All photos by Howard Frank
Zacatlán is a city located in the Sierra Norte de Puebla region in central Mexico. It is situated at an altitude of more than 6500 feet above sea level. Its main economic activities relate to agriculture and commerce. It is also home to the Relojes Centenario Company, the first clock factory in Latin America and the builder of the city’s double sided flower clock in the main square. The historic center of the city is filled with traditional houses with red tile roofs.
The city is next to the Ajajalpan River, a tributary of the Necaxa, whose waters eventually flow into the Gulf of Mexico via the Tecolutla.
The city is surrounded by hundreds of thousands of apple and other fruit trees, which fill the air with their scent during blossom season. The historic center of the town is marked by large houses and other buildings, most hundreds of years old, with pitched roofs covered in red clay tiles, as well as stone paved streets.