Cerro de Xochitepec

The tradition. Part of the religious tradition of the Xochimilca pueblos takes place on this hill: a group of men carries a seven-metre wooden cross weighing around 400 kilos, wrapped in coloured ribbons, up to the summit. It is a community observance rather than a show —the men who carry it inherit the role, and the climb is the point.

Visiting outside the festival. The rest of the year the hill is a viewpoint over Xochimilco and the southern edge of the valley, reached on foot by a dirt path. Go in the morning, take water, and wear shoes with grip: the trail is loose stone and exposed to the sun.

Getting there. In Xochimilco, in the south of the city. Take the Tren Ligero from Tasqueña to the Xochimilco terminus and local transport towards the pueblo at the foot of the hill.