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"The Physics of Star-Gas Interactions"
June 23 - July 31, 1997.
Tonantzintla, Puebla. Mexico
 Important
Notices |
 Health |
| Workshop
Locations and Dates |
Food |
| Money |
Getting
to Puebla |
| Climate |
Accommodation
and food |
| Language |
Contacts |
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Please check whether you need ***A VALID VISA*** to enter the country. Visas can be issued by any Mexican embassy or consulate. Normally a tourist visa should be adequate to cover your stay at the Workshop. During the Spring-Summer period, flights to and from Mexico are usually heavily booked, so make your reservations as early as possible.
** Please give us your arrival information as soon as possible.**
The Workshop will be held at the Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica (INAOE), situated in the small town of Tonantzintla, in the state of Puebla. The dates are from Monday June 23th to Thursday July 31st, 1997. The city of Puebla, home of over one million inhabitants, is one of the most important Colonial cities in Mexico, and has recently been declared part of the World Heritage by UNESCO. It is located 120 km east of Mexico City, and Tonantzintla is about 10 km west of Puebla. There is a spectacular view of the Popocatepetl and the Iztlacihuatl volcanos, both reaching altitudes in excess of 5000 meters. Tonantzintla is nearby (5 km south) the historic city of Cholula, the most noted city in the Puebla Valley when the Conquistador Hernan Cortes first arrived on his way to conquer the city of Tenochtitlan, capital of the Mexica Indian empire. The importance of Cholula in the Prehispanic world is highlighted by its impressive pyramid. The region has splendid weather during the spring with plenty of sunshine. Showers are exceptional at this time of the year. It is ideal for trips to the picturesque churches of Cholula, Tonantzintla, and Acatepec. The Cacaxtla and Xochitecatl prehispanic temples, recently opened to the public, are less than 3/4 of an hour away from Tonantzintla and can be visited daily. The weather pattern changes during the summer, which is the begginig of the rainy season, and showers become common sometime during July. The daily pattern is the following: sunny in the morning, with clear skies and ligth winds, and cloudy in the afternoon, with showers and thunderstorms. This keeps the temperature at very pleasent levels (it gets quite hot if the rain disappears for a week). So, do not forget to bring a light sweter and an umbrella!!!
The Mexican currency is the peso represented by the symbol $. The present correct exchange rate with the U.S. dollar is about $ 7.95 = 1 USD, but this changes more rapidly than we would like (the dollar always going up). Please make sure you have some pesos with you BEFORE leaving the Mexico City airport, where there are plenty of currency exchange offices. Once in Mexico, not all places take US dollars or traveller's checks. Foreign credit cards are accepted in major restaurants, stores, and hotels. Best exchange rates are found in CASAS de CAMBIO (exchange houses) open only on weekdays, usually from 9 am to 5 pm. Most banks open only on weekdays, also from 9 am to 5 pm. The airport has 24 hour money exchange counters. USA cash or travellers checks are easier to change into pesos than other types of currency.
Puebla is located at an altitude of 2200 meters (7100 feet). As we said before, there is usually no rain during the spring, but it gets rainy during the summer. The temperature varies from some 30 C (85-90 F) in the daytime to about 10 C (50 F) in the night/morning. Note that the air is thin, and it can get cool at night.
Spanish is the official language in Mexico. Because Puebla is not overly frequented by tourists, very few people speak English. We advise you to have a good dictionary and a phrasebook when you venture out.
Come prepared if you have a medical condition that can be affected by high altitude. Main health risk is traveller's diarrhea and precautions can be taken to reduce this risk. Please refer to a good travel guide for details.
Mexican cuisine is among the best ones in the world, but those visiting for the time should take some precautions. There are some spicy sauces (salsas picantes) which could be very aggressive to unaware mouths: before adding any sauce to your food, try a small amount of it in a piece of bread. Also, to avoid traveller's diarrhea (or any other stomach disease), do not drink tap water and do not eat raw fruits or vegetables without skin. Drink only bottled water.
Thestandard arrival point is the international airport of Mexico City. Upon arrival at the airport, customs consists of a brief passport check and then pushing a button which randomly selects red light (bag search) or green light (pass). Transportation from the airport to Puebla is very simple and the following instructions should prove helpful. There is a comfortable busline called "Estrella Roja" which runs from the airport to the city of Puebla. These leave from the airport zone D (International Arrivals are in zone E) every 30 mins and run practically all day. The fare is under $50 (pesos) and is collected on the bus by an attendant, who also serves soft drinks and snacks. The bus ride takes about two hours. Those wanting to see the landscape (once outside Mexico City!) should sit on the right hand side of the bus. Buses departing at the hour arrive to Puebla bus station (known locally as CAPU) while those departing at the half-hour arrive to a station of "Estrella Roja" located near the center of the city. If arriving to CAPU we recommend that you get a regulated taxi ticket (at one of the kiosks with a TAXIS sign on it) to Tonantzintla (about $30 and some 20 minutes). Make sure you take a yellow and white taxi. Standard fares within Puebla are around $20. From the Estrella Roja station there are only standard (black) taxis. It is recommended to fix the prize in advance. It should also be about $30. We strongly advise you against taking taxis from the airport to Puebla as the fare will be astronomical.
We will reserve a comfortable room for you as soon as we have your dates for the workshop. Also, breakfast and lunch during weekdays will be provided inside the premises of INAOE.
Please let us know your arrival and departure schedule by e-mail to
or by FAX (addressed to Erendira Alvarez), to the following number
(52 22) 472 231 from outside the country, or
(91 22) 472 231 within Mexico
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