Pisaflores
At every turn, the town is alight with flowers and color. At once, a place to delight the senses and provoke the very incredulity of having witnessed such a magnificent place on Earth.
Pisaflores is colorful and vibrant town high in the Huasteca Hidalguense, that is, in the Hidalgo version of the Huasteca. One of the least understood of the regions of Mexico, the land is one of jungles, canyons, soaring waterfalls, and wildlife. Today, the Huasteca is, in some measure, the beating heart of Mexican Surrealism, if such a thing can be imagined. This is perhaps best represented in Xilitla, the most famous of Huastecan towns. It\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s roughly a two hour drive just about directly north of Pisaflores. And this for the winding, mountainous and beautiful route between the two towns. It\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s a journey not to be missed.
People come to Pisaflores for the balnearios, that is, the particularly Mexican variety of water parks that cater to families. It\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s not really fair to translate the word as spas. But there is something in the Huastecan atmosphere (not just heat) that makes one think that the entire landscape is one giant jungle spa, with bamboo, and waterfalls, and all kinds of sights and sounds that are new.
The economy is based nearly entirely on agriculture and local artisan works. People eat quesadillas of huitlacoche and sauces made from zucchini seeds. There is some local mezcal production too. Some people in the overall municipality will speak Nahuatl, Otomí, and Huasteco. The Sunday tianguis is not to be missed.
Overall, the town is much less heavily visited than some of the other towns across the region, and for that, you get a much more tranquil visit. The destination is one of adventure and learning, for there is wildlife simply everywhere. Even the locally raised cows seem exotic. There are a few exceptional farmstays, too. Vacation rentals seem to be concentrated across the other state line in Querétaro, but Pisaflores is home to some very respectable hotels, too. There is some more development, including guest houses and places to stay to the east and northeast of the city in the direction toward Chalahuite. The eco-park, La Joya, stands out for welcoming what is likely the highest number of visitors. And like most of the area, the trip there is dramatic and memorable at every turn.
People will generally visit Pisaflores, as mentioned, coming to and from Xilitla. Both places are famously remote. Buses from Mexico City tend to stop at Chapulhuacán which is not quite a half hour southeast of Pisaflores. There are some great hotels there and in between the two towns. Most people who aren\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t driving will ask around for local transport options too, as there is frequent combi service throughout the lower Huasteca region.
