Retire Early Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler

In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this financially independent lifestyle, they invite you to take advantage of their wisdom and experience.

Tepatitlan de Morelos

(Pronounced: teh-puh-teet-LAAN)

Mexican Highlands, Jalisco, Mexico

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli

It's called "Tepa" for short.

This clean, friendly city in the northern highlands of Mexico's state of Jalisco has a beautiful Baroque-style Cathedral, a gazebo of wrought iron made in France then transported to Mexico, and some fun rooftop restaurants and bars.

Take a look!

Large colorful lettering of the city's name

All over Mexico, today's fashion is to have the name of the city spelled out in big, bright, colorful letters while depicting history or notable things about the town on the letters themselves.

You will find similar style letters in Morelia, Chapala, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara airport, Comitan, El Fuerte and even the old, old town of Patzcuaro.

Wrought iron Gazebo

We heard that the French left their influence here in this city of Tepa, as evidenced by this wrought iron gazebo in the Plaza de Armas downtown. Apparently, it was built in France and brought to this city and reconstructed on this site. This must have been a big ordeal at that time in history.

We asked around, but couldn't find out much about the French here. Troops from French North Africa did invade Tepatitlan in 1864 and were resisted by the locals. And apparently, some stayed to make a life for themselves.

Mexico's history is fraught with invasions, wars for independence, uprisings, acts of tyranny and the desire for freedom from it.

Billy and Akaisha in Tepatitlan

Here we are at the Plaza, in front of the bold and colorful letters spelling out the name of the city. In the background you can see the French-made Gazebo.

Concrete guitarra ornament on the Plaza

Mexico has such a sense of fun with their Plaza decorations. Here you see a painted guitar fashioned out of concrete. Painted on the front are a Mexican village, a blooming nopale cactus and a handsome man (in his tilted sombrero) kissing a beautiful Mexican maiden. Mexico's national colors are proudly displayed on the neck of the guitar.

The Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi is in the background.

Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi

This temple was built from 1742–1775, from piedra braza or breastsroke stone. It's a beautiful, creamy brown color set off by the changes in sunlight and weather.

St. Francis is a favored saint in Mexico, being the patron saint of several cities throughout the nation. He was known for his love of animals and is often pictured with birds on his shoulders and small animals gathered around his feet. He was also known for his display of love towards humanity.

The Prayer of St. Francis is very famous, regardless of one's belief in God or the afterlife, his message rings true even today:

Lord make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
And where there is sadness, joy.

How can you go wrong with that as a guide?

At the top of the gray and white building on the right of the Cathedral is the rooftop bar and restaurant, LOLA. Just like the song, L-O-L-A, Lola! We'll tell you more about this great place in another story.

Panoramic view of Cathedral and surrounding area

Storm clouds are gathering in the background of this panoramic shot. The Grand Plaza is to the right (with LOLA's bar and restaurant there at the edge of the photo) and a plazita on the left with more of the city and the mountains behind it.

LOLA's Rooftop Bar and Restaurant lighted up

LOLA's was a great place to watch the sun set over the city with the mountains in the background. We managed to get a few visits in there before we left this friendly town.

Whether you wanted a beer, glass of wine, or a mixed drink, a snack or a light dinner, LOLA did not disappoint. Service was great.

A panoramic view from the government building

This time we are looking at the Plaza from a different angle, from the government building.

Our hotel was located a very short walk down the street beginning at the left side of Hotel El Campanario which you see here in the photo.

As you can see, Tepatitlan is a clean and modern city.

Hotel Real Alteno, built in 1908

When we arrived in Tepa, we had an idea of a hotel location to begin our search. It was ok, but not quite it. While it had a terrific location, we wanted a view of the plaza, and the rooms available didn't ring our chimes.

So off we went to locate another option. Just off the Plaza was Hotel Real Alteno (see below for address and phone number). These rooms were very large and bright, had a balcony view and were quiet. Just the thing.

At today's Peso exchange, our room cost us $32USD per night.

A rather grand entrance

As you can see here, the entrance to Hotel Alteno is grand. Its a clean and friendly hotel with a perfect location. We received bottled water daily plus maid service, WiFi in the room and cable TV. We also had a table and chairs, a large bathroom, and a huge closet to hang our clothing.

If you would like to visit Tepatitlan, information is below:

Our Hotel:

Hotel Real Alteño

Calle Hidalgo 80

Centro, 47600 Tepatitlán de Morelos, Jalisco

Phone: 378 781 3908

LOLA Rooftop

Calle Samartin #15

Centro, 47600 Tepatitlán de Morelos, Jalisco 

Opens 6PM

Phone: 378 688 0180

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For more stories and photos about Mexico, click here

Retire Early Lifestyle appeals to a different kind of person – the person who prizes their independence, values their time, and who doesn’t want to mindlessly follow the crowd.

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