A Dalai Lama-approved New Age retreat sits in a tiny Morelos town

Published January 12, 2023

Perhaps one of the best places I’ve ever found in Mexico to relax got its start 20 years ago with an invitation to breakfast.

One day in the early 2000s, Raul Velasco invited his good friend Luis Oscoy to have breakfast in Tepoztlan, Morelos. Before dining, however, Raul insisted on showing Oscoy around a tiny town next door, brimming with tropical plants and sweeping views of the mountains.

The town was quiet, except for birds chirping and an occasional dog barking in the distance. It seemed the perfect spot for the two men, both deeply entrenched in spiritual practices, to meditate. Oscoy had been meditating since he was just 5 years old and felt an instantaneous connection to the land.

After a lengthy meditation session, as the men drove a narrow, unpaved road toward Tepoztlan, Oscoy caught sight of a worn piece of paper attached to a tree. Scribbled in childlike handwriting were the words se vende (for sale) and a phone number. Upon arrival at the restaurant, made the call.

The rest, as they say, is history: Oscoy would go on to build Hostal de la Luz, a meditation and yoga retreat center located in the still-tiny town of Amatlán, Morelos (population: 1,312).

This town is said to be the birthplace of the pre-Hispanic god Quetzalcoatl. The landscape is still breathtaking, and the weather is temperate-to-warm all year. But its key attraction is Amatlán’s palpable energy, influencing droves of visitors each year to seek out its spiritual wonders.

Oscoy’s original intention was to build a simple ashram with 2 bare-bones dorms amid what is said to be one of the strongest energy centers on earth. A full-time plastic surgeon in Mexico City, Oscoy ventured to Amatlán on the weekends to lead New Age workshops in his newly minted ashram.

As more and more students came, more and more rooms had to be built to accommodate them. Oscoy soon realized that he needed to expand.

What started as a small school quickly developed into a boutique hotel. He began traveling extensively to deepen his spiritual knowledge, taking regular trips to India, Tibet, parts of the Amazon and Native American reservations, immersing himself in master teachings.

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