mexico city
mexico city the morning of our travel to mexico city we prepared ourselves as if we were going to war, with a battle plan that included a pre-planned route from the bus station to our preferred hotel, decoy bank and credit cards, mace and the peace corps ¨rape whistle,¨ money stashed in irregular places, and the meanest demeanor two gringas can pull off. the warnings from so many mexicans and travellers about mexico city made it impossible NOT to take all necessary (and unnecessary) precautions and in fact we nearly aborted our plans to visit the city at all. but when all is said and done, it would have been tragic to skip out on the place that has been mexico´s center of gravity since its earliest prehistory, and the city that continues to be the cultural, historical, politcal, and economic heart of the country. so here is our 
5-day layover in mexico city, in an exhausted valley washed over with smog, where 25 million people sprawl across 350 neighborhoods amidst a mix of towering glass development, colonial mansions, excavated pyramids, and all that is frightening, alluring, captivating and overwhelming. day 1 arrived (by bus) at the west side of the city and began the chaotic bike ride to hotel isabel. we realized our pre-planned route had lost its efficiency when we found ourselves maneuvering through a crowded street market with blocks of stalls selling everything 
from pig snouts to CDs. but eventually cobblestone streets confirmed we had made it to the centro historico, the traditional city center of both the ancient aztec city of tenochititlan and of cortes´ city. within an hour of checking into our skyrise hotel (we´re definitely no longer in belize...), we hit the streets, first with a stop at a streetside vendor for cemitas (like sandwiches, only so much better) and then the zocalo, where history is literally layered in and around this wide plaza. we were just in time to catch the vigorous step aerobics of 
the conchero dancers, who congregate daily in the plaza to remind onlookers of the city´s aztec heritage. incidentally, the ceremonial center for aztec tenochititlan, teocalli, lay just northeast of the zocalo, and cortes used the ruins of the aztec site to pave the zocalo in the 1520s. the east side of the zocalo is dominated by the palacio nacional, but once again it was originally the palace site for the aztec emperor moctezuma (guess who destroyed it). inside the palace courtyard are murals by diego rivera 
(1929-1935), which offer a historical representation of the past 600 years and address some of the topics left undiscussed in high school history. continuing the rounds, we entered the cathedral on the north side of the zocalo; the cathedral is sinking unevenly, as seen by major cracks in its structure, because it too was built atop an aztec site.
from pig snouts to CDs. but eventually cobblestone streets confirmed we had made it to the centro historico, the traditional city center of both the ancient aztec city of tenochititlan and of cortes´ city. within an hour of checking into our skyrise hotel (we´re definitely no longer in belize...), we hit the streets, first with a stop at a streetside vendor for cemitas (like sandwiches, only so much better) and then the zocalo, where history is literally layered in and around this wide plaza. we were just in time to catch the vigorous step aerobics of 
the conchero dancers, who congregate daily in the plaza to remind onlookers of the city´s aztec heritage. incidentally, the ceremonial center for aztec tenochititlan, teocalli, lay just northeast of the zocalo, and cortes used the ruins of the aztec site to pave the zocalo in the 1520s. the east side of the zocalo is dominated by the palacio nacional, but once again it was originally the palace site for the aztec emperor moctezuma (guess who destroyed it). inside the palace courtyard are murals by diego rivera 
(1929-1935), which offer a historical representation of the past 600 years and address some of the topics left undiscussed in high school history. continuing the rounds, we entered the cathedral on the north side of the zocalo; the cathedral is sinking unevenly, as seen by major cracks in its structure, because it too was built atop an aztec site.day 2 walked from centro historico to alameda central to link up with the paseo de la reforma, a wide and rich boulevard that eventually connects with the bosque de chapultepec, mexico city´s largest park. a city bus picked up most of the distance down the paseo so we could get to the museo nacional de antropologia, in which there is a fascinating display of everything--massive or delicate--from mexico´s pre-hispanic history, people 
and cultures, and also the indigenous people and culture that currently exist in mexico. though we spent hours wandering through room after room of sculptures, 
stellae, masks, statues, and various tools and instruments--some of which date back to the pre-classic era (before christ)--the museum is too extensive to take in during one visit, so we concentrated on those areas we have already cycled through or those to come on our route. besides housing a stunning collection of artifacts, the museum provided an important link to all our experiences during this journey, all the way back to the maya world that still exists in belize.
and cultures, and also the indigenous people and culture that currently exist in mexico. though we spent hours wandering through room after room of sculptures, 
stellae, masks, statues, and various tools and instruments--some of which date back to the pre-classic era (before christ)--the museum is too extensive to take in during one visit, so we concentrated on those areas we have already cycled through or those to come on our route. besides housing a stunning collection of artifacts, the museum provided an important link to all our experiences during this journey, all the way back to the maya world that still exists in belize.day 3 took a day trip 50km northeast, to the ancient city of teotihuacan. we arrived early to beat the crowds and sure enough we had the site to ourselves for a good two hours before the tour buses rolled 
in. history quickie: the rise and fall of teotihuacan is contemporary to imperial rome. small agricultural settlements began sometime around 600BC, and the city achieved its height of power and wealth between 350-650AD. a century later it was sacked, burned and abandoned, probably due to a mix of external and internal conflict. when the aztecs arrived on the scene they regarded the city site as a holy place from another time and gave it the current name, teotihuacan, meaning ¨the place where men become gods.¨ the excavated site is only an area of 4km, but at its height (pop. 200,000) the city was probably spread over 156km.
in. history quickie: the rise and fall of teotihuacan is contemporary to imperial rome. small agricultural settlements began sometime around 600BC, and the city achieved its height of power and wealth between 350-650AD. a century later it was sacked, burned and abandoned, probably due to a mix of external and internal conflict. when the aztecs arrived on the scene they regarded the city site as a holy place from another time and gave it the current name, teotihuacan, meaning ¨the place where men become gods.¨ the excavated site is only an area of 4km, but at its height (pop. 200,000) the city was probably spread over 156km. we entered the site at the far south end of the calle de los muertos (street of the dead), the main artery of the city that is flanked by low-lying buildings which further heighten the two great temples at the north end of the causeway. the aztecs gave the causeway
this name because they thought the small buildings (then covered with earth) to be burial places of giant kings. the street of the dead led us to the greatly anticipated pyramids of the sun and moon, and thanks to the museum exhibit the day before, we knew how to envision the brightly polychromed frescoes that once covered the city rather than only see the gray and drab hulks the structures appear to be today. we climbed the piramide del sol on july 28, just 3 days after the noontime sun is directly over the pyramid and when the west fascade faces the point where the sun sets, an alignment that determined the contruction of the calle de los muertos and of the whole city. for all that the site is famous for, the actual temples and excavated areas are outwardly unimpressionable or telling--save for the 
sheer size of the structures--as most of the detailed artifacts are housed in the museum of anthropology. but the air of energy that comes with standing atop the piramide del sol (the world´s 3rd-largest pyramid), while trying to fathom what once existed is pretty remarkable. there is little like staring at surrounding modern mexico from an ancient temple, a lookout point left for the consideration of the aztecs, cortes and his entorage, present day mexicans and now us. (it wouldn´t be our blog without a comment on food, so for the record: we treated our
early morning pyramid climbs to a fabulous mole verde from a nearby restaurant that was recommended to us by a traveller we met back in march in el salvador. it was well worth the wait and easily the best mole verde in mexico).
this name because they thought the small buildings (then covered with earth) to be burial places of giant kings. the street of the dead led us to the greatly anticipated pyramids of the sun and moon, and thanks to the museum exhibit the day before, we knew how to envision the brightly polychromed frescoes that once covered the city rather than only see the gray and drab hulks the structures appear to be today. we climbed the piramide del sol on july 28, just 3 days after the noontime sun is directly over the pyramid and when the west fascade faces the point where the sun sets, an alignment that determined the contruction of the calle de los muertos and of the whole city. for all that the site is famous for, the actual temples and excavated areas are outwardly unimpressionable or telling--save for the 
sheer size of the structures--as most of the detailed artifacts are housed in the museum of anthropology. but the air of energy that comes with standing atop the piramide del sol (the world´s 3rd-largest pyramid), while trying to fathom what once existed is pretty remarkable. there is little like staring at surrounding modern mexico from an ancient temple, a lookout point left for the consideration of the aztecs, cortes and his entorage, present day mexicans and now us. (it wouldn´t be our blog without a comment on food, so for the record: we treated our
early morning pyramid climbs to a fabulous mole verde from a nearby restaurant that was recommended to us by a traveller we met back in march in el salvador. it was well worth the wait and easily the best mole verde in mexico).day 4 took another day trip out of the city, this time to the lively suburb of coyoacan, 10km south of downtown. on this jaunt we decided to brave the metro, which an alarming 4.7 million people ride during the average weekday, making it the 3rd busiest metro in the world. during the weekday rush hours, there are 
trains specifically reserved for women and children. since it was a saturday morning we had a fairly pleasant ride (though abby would tell you otherwise) and the metro really is the speediest way around the city (and it is the cheapest urban transport in the world--you can get anywhere for 20 cents, transfers included). our visit to coyoacan was to see the blue house, frida kahlo´s longtime home, and where she was born and where she lived out her last years. the house displayed work by both kahlo and diego rivera, as well as personal photos of the volatile couple and their collection of folk art and pre-hispanic artifacts.
trains specifically reserved for women and children. since it was a saturday morning we had a fairly pleasant ride (though abby would tell you otherwise) and the metro really is the speediest way around the city (and it is the cheapest urban transport in the world--you can get anywhere for 20 cents, transfers included). our visit to coyoacan was to see the blue house, frida kahlo´s longtime home, and where she was born and where she lived out her last years. the house displayed work by both kahlo and diego rivera, as well as personal photos of the volatile couple and their collection of folk art and pre-hispanic artifacts.day 5 for our last day in mexico we remained in the centro historico and alameda central areas to take advantage of the free day at the museums. however, as soon as we entered the street from our hotel it was apparent there was something different in the air and as we walked to the museo de belles artes (museum of fine art) it became obvious that all the main boulevards leading to the zocalo were blocked off and crowded with lively paraders in yellow fanfare. the scene outside the alameda central was even more chaotic and we soon realized we were in the midst of a huge political rally in favor of lopez obrador, the liberal presidental candidate who was recently defeated by the conservative calderon in the july 2nd elections. unfortunately, the belles artes museum galleries were closed this particular sunday--we guessed because of the events going 
on just outside the museum doors--but we did get to walk about the buildings large atrium and upper floors to see the huge murals, including rivera´s famous ¨man: controller of the universe¨ (the original one was painted for and then destroyed by the rockefellers in nyc). there were other murals by rudolpho tamayo and paul westheim, all dealing with similar themes like mexican identity and society. existing the museum we surfed the crowd back to the zocalo, where the political rally was in full swing (it was reported that millions were in attendance), and headed to templo mayor. this aztec temple (on which the cathedral is precariously built) was only excavated in 1978, after electricity workers chanced upon a massive stone disc carving of an aztec goddess. a walkway through the temple, a level lower than the present day streets of mexico, literally 
traverses the layers of history, and we simultaneously viewed the temple´s multiple stages of construction, the municipal cathedral and colonial buildings that surround the block, and the zocalo and political protest.
on just outside the museum doors--but we did get to walk about the buildings large atrium and upper floors to see the huge murals, including rivera´s famous ¨man: controller of the universe¨ (the original one was painted for and then destroyed by the rockefellers in nyc). there were other murals by rudolpho tamayo and paul westheim, all dealing with similar themes like mexican identity and society. existing the museum we surfed the crowd back to the zocalo, where the political rally was in full swing (it was reported that millions were in attendance), and headed to templo mayor. this aztec temple (on which the cathedral is precariously built) was only excavated in 1978, after electricity workers chanced upon a massive stone disc carving of an aztec goddess. a walkway through the temple, a level lower than the present day streets of mexico, literally 
traverses the layers of history, and we simultaneously viewed the temple´s multiple stages of construction, the municipal cathedral and colonial buildings that surround the block, and the zocalo and political protest. so ends our time in mexico city, a layover that proved we have indeed travelled very far from what we came to know in belize, and an experience that also showed there is still a long journey ahead as we make our way back to where we came from.
posted by Bridget Igoe and Abby Hunt at
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