Mexico City

FEBRUARY 2020

Our next journey took us away from the inclement weather of a British winter to the much more pleasant climate of Mexico. Due to the benefits provided by the jet stream our route took us north over Greenland, with nice views of the winter ice through the aircraft window, then down through Canada and USA before arriving in Mexico City nearly 12 hours later. Once the formalities were dealt with we took a taxi to our apartment in downtown Mexico City. Although the apartment wasn’t as good as we had expected it was ideally situated to visit all the main attractions the city had to offer.
Jet-laged and bit disoriented by the six hour time difference our bodies took a bit of time to adjust so the first few days we took it easy. We explored the historic streets that were right on our door step and admired the colonial architecture that was all around us. We checked out the local and tradition supermarkets to purchase our food and managed a few of visits to local attractions.

Historic Centre in Mexico

Street view in Mexico Historic centre

Mexico historic centre

Mexico historic centre

Ottoman Clock tower

The first of those was the national cathedral that sat on the the edge of Plaza de Constitution. A grand building with fine carving covering the outside and an equally impressive interior dominated by its vast organ complex.

Cathedral

Cathedral

This was followed by the intriguing “House of Tiles”. Here, in the nineteenth century, the son of an aristocrat wanted to prove his worth to his father. To do this he undertook the renovation of one of the family mansions and to make a statement covered the exterior in tiles. The building is also beautifully decorated inside and is now a favourite restaurant for local Mexicans to have breakfast. Today the building is protected and stands out as something quite different to all those around it.

House of Tiles

Whilst travelling we like to send postcards to friends and family. This usually requires a post office visit to acquire stamps and often turns into a fascinating experience, for which the one in Mexico City didn’t disappoint. The stamp purchase was quite straightforward, especially with Anne’s grasp of Spanish. But what was amazing was the building. Palacio Postal, as it is called, had an attractive colonial exterior but it was the interior that caught the eye. It was like stepping back in time as none of the fixtures or fittings had been changed since the early 20th century. And not only that they had been maintained beautifully. When we left we hoped that more stamps would be required making an excuse to return and look around some more.

Palacio Postal or Post Office Palace

Palacio Postal

One of Mexico City’s most magnificent building is the Palacio de Belle Artes so a visit was a must. Built between 1932 and 1934 the exterior of the building is primarily Art Nouveau and Neoclassical and the interior is mainly Art Deco. The building is best known for its murals by Diego Rivera, Siqueiros and others, as well as the many exhibitions and theatrical performances its hosts, including the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico.
Our visit was to see the exhibitions and architecture both inside and out. Architecturally the building is impressive from the outside but even more so once you get inside. We spent a very enjoyable hour or so wandering around the first and second floors admiring the massive wall murals and taking in a very interesting exhibition dedicated to the life of Emiliano Zapata Salazar. Emiliano Zapata Salazar was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution, the main leader of the peasant revolution in the state of Morelos, and the inspiration of the agrarian movement called Zapatismo.

Palacio de Belle Artes

Inside of the Palacio de Belle Artes

By now we were getting a good feel for the city and enjoying our exploration of its central attractions, but were also keen to venture further afield. For over ten years, and following a TV documentary, we had dreamt of witnessing the Monarch Butterfly migration (the longest on land) and Mexico City is the ideal place to do this from. So with the assistance of our friend and Mexico City resident, Flor, a trip was arranged.

The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve is a world heritage site situated in a protected pine forest about 100km north east of Mexico City. The morning sun hadn’t risen by the time we met our tour guides but by 07:00 we were loaded in the tour bus with 12 other guests and on our way out of the city. The drive itself was interesting as we were able to see the city suburbs and business district of Santa Fe as we headed into the hills. The area we were entering into is known as the volcano belt and as the road climbed through the forest and past fields of avocados we could see conical peaks all around us. It was a 3 hour drive to reach the reserve and after a brief explanation about the Monarch Butterfly we began our climb into the forest to meet the creatures in question.

Monarch Butterfly

Millions of Monarch Butterflies over-winter here between October and March and then return back north into the USA and Canada for the summer. As we climbed up through the pine forest we couldn’t believe the number of Monarchs that were feeding on the flora all around us. Photograph stops were numerous, both to capture the moment and to catch our breath as this walk was at altitude, around 3,300 meters.

Monarch Butterflies feeding

Once at the top of the path we then descended into a valley. It was at this point that we were really blown away by what we saw. Millions upon millions of butterflies filled the air, the trees and small streams that ran through the forest.

Pine tree branch covered in Monarch Butterflies

Monarch Butterflies clinging to a tree trunk

Butterflies resting on a tree trunk

Monarch butterfly gathering

Snowing Butterlfies

As they went about their business it felt like it was snowing butterflies. We paused every few meters to take photographs and would become yet another perch for them to settle on. They came so close and in such quantity you could hear the beat of their wings, it was truly a magical moment.

Butterflies covering stream

More butterfies looking for water

Monarch Butterfly looking for anything to land on

By the time we had climbed back out of the valley and down to the car park we had spent around three hours in the company of these magnificent creatures and had fulfilled a long held dream. As we sat chatting over lunch everyone agreed what an incredible experience it had been and one that will be remembered and cherished for life.

Preparing tacos for lunch

The kitchen

Our next day of discovery only required a short walk from the apartment. Situated right in the centre of Mexico City is the most important temple of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, and now known as Temple Major. This is a relatively recent discovery which only came to light during the construction of the city’s metro system. The reason it had been hidden for so long was because the invading Spanish destroyed the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan and built what is now Mexico City on top of the ruins (see”Mexico City” below for more details).
Albeit only a fraction of the original temple complex remain, this is a magnificent archaeological site, made even more impressive by its location. The Great Temple, devoted to Huitzilopochtli (God of War) and Tlaloc (God of Rain & Agriculture), measuring approximately 100 by 80 m (328 by 262 ft) at its base would have dominated the Sacred Precinct of Tenochtitlan. The construction of the first temple began sometime after 1325, and it was then rebuilt six times.
Wooden walkways allow you to walk around the site without damaging the ancient structures and provides excellent viewing points. At the end of the walkway is a museum containing many of the artefacts found on the site.
We spent several hours admiring the Aztec engineering and artistry, leaving with a much better understanding of one of the worlds most famous civilisations.

Temple Major

Temple Major

Temple Major museum, God with his liver showing

Temple Major, the dismembered sister of the god in the museum

Temple Major

Temple Major

Continuing our adventures further afield we took a trip to Coyoacan with our local friend Flor. Although a town in its own right, Coyoacan has now been swallowed up by the Greater Mexico City. Fortunately it has retained its charm and has the bonus of being connected to the Mexico City Metro network, which is what we used for our visit. The focus for the excursion was to visit the house and museum of Frida Kahlo. Frida is one of Mexico’s most famous artists and was married to another one, Diego Rivera. The museum is small so it didn’t take long to look around. We left, not being a fan of her work, but with a great admiration of what she stood for and for what she achieved considering all her health issues.
From the museum we walked to Coyoacan centre to find somewhere for lunch. On our way we called in at a traditional market where stalls were packed tightly together displaying their goods on every free surface including the ceiling. It also contained many eating establishments all offering a similar basic menu of traditional Mexican food. It turned out to be a fascinating and interesting experience made all the better for having our own local guide and friend, Flor.

Market

Market

Market stall specialising on Day of the Dead

Mexico spice

Piñata

Crystallised fruits in Coyoacán Market (including a cactus in green)

A nice lunch was then taken at the central plaza before returning to Mexico City’s historical centre. An enjoyable day was then completed by a Tequila supper on the roof terrace of our apartment.

Tequila on the roof terrace

After a restful day catching up on a bit of travel admin we were then on the move again, this time it was a visit to Teotihuacan. At 07:00 we meet our friend Flor and our guide for the day Fernando outside the apartment and headed off for a day full of history and discovery.
Our first stop was still in the city at a place known as the Plaza de las Tres Culturas. The name "Three Cultures" is in recognition of the three periods of Mexican history. The square contains the archaeological site of the city-state of Tlatelolco and is flanked by the oldest European school of higher learning in the Americas called the College of Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco (built in 1536 by friar Juan de Torquemada) and by a massive housing complex built in 1964. Fernando explained the history and significance of the site and what the rest of the day had in store for us, it was at this point we realised we were accompanied by an excellent guide.

Plaza of the Three Cultures

We then fought our way through traffic to reach the small town of Acolman on the outskirts of the city. The reason for the stop was to visit its famous monument, the Temple and Covent of San Agustin.

Monastery Acolman from Conquistador period

Cross from the time of the Conquistador, with some images such as flower to attract the locals

Now out of the city, progress was much faster and we soon arrived at the highlight of the day, the ancient city of Teotihuacan.
Teotihuacan is an ancient Mesoamerican city located 40 kilometres northeast of Mexico City and is the site of the most architecturally significant pyramids built in the pre-Columbian Americas. It is the most important and largest pre-Columbian city in Mexico and at its peak, in the first millennium CE (Current Era), it had a population estimated at 125,000 or more. This would make it at least the sixth-largest city in the world during that time.
We spent the rest of the day walking around this vast archaeological site, climbing pyramids and being amazed by the quality of the murals and carvings. Fernando explained the history of the site based on archaeologist assumptions, as this ancient civilisation had no written records to refer to.

Pyramid of the Moon

Starting climbing the Pyramid of the Sun

View from the Pyramid of the Moon

Nobel residence

Mural inside one of the many ancient houses

Details of a mural inside one of the many uncovered buildings

City of Teotihuacán

View from the top of Pyramid of the Sun

View of the Pyramid of the Moon from the Pyramid of the Sun

View over the ancient mesoamerican city of Teotihuacán

Jade Goddess

Temple of the feathered serpent in Teotihuacán

Temple of the Feathered Serpent

Our final day in Mexico City was a city tour, courtesy of our friend Flor. We started with a walk down Av. Paseo de la Reforma past the skyscrapers to the Angel of Independence then on to Chapultepec Park. Being Sunday the roads were closed which meant that locals could cycle, jog, walk, skate and even exercise without the fear of being run over.

Business Centre

Business Centre

Sunday, car free Business centre

Chapultepec Park is a large leafy place with lakes, a castle, sculptures, museums, to name just a few of its attractions. We had a brief visit to the Modern Arts Museum and took a look at the castle on our way to our lunch destination in the up market Polanco district.

Park Chapultepec

Statues in the Chapultepec Park

Frida Kahlo famous self portrait

Lunch was at the best taco place in town and it was really good. A walking tour around Polanco followed and the day finished with a coffee at the Mirador Torre Latino. At 166 meters the tower used to be the tallest building in Mexico and still provides great views of the city, especially the Palacio de Belle Artes, from its cafe viewing deck.

Torre Latinoamericana

Palacio de Belle Artes from the Torre Latinoamericana

Torre Latinoamericana

And that was our 12 day stay in Mexico City. The following day we boarded a plane for Guadalajara and the start of more Mexican adventures.

Personal Observations & Interesting Facts

Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico.
It has a population of 127 million with 9 million living in its capital Mexico City. This figure increases to 21.3 million when you include the suburbs (the 10th largest in the world). It is a democracy but has incurred political instability for most of its existence. The majority of its people, 83%, follow the catholic religion and its GDP is the 15th largest in the world.

Mexico Flag

Living in Mexico City (Historic Centre)
Spending two weeks in Mexico City’s historic centre allows you to get a real feel for area. It is always busy with people going about their business and traders spill out onto the street to attract potential clients to see what they have to sale. It also appears that streets have trading specialities, around us we had the music street selling instruments, speakers (with the volume tested regularly) and other associated accessories. Close to that is a street that only sells phones and other associated technologies. We passed a street that specialised in jewellery and even one that only had chicken meat for sale.
As usual we self-catered as much as possible which meant visiting food shops of all types. The local supermarket had the usual products and provided for most of our needs with one of the numerous convenience shops catering for what we had forgotten to buy. However, the most interesting place was Mecardo 77, a vast covered traditional market with stalls selling everything you could think of. It catered for the specialist Mexican taste, selling a large array of spices, meats, vegetables, fruits and even fried scorpions and grubs.

Grubs for sale at mercado 77

Delicacy at Mercado 77

Mercado 77

Mercardo 77

The more time you spend in the city the more you learn about it.
One interesting fact is that the city is sinking by around 10cm a year. This is because it has been built on a dried up lake. It first became a capital city in the time of the Aztecs when it was known as Tenochtitlan. The city was originally built in 1325 on an island in Lake Texcoco. This worked well until 1521 when the invading Spanish completely destroyed the city using their modern military hardware. In 1524, the municipality of Mexico City was established, known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan and as of 1585, it became officially known as Ciudad de Mexico (Mexico City). The subsequent damming and diversion of rivers that fed lake Texcoco caused it to completely dry up. This in turn allowed the city to spread out across the now dry valley and create what we see today.
At 2,240meters above sea level Mexico City is one of the highest capitals in the world. This altitude takes a bit of getting used to when arrive. The thiner air makes you feel a bit breathless and just doing ordinary things requires more effort.
The city also suffers from a high level of pollution. In the 1990s it had become infamous as one of the world's most polluted cities; however, it has become a model for drastically lowering pollution levels. By 2014 carbon monoxide pollution had dropped drastically, while levels of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide were nearly three times lower than in 1992. Despite the cleanup, the metropolitan area is still the most ozone-polluted part of the country, with ozone levels 2.5 times beyond WHO-defined safe limits. Something we noticed when returning from excursions outside of the city. Especially when coming back from Teotihuacan, the pollution haze could be seen hanging over the city from some kilometres away.