I visited this WHS in December 2021 focusing on three locations offering some of the best interior murals and exterior architectural details: namely Atlatlahucan, Tepotzlan and Cuernevaca.

Coming from Puebla, on the way we stopped to take some photos of the puffing Popocatepetl volcano since the three locations we chose were quite deep in the Popocatepetl valley far from the volcano proper. First we stopped at the sleepy town of Atlatlahucan to see the monastery of San Mateo Atlatahucan which was founded by Fray Jorge de Avila of the Order of the Augustinians in the 16th century. Fray Jorge de Avila also founded the monasteries of Tlayacapan, Ocuituco, Yecapixtla and Totolapan, which are all part of this WHS.

The complex is rectangular. There is an open chapel in the northwest corner built with three arches. The facade of the church has an undecorated arched door; above that is a rectangular coral window set in a niche surrounded by small pilasters. Above it there is a classic clock dating from the latter part of the 19th century. To the rear of the church, there is a bell tower which appears to have been built later than the church, although it is in the same style. Around the monastery there is a tall wall with the characteristic crenellated walls of the Popocatepetl monasteries and the whole setting is now a tranquil garden or park. Like most monasteries and structures in the region, the Septemper 2017 earthquakes had a significant toll causing lots of damages. In fact, after visiting most of the cracked interior mostly to see its colourful murals on the walls and ceilings, and spotting a rusty UNESCO WHS plaque in front of the church, we were kindly asked to leave the monastery perimeter since apparently it was dangerous and closed to the public. We were only very lucky to manage to unknowingly sneak in while the gardeners were looking after the monastery gardens and forgot to lock the side gate. Hopefully, after the lengthy restorations, it will reopen soon but the whole area is prone to earthquakes (we felt two very minor ones while in Morelos). Unlike the mostly monocolour (red or black) murals in Tepotzlan, the ones in Atlatlahucan have very vibrant colours (mostly blue, yellow, green and red) which are worth viewing and are one of this WHS' highlights. The cloister is simple and austere, without luxury or decorations, in sharp contrast to the public areas of the church, tower, open chapel, and capillas posas used for unbaptized indigenous people. The feast of St. Matthew the Apostle is celebrated on the 21st of September.

Next we visited the puebla magico of Tepotzlan. I must say that a lot of the "pueblo magicos" exploit the honorary title without offering much more than other towns, but Tepotzlan was definitely an exception to this. There was a bustling market on the day of our visit and the monastery had just suddenly reopened after being closed for quite some time during the coronavirus pandemic. So after totally disregarding our GPS and following a number of unpaved or minor roads on Google Maps to beat the heavy traffic, we parked our car at the first estanciamento and set off to visit the monastery.

Already while driving uphill to Tepotztlan, we could appreciate the lovely position the monastery is situated in, beneath the jagged mountain and forest scenery. Just before entering the monastery, in the distance we could easily spot the Tepozteco Pyramid on the mountain peak. The Ex Convento de Tepoztlan (or Museo de la Natividad) and Dominican Church now houses the Museo y Centro de Documentacion (still partially closed due to the COVID pandemic when we visited). The church was built by the Tepoztecan Indians under the orders of the Dominican friars between 1555 and 1580 and is dedicated to the Virgin of the Nativity. There are the usual indigenous symbols (for example the sun and the moon) on the church facade and while the church is still closed due the significant damage caused by the September 2017 earthquakes (for example the belfry twin towers of the church have big cracks right in the middle of them and are still standing thanks to wooden supports all around them), a temporary church in the middle of the monastery's green area opposite the damaged church has been built to keep offering services to the locals. This reminded me of the open air chapels for indigenous people used in the past and how they must have been full of people in those bygone days. Like in Atlatlahucan, buttresses support most buildings as the whole area is prone to earthquakes.

The murals around the monastery's courtyard porticoes (mostly red with geometric decorations on the ceilings, and an ornate black frieze on the walls, and friars, angels and coat of arms painted in one of the main areas of the monastery. The murals are another highlight of this WHS and are still in very good condition, especially considering all the earthquakes they have withstood. After visiting the monastery (closed on Mondays), we enjoyed the excellent market and the lively atmosphere in town and ate a delicious ice-cream from the colourful Tepoznieves.

Next we headed to Cuernevaca, where we had initally planned to stay overnight before heading to nearby Xochicalco the next day. Little did we know that a massive demonstration was taking place there (a recurrent problem here apparently), and all the entrances and exits were completely closed with trailers, buses, and even big stones or refuse skips blocking off all the roads. After being stuck in a huge traffic jam paralysing all the city, we parked our car at one of the main petrol stations just after the city centre, and walked for about three kilometres slightly uphill to visit the main sights of Cuernevaca, focusing mostly on the fortress-like main cathedral, the open air chapel or capilla abierta and the surrounding monastery. Unlike the other monastery structures from its time, the importance of this church provoked a number of renovation projects, the last of which occurred in 1957. This one took out the remaining older decorations of the interior and replaced them with simple modern ones. This renovation work also uncovered a 17th-century mural that covers 400 square metres of the interior walls and narrates the story of Philip of Jesus and 23 other missionaries who were crucified in Japan. I also really liked the pink facade of the Tercera Orden Chapel which made me look forward to the five facades of the Sierra Gorda monasteries WHS I would be visiting towards the end of my road trip in Mexico. Seeing that the demonstrations hadn't calmed down in Cuernevaca, we decided to cancel our hotel booking which unfortunately happened to be exactly at the heart of where the most violent protestors were gathered, and drove on to another hotel just next to Xochicalco.