Malinalco

104 km from the capital, in a beautiful lush green valley at the foot of the mountain Malinalco is located. The town, inherited from ancestors, consists of cobbled streets, colorful houses built of adobe, stories and dreams. Green landscapes and peaceful surroundings make it an ideal place for the rest and reflection of the eternal. Malinalco streets are dotted with flowers adorning the walls of colonial mansions and small temples XVI-XVIII centuries too. Everything in town is calling on a journey into the past of Mexico.

In the tales and legends of locals Malinalco always was a magical place. The city's name means "the place of worship to Malinalxochitl", and she, the sister of Huitzilopochtli, was the goddess of witchcraft, mysteries and other dark arts and supposedly lived here for some time.

On a Hill of Idols the archeological area of Malinalco, Cuauhtinchan, is located. It?s one of the most picturesque in the state of Mexico. Area name can be translated as "the abode of the brave and strong men", "a place where soldiers eagles and ocelots are", "of invincible spirit" or "representatives of the sun on earth". Cuantinchan is actually a fortress fixed on the top of the mountain, and is of particular interest because it is one of the four existing monolithic ruins. Around 70s of XV century these lands were conquered by the Aztecs, the aliens have transform the city in a sanctuary for their best soldiers – the members of castes of Eagles and Jaguars. They built a fortress on the Hill of the Idols (Cerro de los Idolos), on top of an older place for ceremonies.

The central temple of area, Cuauhcalli or the House of Eagles served to Aztecs as a place for the ceremony of "initiation into manhood". In other words, it was a boarding temple for the military elite. Unusualness of it is in the fact that the temple was partly carved in the rock and designed as a snake's mouth. The entrance to the temple is guarded by stone jaguars and in the center of the premise a stone eagle as a symbol of military valor is.

The sanctuary of Warriors – Jaguar and Eagle – by its solidity is compared with the cave temple in Ellora of India and the temple of Abu Simbel in Egypt. Today the archeological area of Malinalco is the only pure Aztec antiquity of the country that is situated outside of Mexico City.