26-May-2001 -- On May 27th, 2001 I visited 20ºN 99ºW - my fourth degree confluence.

For the second time there was someone else with me. This time it was a good friend from work who came along with his wife (Mari) and 26 month old daughter (Natalia - Is she the youngest person to have been in a degree confluence???).

This degree confluence is not far from Mexico City. You take the direction of Pachuca (a nice city that used to be an important mining center a couple of centuries ago). There are two options to get there; the first one is a toll four-lane-highway which you drive for some 35 kms before you exit towards Tezontalpa. The second one is the old one-lane road that connects Mexico City with Pachuca. We made the wrong decision in taking the last one and it took us more than one hour to cover the same 35 kms. (now you know!)

The roads all the way to a point 250 meters away from the degree confluence are all quite good. You have to go through a couple of small cities (Tizayuca & Santa Maria Ajoloapan) and a few small towns.

Once you get to a point 250 mts away it is an easy up-hill walk between rock and cacti before you get there. From this point there is a beautiful view of the small valley below (mostly corn fields).

We spent some time chatting with the owner of this lands and he explained to us that August is a much more beautiful time to visit this region.

Picture #5 shows our start point (pink pin) and the degree confluence point (green pin).