Mexico City's Museo de Antropologica - Best museum we've ever seen hands down

So we are a day late posting this blog.  That's because we are just plumb tired!  We have been walking 6+ miles per day for the last three days and we both have head colds.  So last night we grabbed some tacos at a street vendor, ate and collapsed in bed.

This morning we slept in.  I went out to get us some tamales (a standard breakfast food here - but like no tamal you ever ate!).  Today's were Mole and with two liters of fresh fruit juice the bill came to $6 US.

Now, I am rested and fed so let me take you to the most amazing museum I've ever seen.  And 2nd place isn't even close.

The museum of anthropology is the number one rated attraction in Mexico City.  And for good reason.  First, it is just beautiful.  Marble floors, stunning lighting, and at a scale you just can't imagine.  Marci and I spent almost four hours there and didn't even get to the second floor.

The museum is divided by major Mexican culture.  So we started with the Teotihuacan Indians and then went on to Maya, Oaxaca, and of course Aztec.

I won't bore you with a step by step of the museum, but there are some things worth pointing out:

1. The Aztecs were just brutal.  Their art is absolutely filled with death.  The museum also chooses to take it head on - you will see a human skull with arrowheads in it.
2. The Meso-Americans were artistic genius'.  They carve rocks and make clay figures like none I've ever seen.
3. The people of Mexico are proud of this heritage and they should be.  They are to be commended for the attention to detail and "no expense spared" attitude of this place.
4. I was REALLY happy when I got to two small Anasazi panels.  They even had Mesa-Verde Black on White!

So - here are some pics.  Enjoy!

In the Teotihuacan wing

Small clay effigy showing twins

Human skull with Aztec spear heads

This photo helps demonstrate the size of the exhibits

Marci stands under the most famous artifacts - the Aztec Calendar

Aztec sculptures

Teotihuacan playing with dog - people are people everywhere

Tonight we will blog about daily life and food.

Hasta Luego~

Teotihuacan - going back another 1300 years!

Teotihuacan (pronounced TEE-OH-TEE-WAH-KAHM) was established about 100 B.C.  It was never actually inhabited by the Aztecs, but most of what we know about it came from them.  At its height, Teotihuacan had a population of about 200,000 people (making it perhaps the largest metropolis in the world at that time).

Temple of the Moon at Teotihuacan

Marci and I met Hector at our hotel at about 7:50 (very early for Mexico!).  He was wearing a sweater, scarf, and Yankees jacket - I was in shorts.  We had our own driver (Jaime) and a large passenger van (which was very clean).  We set off immediately as the ruins are forty miles northwest of Mexico City and it is good to beat the traffic AND the huge crowds from tour buses which arrive about 10:30 am.

The drive was...interesting. The outskirts of Mexico City are much more like the Mexico most Americans are familiar with from the border towns.  Hector told us that they are built primarily by the people who live in them.  The construction, although not very atheistic, is very sound and functional.  They are built from cinder blocks and concrete.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of homes, stretching for miles. 

As we got close to the ruins, the area was much more agricultural.  However, not what we in the US are used to.  Here is a cactus farm (cactus is common on salads in Mexico).

We arrived at the ruins before 9:00 am, which was fantastic.  There were almost no visitors and the vendors (who saturate this site beyond belief) were not yet about for the day.  We had the ruins mostly to ourselves for the first hour.

                                                                                

Vendor playing a flute

Marci climbing and climbing!

Marci resting - Temple of the Moon in background

Very cool!

And the view from the top was incredible.  There are visible ruins all around the pyramids.  Keep in mind, these were built before Christ and the primary ruin (the temple of the sun) is the third tallest pyramid in the world!

A balloon went by as we sat up on the top of the ancient world.

After visiting the Sun and Moon pyramid, we drove to the pyramid of Quetzalcoatl a God appearing as a feathered serpent.  Behind the first pyramid, is a second which has many INCREDIBLE stone carvings.  Here is just one:  

I mean, these are no Anasazi, and Chaco is clearly more impressive (hmmm, perhaps I am a bit biased???).  But, I can tell you exactly why this is a world heritage site.  Anyone who loves history and Archeology HAS to make this a stop before they die.

We headed back towards Mexico City, but stopped at an important Catholic Convent, namely Acolman, on the way.  Construction on this beautiful gem (in a far flung little known town) began about 1539.  Think about that.

 It was operated by Franciscan monks who were eager to convert the indigenous people.  And it is impressive how they went about  changing their standard practices - to more closely mirror those of the native population - so that they might accomplish thier goal.

The church has a pulpit that sits far above the outside seating area (similar to what the Indians would have sat upon for their own ceremonies) and is walled, similar to the holy areas of Meso America.  Considering the spread of Catholicism throughout the Americas, these early evangelists get a bad rap!

After finishing there, we drove back to Mexico City and meandered through the  Roma and Contessa neighborhoods.  We will definitely make it back on our own Monday.

Thanks so much to Hector Baraza for the amazing gift he shared: knowledge - and himself!

At the Quetzalcoatl pyramid

Above the convent door

Inside the convent

Carvings at Teotihucan