Photo Shows Overlay of Modern and Traditional in Mexico September 22
As part of my research for an article on Pulque I visited a local tlachiquero (person who cultivates Magueyes and extracts their juice) and he kindly allowed me to take photos of him and his field. Below is a photo that I took on that day. It struck me for it’s wonderful combination of modern and traditional Mexico.
The traditional realm encompasses the setting — a field cultivated without the use of power tools, the Magueyes which have been grown there probably for centuries, the head strap Don José is using to carry his container, the small size of both of these Mexican men, their brown skin, and the way they are conversing (which is distinctly Mexican, but can only be observed in person). The modern realm encompasses the clothing they are wearing, their baseball caps, and the fact that my husband is using a rebozo to carry our son, which traditionally would be used only by women.
I just get such a kick out of this photo. When you retire in Mexico, it is fun to observe the richly-textured combination of modern and traditional elements that coexist side by side in every situation.
As if the water park weren’t enough, the buildings of the hacienda still stand and have been converted into lovely gardens, providing an elegant area that can be rented for a mere 84,000 pesos (approximately 8,000 USD). If the area isn’t being used on the day you visit you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to give yourself a tour, breathe in the 
quiet beauty, and take some pictures. Ex-haciendas have a feeling of elegance that you can experience only in Mexico. The hacienda has been renovated for parties and has lovely gardens and captivating swimming pools that might be even more fun to photograph than to swim in.
people. Sometimes the owners, who had to face the angry people, turned to the colonial authorities and the Spanish Inquisition for defense. One bright spot in the hacienda’s history occurred in the late 1700s, when the then owner of the hacienda freed 200 black slaves owned by the hacienda. For that reason, during the War of 
Independence in 1810, the black people of the region took the side of the government and the hacienda was a focal point of the royal resistance.
Revolution. Between 1910 and 1917, it was used as a fort and arms warehouse by Zapatistas and federal troops alternately. Its sad uses didn’t end there. In 1942, it was used as a Japanese concentration camp thanks to Mexico’s union with the allied forces during World War II. After World War II, the hacienda was converted into a rice 
mill and processing plant. The hacienda’s function finally became a truly happy one when it became a water park in 1968.
processing the famous Morelos rice. They pointed out some interesting features, such as a chimney that was built during the rice processing days out of red bricks that included rice husks as one of their basic ingredients. We all peered closely at the bricks, but they looked about the same as the standard variety to our untrained eyes. The man also 
pointed out one of the auxiliary parking lots, which was originally the cement pad where the rice was spread out to dry in the sun.
The Ex-Hacienda de Temixco is open seven days a week, but if you go on a weekday, you should pay special attention to the schedule for the rides. On weekends and holidays, all of the rides are on all day from noon to five p.m. On weekdays, each major attraction has a schedule during which it is in operation. The schedule is posted on a sign near the park’s main entrance and on the web site. (See the schedule by holding the mouse pointer over the green button next to the words “Horarios de juegos.”) To avoid missing the fun, you might consider bringing a waterproof watch, or just follow the crowd as they rotate from one fun activity to another.