Mexico: Pueblos Mancomunados

I enjoyed a four day hike through Pueblos Mancomunados, which are small self-styled eco-villages in the Mexican Sierra Norte mountains. The scenery was something out of Dr. Seuss land... and nothing I anticipated seeing in Mexico: brightly colored pom pom-like flowers that thrust themselves 50 feet up from century-old enormous agave plants in the final year of their existence (what a way to go out!).  I also loved the romantic cloud forest conditions, prickly pear cactus, wild horses, and draped Spanish moss.  When not traversing through the forests, hills and valleys that connect the villages, we participated in a spiritual cleansing by a healer in one of the villages that used raw eggs to detect the presence of an "evil eye", enjoyed local specialities prepared in the comedores, laid in hammocks under nearly-full moons, listened to morning public service announcements and community reminders broadcast over the outdoor village PA system, and learned about medicinal uses of trailside plants.

More Information

Selected photos from my trip

Tierra Aventura: http://www.tierraventura.com/en/tours/mancomunados.htm (I highly recommend the tour guide Marie)

Expediciones Sierra Norte: http://www.sierranorte.org.mx/home/index.php?band=2

Mountain Voices-- From the Sierra Norte Mountains:http://www.mountainvoices.org/mexico.asp.html

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