Acteopan

Acteopan's potters shape trees of life, jugs, casseroles and fine cooking pots, and that ware is what this village in south-western Puebla, a short way from the Morelos border, is best known for. Its official name is San Marcos Acteopan, and the 16th-century church of San Marcos presides over the town. The name joins Nahuatl atl, water, with teopan, temple, and has been read several ways: "temple of water", "temple beside the water" or "water that flows from the temple". In 2020 it had 2,187 residents at 1,661 m; Cuautla is about 25 km away and Atlixco about 34 km, in a straight line.

The municipality, created in 1895, is small at about 75 km², with land from 1,300 to 2,100 m. It borders Cohuecan, Atzitzihuacan, Tepemaxalco, Huaquechula and Tepexco. It lies in the Nexapa sub-basin, part of the Atoyac and the wider Balsas system; the Axusco is its main river and the Río Grande flows year-round. The climate is semi-warm, with averages of 20 to 22 °C, highs reaching 34 to 36 °C in the dry season and about 800 to 1,000 mm of rain a year. Almost half the land is farmed and another third is low tropical forest, with some grassland.

Besides clay, people here weave reed. About 785 people in the municipality spoke Nahuatl. The kitchen offers mole, pipián, tamales, pan criollo and a bread called barrieco, with atole, and for dessert preserved peaches, tejocote and candied squash. To drink there is aguardiente and mezcal. In earlier times men wore charro dress and women the china poblana costume for fiestas.