán’s story is as layered as its landscapes. Once influenced by French settlers after a 19th-century battle in the region, the town still carries traces of European style in its architecture and artisan traditions. Its identity, however, remains deeply Mexican—rooted in community, craft, and connection to nature.
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Disclosure
Some links in these show notes may be affiliate links. If you use them to book, we may earn a small commission—at no extra cost to you. This helps support the production of the Travel in 10 podcast and keeps us exploring new destinations.
Transcript
Imagine waking up to the sound of bells drifting through mountain mist outside your window.
Speaker A:Cobblestone streets, tiled rooftops, and the scent of apples in the air.
Speaker A:This isn't Tulum or Cabo or Cancun.
Speaker A:We're in a very different side of Mexico today in Zacatalan, a place that feels like a secret, even though it's just two hours away from Mexico City.
Speaker A:Little known to most foreign tourists, Zacatlan has long been a favorite getaway for Mexicans looking to trade the beach heat for fresh mountain air.
Speaker A:It's a town known for boutique hotels with bold design, misty canyon views, and a food scene rooted in local traditions, from fresh baked bread to crisp apple cider to some of the best mole you're going to find anywhere in the world.
Speaker A:Here, time seems to really slow down, just maybe fitting for a town famous for its handcrafted clocks.
Speaker A:But look a little bit closer and you'll find it's quietly ahead of its time.
Speaker A:With thriving artisan culture, walkable streets, and a creative energy that hums just below the surface.
Speaker A:It's a great place for adventure tourism with caves, waterfalls, ziplining.
Speaker A:And in this episode, we're really stepping off the beaten path a little bit into the cool, creative calm of Zacatolan, Mexico.
Speaker A:That was a little bit of the sampling of the sounds from the streets of Zacatlan, Mexico, as we get into today's episode.
Speaker A:And today Tim is off sailing around the world.
Speaker A:So he is not going to be joining me, but we're going to be going live today.
Speaker A:And I do have a guest with me today, Eric Rodriguez.
Speaker A:Eric is the general manager at a hotel called Casa San Miguel, a great boutique hotel that I had a chance to visit while I was in Zakatilan.
Speaker A:And Zakatilan is known for a lot of great hotels.
Speaker A:I actually stayed at another phenomenal property, a place up in the hills called Montre Montre Glamping and where they had kind of clear domes sitting up on the clifftops overlooking the city.
Speaker A:They had these really modern chalets that were almost like tiny home style design, very modern boutique style.
Speaker A:They had a spa up there as well.
Speaker A:So Montra was a great property and one that I would highly recommend if you're.
Speaker A:If you're going to the area.
Speaker A:And why, why would you come here?
Speaker A:I mean, this is, as I say, quite different than the typical Mexican holiday.
Speaker A:This is definitely getting a little bit off the beaten track.
Speaker A:But there is a reason why people from Mexico City have really called this out as one of their favorite holiday destinations.
Speaker A:It has Got a ton to do.
Speaker A:It is really known for adventure tourism.
Speaker A:So you're going to find lots of opportunities for things like ziplining, hiking here, waterfalls all around the town.
Speaker A:There was a great cave excursion that I did an hour and a half outside of Zacatlan, where we got to go deep into a cave, through the mountains, walking through a river, stunning views of stalactites and stalagmites and really just a pretty phenomenal adventure travel experience.
Speaker A:And I had a chance to sit down with Eric at the hotel.
Speaker A:We were having lunch and he was telling me about a bit about a recent tour that he went on that sounded really pretty phenomenal.
Speaker A:It wasn't one that I got a chance to do while I was there, but he was telling me an experience that him and his family had just had.
Speaker A:And we'll just jump into that, the middle of that conversation together with Eric at Casa San Miguel.
Speaker B:This is like the entrance to this place in the forest.
Speaker B:You have to get there in racers or in a jeep because there's no commercial way.
Speaker B:Other commercial way to go to this side.
Speaker B:It's like half an hour away from Zacatlan and it's very rocky to get there, but that's why you have to get a razor.
Speaker B:And this is the entrance of the little park.
Speaker B:It isn't a park, it's just part of the nature.
Speaker B:And this little guy right here, it's what we call piedra ensimada.
Speaker B:I mean, maybe it's like a five meter structure, stone pillar.
Speaker B:Very beautiful.
Speaker C:It's not natural, is it?
Speaker A:Is it?
Speaker B:Yes, it is.
Speaker C:It's just naturally like that.
Speaker B:It's very natural.
Speaker C:It looks man made.
Speaker A:It looks.
Speaker C:Yeah, it isn't.
Speaker C:It looks like Easter island, hence.
Speaker B:But this is nature's work.
Speaker B:And look how big they were.
Speaker B:We were like little things.
Speaker B:And this, this is like a little building, you know, it's very big and it's quite rare because some, some little stone.
Speaker B:Well, this block stones make like a gravity.
Speaker B:How do I.
Speaker B:How can I say it?
Speaker B:They this, the Safier La Gravida.
Speaker B:They like make gravity like it.
Speaker B:There's like Pandora avatar.
Speaker B:It made me feel like that.
Speaker C:It does look like that.
Speaker C:It does look like that.
Speaker C:Oh yeah.
Speaker C:You can really see the scale if you guys standing beside them there.
Speaker C:It's huge.
Speaker B:It's huge.
Speaker C:How many?
Speaker C:Like five meters tall maybe?
Speaker B:No, maybe more.
Speaker A:Even more.
Speaker B:Because we were standing right here and this stone in the other side was like in the cliff of a mountain.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:So it's more bigger than we think.
Speaker C:And what is this area called?
Speaker B:It isn't very known.
Speaker B:If you go to the razor stores of Zacatlan, you can get it like Piedras magicas.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Magic.
Speaker B:It's called like that.
Speaker A:Very cool.
Speaker B:Well, I tried to make here, like, a bit.
Speaker B:This is the entrance.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Here we go walking.
Speaker B:And we're.
Speaker B:We're getting ahead to the most important part.
Speaker B:When you get down, there's a river that's born in this.
Speaker B:In this little beautiful forest.
Speaker B:And it's in the middle of the.
Speaker B:All of these structures.
Speaker B:Here we have one.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:This is like 8 meters off.
Speaker B:It's very, very delightful to see.
Speaker B:And you get to walk between the.
Speaker B:These stones.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:There's a lot of bats tied.
Speaker B:You can't make so much noise.
Speaker B:But it was very beautiful to see it.
Speaker B:The perspective of.
Speaker B:The perspective of the river from the inside, where it's being born.
Speaker A:Very cool tour.
Speaker B:This is my favorite part of Zakatlan.
Speaker B:Yeah, it has been.
Speaker B:It's very beautiful.
Speaker C:What are some of your favorite things here in the city?
Speaker C:Like, what are some things that most people don't know about that you think maybe are kind of undiscovered like this?
Speaker C:Any great restaurants, great things in the city?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:The first one, El Callejon del Hueso.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:It's the Bone Street Way.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:I don't know if I'm pronouncing it right, but it's new.
Speaker B:It's this kind of art, but it is in the government's mosaic.
Speaker B:This mosaic?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:The mosaic is very important because actually someone from the United States thought brought the art to Zakatlan and showed it to the community, and the community started to make a lot, tons of art.
Speaker B:So the houses of the people have this kind of art, and they make art of every culture of Mexico, every one of the states of Mexico.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:So they have, like, this kind of art all the way in the street.
Speaker B:It's called the Callejon del Hueso.
Speaker B:The second.
Speaker B:Did you try the lasagna mole yesterday?
Speaker C:I didn't.
Speaker C:I saw the bone marrow tacos looked so good.
Speaker B:I try those.
Speaker B:But how was it?
Speaker C:They were very good.
Speaker C:They were very good, guys.
Speaker B:Lasagna de mole was one of my favorite things to eat here in Sakatlan.
Speaker C:So is it like actual lasagna, like noodles?
Speaker B:Noodles.
Speaker C:They do meat in it and then mole sauce.
Speaker B:Mole sauce.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:It's very interesting.
Speaker C:With chicken or with.
Speaker B:No, beef?
Speaker C:Beef.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:It's very good.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker C:Is that common to eat mole with beef?
Speaker B:No, it isn't.
Speaker B:No, but they, they made this.
Speaker C:They do it specially like that.
Speaker B:It's a great, great, great way to have a dinner or, you know, it's, it's very good because you, you get the lasagna experience with mole and it's kind of weird.
Speaker C:It tastes good, but it's great.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:That's other.
Speaker B:That's another thing.
Speaker B:Sakatlan also.
Speaker B:I, I know, I didn't know if you get to know that we made the first clock in Latin America.
Speaker B:Monumental clock.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Someone.
Speaker A:Made.
Speaker B:He was a genius.
Speaker B:He's actually called manuel.
Speaker B:It's this Mr. Manuel Olvera, who got a French book of how to make clocks and translated to Spanish, then made his own clock.
Speaker B:Sacatlan sells most countrywide the clocks of the ayuntamientos or the churches.
Speaker B:Yeah, Zacatlan produces it.
Speaker B:Actually, right now they are selling the clocks to Tren Maya in the south of Mexico.
Speaker B:So that's very nice to know.
Speaker C:Also, is there some German influence here?
Speaker C:Because walking around today, it looks a bit like Bavaria in Germany.
Speaker C:It looks like the Christmas markets in Bavaria.
Speaker C:It's main square.
Speaker C:And the clocks are something obviously very common in Germany.
Speaker B:Well, I like your answer.
Speaker B:No, but there's French, French influence.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:French influence.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Why?
Speaker B:Because not far away from here, there was a, a war between, between French, French army, Mexican army, and someone from here, from Zakatlan was the, the, the one who directed the Mexican army.
Speaker B:And they got to win the battle.
Speaker B:Lots of French people stayed here in Zakatlan, made children.
Speaker B:And we have a lot of French heritage because of that.
Speaker C:Ah, a lot of people who speak.
Speaker A:French in the cities.
Speaker B:No, no, but you can see like in the, in the way that, the skin tones and the way they look.
Speaker C:Can you maybe talk a little bit about the hotel that we're sitting in right now?
Speaker B:Yes, Casa San Miguel.
Speaker B:It's 18th century hotel, actually.
Speaker B:We're in the.
Speaker B:This was the, the first part of the house.
Speaker B:And this floor is from the house, the original house.
Speaker B:It's very, very old, actually.
Speaker B:And something very beautiful about this house is it was one of the first houses in Zakatlan.
Speaker B:They made it into a hotel.
Speaker B:We have the.
Speaker B:You can't see it right now, but we have some photos of the owners, the first owners of this house.
Speaker B:They were rich people.
Speaker B:Yeah, very rich.
Speaker A:When was the house built?
Speaker B:In the 18th century.
Speaker C:18Th century, yeah.
Speaker C:When did you revamp it into a boutique hotel?
Speaker B: That was in: Speaker C:Oh, it's a blue reason to see.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:And about how many rooms?
Speaker B:We have 16 rooms.
Speaker B:We have the Temazcal, have the spa and we have a co worker and we have offices because we also have the zip line.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And we also have the restaurant.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:It's a beautiful spot and very essentially located.
Speaker C:You're kind of right in the middle of everything here.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:Thank you very much.
Speaker B:I. I hope you like it a lot.
Speaker A:Well, that's part one of our visit to Zacatolan, Mexico.
Speaker A:We're going to be coming back later this week with a second interview with another local in town, talking about some of the other things to see and do and some of the unique traditions that you're going to find here in this region as well.
Speaker A:So hope you'll come back and check out that second part of our visit to Sacatlon later this week.
Speaker A:And as always, if you could drop us a review or rating on Apple podcasts or Spotify or wherever your podcasts and check out all of our travel podcasts from around the world@foiascape.com D.
