The morning after our arrival my jet-lagged mind slowly awakened to the reality: this is not my bed!!!I stumbled out into the courtyard of the beautiful Spanish-style house. Carlos and Tisha were finishing their breakfast.
Orizaba's snow cap lit by the morning sun was peaking into their windows. The last time it exploded was some 170 years ago. but it is still grumbling deep inside. One day it will awaken again.
Wave after wave of lava regurgitated by the mountain in the times past advancing towards the Hummingbird hill. It too, might have been created by Orizaba.
I grab my coffee, a backpack heavy with my photo gear, and a tripod.
Somehow I managed to climb a spiral staircase leading onto the roofs. The December morning was chilly which meant a jacket and another pair of pants pulled over my pajamas.
But as soon as I stumbled onto the flat platform of the roof I knew for sure:
I was hooked!
Not only was I nearly in a canopy of an old majestic tree, I was also looking at another volcano!
Cofre de Perote!
According to the internet sources the indigenous people called this, now extinct, volcano
"The four-sided mountain" or "Mountain of the Lord of Four Places".
In any case "cofre" means a storage "chest" in English and that's where El Cofre came from.
As for the name "Perote" Tisha explained that it was one of the Cortese's generals and, because the conqustadors' route Veracruz to Tenochtitlan, the capitol of the Aztecs, led through the mountain passes in this valley, it is possible that general Perote hid a chest filled with a treasure in the volcano; or nearby it. Wouldn't it be nice to find it today?
But here is an account of an expert: Carlos, the author of Hummingbird Hill Ranch book:
The captain Perote was a very big, burly
man, almost a giant. He was a favorite of Hernan Cortez for his feareless
conduct and loyalty. Because of that, Cortez allowed him to ama a small
treasure of his own, which Perote carried with him in a large, wooden trunk.
This trunk was well known, and all other soldiers made fun of it, although with
some envy. They used to talk about the “cofre de Perote” and speculated on the
treasures contained there.
Perote was quite greedy and was a true bandit,
pillaging gold from Indians wherever he could. One day, while accompanying a
trope of soldiers on the way back to Veracruz, Perote heard of a treasure up on
the large mountain in front of them, called Naupa-Tecutépetl. He decided to climb there to see if he could snatch some of it. As always, he carried his heavy trunk with him. He got to the
top of the mountain and started to search for the legendary entrance into the
treasure cave.
All of a sudden, the skies went black, high winds buffeted the
mountain top … and in front of the burly man appeared the mountain god Yoltzin.
He reproached Perote for stealing gold from the natives, and as punishment
turned his trunk of gold into a giant, square rock. When the frightened Perote
returned to his soldiers, they asked him where he left his trunk, thinking he
buried it somewhere to get it later.
But the captain just motioned up the
mountain, and there it was. A giant, square rock. And so it was named the Cofre
de Perote. Even to this day, it is believed that at midnight on the day
of St. Juan, the mountain opens, and those of pure heart can enter and partake
in some of the treasure. But not too much and not too little. Just the right amount.
If
not, the mountain will close on them and they will remain trapped in the rocky "cofre".
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| Cofre de Perote by Carlos Baresh |
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| Cofre de Perote by Carlos Bares |
Today the rocks on the top of the old volcano carry a different name:
Piedra de Antenas (The Antena Rock).
A modern name for the modern times.
Thanks Karel.
Also visible from the roof was a hill climbing road. It was inlaid with rough boulders, and it was leading up and up (or down & down).
A young man with his mule and a load of wood were carefully negotiating the steep, slippery slope.
I wanted to believe that this was the same route which Cortes and his men traveled 5 centuries ago.
And if not this, then the real for sure was not too far away.
"I am not alone on this roof!"
The ancient feeling of someone watching was too strong to be ignored.
"Ah!"
One of the cats made its way up (much easier than I) to an unpleasant surprise:
"You smell strange! You do not belong here! This is my turf and I hate your camera and I hate that big lens!
GET OUT!"
It did not purr!
But there was a sound! It was kind of a mewing but
not coming from the cat
Then the sound changed tune. It changed location as well and suddenly it lodged itself on a branch near my head!
A Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) is trying to impress a female hidden somewhere in the foliage of the big old tree.
Well outlined against a cloud that has just moved in he sang his heart away.
Would he get spooked by a camera flash?
No way!
After a long while he took off; following the gentle meows in the tree.
The new day at Hummingbird Hill Ranch has begun.
It was time to join others.
The courtyard was guarded by Yoda The Cat. Just like its name-sake would, the cat gave me a wise look.
"I know that you had a great morning. Go on ... and, Force be with you!"
It was a beautiful morning indeed!
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| Photo by Tisha Perez |
Hello Jana,
ReplyDeleteIt's another beautiful morning at the Hummingbird Hill Ranch. Wish you were here with your skillful photographer's eye and with your gentle laugh. We miss you, and wish you could come to visit us again. By the way, we just had 31 baby lambs ... all strong and healthy ... and so cute to photograph :o)
Saludos y amor,
Carlos y Tisha
Hummingbird Hill Ranch
Hola you two' thanks for the note. As for the photographs, it is Tisha who is an expert at that. Not that you, Karel, are behind, she just enjoys it so much more.
ReplyDeleteHave a great spring.
Toja