The mountains to the northeast of Oaxaca city are dotted with charming villages and small towns, several with impressive colonial churches and ecotourism programs that will allow you to explore the surrounding forested countryside which is one of the most biodiverse in the world. Capulálpam de Méndez in one such small town, and it has been recognized as one of Mexico’s “Magical Towns” in the Pueblos Mágicos program which was developed by Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism.
The Pueblos Mágicos program designates certain towns and villages in Mexico as being particularly magical. Communities are selected based on their cultural, historic or social importance, and they are places that successfuly maintain their cultural identity and architecture. The program began in 2001, and there are now 55 towns which are included. Surprisingly, because Oaxaca is full of such charming places, only one town in Oaxaca has been officially designated a “Pueblo Mágico”. Capulálpam was selected because of its beautiful colonial church, rich cultural traditions, and ecotourism project.
Driving the winding roads up into the Sierra Norte, you’ll pass Guelatao, the natal village of Benito Juarez, then continue on past Ixtlan. Six kilometers further on you’ll reach Capulálpam, a charming and quiet Zapotec town of about 1500 inhabitants. This tiny town is at an elevation of 2000 meters above sea level and is surrounded by the natural beauty of pine and oak forests. The temperature here is several degrees cooler than the Oaxaca valley, and in the mornings and evenings the town is often blanketed in mist.
This area was originally settled some 800 years ago, but documents identifying the settlement date back to the year 1500. During the colonial period, mining was the principal activity here; both gold and silver were extracted, and the ornate decoration of the town’s parish church attests to the wealth that was produced here.
Capulálpam means place of the capulín (a type of wild cherry tree). The town was originally called San Mateo Capulálpam, but the name was changed in 1934 to honor Miguel Méndez Hernández, a native of Capulálpam who was a politician and a contemporary of Benito Juarez. His birthday is celebrated on September 29, and the feast of Saint Matthew, the patron saint of the town, is celebrated earlier the same month.
Capulálpam’s church is dedicated to Saint Matthew. The building was completed in the late seventeenth century. Its plain facade presents a steep contrast to the ornate decoration within. There are no fewer than 15 elaborately decorated altarpieces from the 17th and 18th centuries. This church is also remarkable for being one of the few that still maintains its wooden roof covered with terracotta tiles.
Capulálpam has several cabins which are available for nightly rental, each with a fireplace and bathroom with shower. These are located on the mountainside above the town with lovely views of the town and surrounding mountains. Capulálpam’s eco-tourism center (Centro recreativo Los Molinos) has a playground for children, a suspension bridge and a one hundred yard zip line over the Molinos river at a 30 meter height. There’s also an open-air dining area which offers traditional Oaxacan food and freshly caught trout.
You can rent mountain bikes to explore the forest trails, or go on horseback, and local guides offer nature walks to appreciate the wide variety of plants and flowers including many orchids and bromeliads. Rappel and cave exploring are other activities which are offered here. The town has a traditional indigenous medicine center which is located adjacent to the Centro de Salud, the allopathic medical clinic. Here traditional medicine practitioners offer “limpias” (ritual cleansing), temazcal (traditional Mexican steambath), and massage.
Capulálpam makes for a great getaway from Oaxaca city. This is a favorite weekend escape for my family and I. We come for the day or stay overnight to enjoy an evening around a campfire and enjoy a meal in the open-air dining area at Los Molinos and breathe the fresh mountain air on walks around the small town. There’s no cell phone reception here so I leave all my electronic devices behind and spend some quiet time enjoying nature and my family.
On our most recent trip we took an excursion into one of Capulálpam’s caves. Our local guide led us through several levels of the cave. He explained the cave’s features, and pointed out some bats and a blind spider to us. My kids enjoyed it, and although I had been wary about entering the cave with my four year old, he loved it and raved about it to his teacher and classmates when he returned to preschool the following Monday.
One of the things we really like about Capulálpam is that even though it was designated a Pueblo Mágico in 2007, it is still off the beaten track, and we seem to have the place mostly to ourselves when we go (admittedly we generally go in low season and not during any of the town’s celebrations). Although we’ve been several times, I look forward to the next time we can go and explore more of the paths and lookouts around Capulálpam, and perhaps enjoy a temazcal in the traditional medicine center.
