A Day in the Life of Mexico City

As promised, tonight we will blog about the food, street, and daily life here in Mexico City.  Two things must be pointed out:

1. We have not seen a single traffic accident, traffic stop, or fatality.  This seems beyond belief!  The drivers are crazy.  Sometimes they stop at lights, sometimes they don't.  Pedestrians are a nuisance at best and a target at worst.  
2. There are two Mexico City's.  One for the rich (which is VERY nice) and everything else.  Which is like the Mexico many of you have seen in Tijuana or Nogales.  

So - lets get started!

Plays his organ for tips - a few pesos at a time (less than 10c)

The picture says it all

Girl sleeping as her parents sell goods outside the Cathedral

On the main avenue in the banking center

Most Mexicans shop at street markets, this is in a wealthy area

One of many NICE restaurants in a wealthy area - pizza costs about $25

EVERYONE eats tacos (at all meals) this is pork being cooked in the Lebanese style

Family operated fruit stand near the Teotihuacan ruins

Mexicans exit the METRO at the Cathedral.  The city erected an ice rink for the holidays - Hector HATES this!

Marci and I in front of world famous Diego Rivera murals

Mexico City has a HUGE smog problem - they encourage people to use bikes

Jarochos - eggs in tortillas with a black bean sauce and chorizo 

The view from our room ($55 per night)

RICH - watching American football (Broncos) at Hooters

Metropolitan Cathedral - built in the early 1500's using stones from an Aztec ruin

A common sight - small shrine on a street

Tomorrow we are going to two famous street markets and then will tour some nice neighborhoods.  It is our last day here - we fly home early Tuesday.

Undaunted.

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

History from the 1300's to 1920's Murals in Mexico City

Mexico City is a complex place.  It is currently among the largest cities in the world and boasts major universities, cultural centers, and world class art.  There is also clear poverty.  So where does one start to explore this culture - the marriage of the Spanish conquistadors with not one, but many tribes of indigenous Americans?

Today, we will start with Hector Barraza.

Hector was born in Southern Mexico but was raised in Mexico City.  And he knows the city VERY well.  He spent his youth as a financial specialist and travelled the world in that profession.  He has lived in England (learning English by reading Animal Farm by George Orwell) and twice in the United States.  He now operates a personalized tour service in Mexico City (http://www.mexicocityelitetours.com/ or on Trip Advisor at Mexico City Elite Tours).

Hector at the first hospital in the Americas
Built by the Cortes in 1524

Hector met us at our hotel for a pre-arranged tour of the historic downtown of Mexico City.  We had arranged this over the Internet/email as he learned what we were most interested in and tailored the trip to suit our personalities.

We walked to the Metro station (all the way with me asking a 100,000 questions - each of which he patiently answered).  $20 pesos (less than $2 US) later we took the train to down town.  For the record, it was clean and safe!

After we got out of the train, we began to walk the historic district. Stopping every 100 yards or so to see an important building or place.  Mostly though, we were in search of murals.  Some are very well known (like Diego Rivera's communist murals in the public buildings) while others were located after searching for small staircases above the markets.  All were impactful and truly Mexican.

Hospital at Jesus Nazareno

We started at the Hospital of Jesus Nazareno , located where Cortes and Montezuma first met in 1515.  After the Mexican revolution (1920), the Spanish were roundly lambasted and depicted as evil.  But this is just not an accurate account of history.  Yes, they conquered and did some very bad things, but they also did some very good things.  Hector believes the ENTIRE story must be known.  He points out that his history includes the Aztecs, but also the Spanish, and later the combination of both.  The Mexican history is co-mingled.

But the story was primarily told to Mexicans through art.  This is because most Mexicans were illiterate well into the 20th Century. Thus - the abundance of murals throughout the city.

The top of a mural at the Hospital

What is impressive a about Mexico City is that there is a story being told at every turn.  And it is done through art and architecture.  More impressive - Hector knows all the stories.

The painting above the mural is 16th century!

Murals on every surface

A Diego Rivera Mural

We visited the hospital. Cortes' cousin's house, a convent, several other churches, a 1500's arch-bishop's house where Aztec ruins are being excavated underneath the already historic building, and on and on...

Taking a break above the Templar Mayor ruins
These were discovered in 1978 by telephone workers

Templar Mayor - being excavated

We ended our tour at the Mexican Metropolitan Cathedral.  Having just celebrated 200 years (since the final parts were completed) it is a must see marvel.  It is famous, for among other things, the fact that it is sinking. Having been built atop Aztec ruins (like much of the city) the foundations are too heavy and are slowly sinking.

One of the alters is unbelievable.  All gold plated - it would take hours to take the whole thing in!

Royal Alter in the Mexico City Cathedral

We got back to the hotel at about 3:30 PM.  We took a ten minute rest and then walked to the grocery store.  We found that we are in a very quaint neighborhood.  Quiet and clean with great shops and bistros. After buying items necessary for survival (Herradura Tequila, Dos XX beer, Hummus and crackers, deodorant for Marci (she was tortured at having to spend $4 - but didn't hesitate spending the $30 for Tequila), and some snacks.

Then we were off to dinner.  We found an excellent place (I mean truly, outstanding in both quality and service).  It was called Las Polas.  Marci had tacos and I had soup and stewed pork.

Now we are in bed watching Animal Planet in Spanish.

Undaunted!

Feliz Navidad from Mexico City!

We got up early, excited to be on our way south.  Jessica drove us to the airport, and we were EXTREMELY early (not that we mind, it is more relaxing to sit and read at the airport than to run to a gate at the last second).

Out plane arrived and we departed about 45 minutes late.

Gourmet lunch!!

The flight was easy and enjoyable because we got bumped up to first class.  Now, before you think we are just lucky, I kinda goofed up and stumbled on a service that looks for last minute deals on first class seats (https://www.optiontown.com/).  It was roomy and the food and service fantastic.  But even though it is much cheaper than purchasing first class, it is still expensive ($200 per seat).  I would do it for sure if I was traveling across the ocean on a long flight!

Somewhere over Mexico

We landed and were out of customs and immigration in 15 minutes.  SO EASY!  We followed the suggestions in the guidebook and went straight to a taxi stand.  They sold a ticket based on the zone of the hotel we were staying in ($20 US).  Then we exchanged dollars for Pesos (the rate is $13 Pesos for $1 US, but you never get that good a rate at the airport).  We got a rate of $11.58 - so not too bad.

Quick trip to the restroom, outside door #3, a taxi was already waiting.  The guy at the curb (government employee) checked our ticket, wrote the cab number down on his paper and then our receipt (this prevents robbery by cabby's).  And off we went!

The cab was new and clean.  The driver (though very limited in English) was VERY friendly and made us feel welcome.  He explained a few things (like why tequilla is better than fruit juice), how the city is very colorful due to the holiday, that Mexico City (also known as FD - for Federal District) is as safe as New York or L.A. and that the reason the police cars all had their lights on was due to the Christmas holiday.

Angel de Indepencia

We arrived at our hotel in about 20 minutes, tipped the driver $50 MX (about 4.50 US) and went inside.  They were expecting us, got us settled quickly, and up to our room we went.

The view is stunning!  Outside the main window is a major statue in Mexico City "Angel de Indepencia".  I have included the view from our window (and if you look close you can see a police car with lights on to the left of the statue).

Marci asked if there was anywhere to eat and the only open place was Sanborn's.  It is kinda like Cracker Barrel with a buffet and beer, but only the beer makes it as good.  Well, it isn't really that good.  I had shrimp tacos and Marci had papitos (a grilled beef sandwich on stale bread).  But the service was great!

The meal (with beer) was $35 US, which is pretty high here.

We are heading to bed.  Tomorrow we meet Hector Baraza for our first tour.

Hasta Luego.....

On the road again....

On June 19, 2011, Marci and I started this post from a small room in Managua, Nicaragua (check it out Undaunted Travelers).  For those who followed (then and since), thanks!  It has been a surprise to us how many people were interested in our trip to Central America.

Since that time, we took Kiana and Jolene to San Diego (October of 2011).  Kiana got to swim with Dolphins for her birthday...

Jolene, as always, LOVED spending time on the beach.

Marci and Jolene at sunset

The only other BIG trip we took was a cruise to Hawaii.  It was stunning and we can see why people love the islands and call them paradise.

Honolulu from Diamond Head

But actually, we aren't sure we'd go back.

(I can hear the gasping across the Internet!)

You see, cruising IS amazing.  You are treated like royalty, eat like you are in a five star restaurant at every meal, and LITERALLY have no worries.  Someone is always there to make your bed, wash your clothes, get you a drink, sweep up your mess - you get it....  If you want nothing more than to be pampered, this style of vacations is for you.

But we found that many of our fellow passengers were...well...whiny jerks.  They complain about the food, they complain about the staff, they complain that there aren't enough deck chairs.  I mean, really?  Most of my shipmates look like they spend a great deal of time on Aisle 4C at Wal Mart back home.  What gives?

Well, we had almost two weeks to think about it, and I believe we came to a conclusion.  They ARE Wal Mart shoppers and believe that complaining enhances their status.  Like they are used to better treatment (as if that is possible).  And us?  well, to those of you who know us you won't be surprised, we gravitated to the crew!

Puspita - from Indonesia

Most of the crew on cruise ships come from very poor countries.  They work two shifts per day and six days per week.  And the pay (by US standards is abysmal).  But what great people!  

And that got us to thinking, the kind of people we REALLY like to spend our time with are humble citizens of the world (and not the US kind either).  

And so tomorrow, CHRISTMAS DAY 2013, we are off to our next adventure as Undaunted Travelers.  We are heading to Mexico City!

When most people hear this - we get confused looks (and a few more gasps).  They immediately ask if we are worried about being kidnapped by the drug cartels?  The answer - no, we are not.

Although there are no hard-fast rules about population estimates, Mexico City is among the top populated cities in the world (at an estimated 25 million souls).  So yeah, it is BIG and yes, there is crime.  But did you know that Mexico City sits on top of the greatest Aztec City ever built?    In 1978, telephone workers dug up the ruins of a great temple (Templo Mayor).  It turns out that the Spanish used stones from this site to build one of the most important Catholic Churches in the Americas.  And the artifacts (which continue to flow from this site) are housed in what is considered the second greatest museum in the world (#1 is the British museum in London, England).  

So for people who love history, culture, and humble happy people (us for sure) then this is one of the little known travel gems of the world.

Our next post will come from Mexico City.  Can't wait!