Temple and Former Convent of Saint John th and Ancient Convent of the Nativity starting at Yecapixtla
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
104 km
Riding-time estimate
2 h 02
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
A 104 km round trip from Yecapixtla - roughly 2 h 02 in the saddle. The stops in between: Temple and Former Convent of Saint William, Ancient Convent of the Nativity and back through Temple and Former Convent of Saint William. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 2,700 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. The line favours views over speed.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Temple and Former Convent of Saint John th
In the 1530s and 1540s, Augustinian friars arrived in the valleys below Popocatépetl to convert the local population, and they built churches that look half like cathedrals and half like castles. The convent of San Juan Bautista in Yecapixtla is one of the finest: a tall, fortress-like church with crenellated walls, a striking Gothic rose window over the entrance and a vast atrium where the indigenous congregation gathered for open-air services. It is part of the UNESCO listing of the Earliest Sixteenth-Century Monasteries on the Slopes of Popocatépetl, a group of fourteen convents across Morelos and Puebla.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Temple and Former Convent of Saint John th is where the day begins. Next is Temple and Former Convent of Saint William.
2. Temple and Former Convent of Saint William
Totolapan is a small town on the northern slopes of the Sierra de Chichinautzin, in the state of Morelos, and its Augustinian convent of San Guillermo is one of the fourteen sixteenth-century monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl that UNESCO listed in 1994. The friars who came to Mexico after the conquest built these fortress-like complexes to convert the indigenous population, with huge walled atriums where crowds could gather for open-air masses, chapels at the corners for processions, and austere churches with thick walls. Totolapan's convent is relatively modest, but its simplicity and setting give it a special charm.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Temple and Former Convent of Saint William comes up about 17 km into the recorded legs. Next is Ancient Convent of the Nativity.
3. Ancient Convent of the Nativity
Tepoztlán sits at the foot of a wall of jagged volcanic cliffs in northern Morelos, and on the highest ridge above town, a small Aztec pyramid, the Tepozteco, dedicated to the god of pulque, clings to the rock. Down in the town, the Dominican convent of the Nativity, built in the mid-sixteenth century, is one of the monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl listed by UNESCO in 1994. Its massive church, with a facade carved with angels, the sun and the moon, and a large atrium, is impressive, and the cloister has remains of colourful mural paintings. Part of the convent houses a museum.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Temple and Former Convent of Saint John th. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Temple and Former Convent of Saint John th to Temple and Former Convent of Saint William
Temple and Former Convent of Saint John th → Temple and Former Convent of Saint William is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Temple and Former Convent of Saint William to Ancient Convent of the Nativity
Temple and Former Convent of Saint William → Ancient Convent of the Nativity is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Ancient Convent of the Nativity to back through Temple and Former Convent of Saint William
Ancient Convent of the Nativity → back through Temple and Former Convent of Saint William is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Temple and Former Convent of Saint William to Temple and Former Convent of Saint John th
back through Temple and Former Convent of Saint William → Temple and Former Convent of Saint John th is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.