i had heard so much about mexico city . my dad has been there a few times and always said that it was probably the most impressive city he has been to. the things you hear - about the sheer number of people, the pollution, all of it makes mexico city sound like a bit of a mess, to be honest. people talk about it a bit disdainfully, almost.
but i didn't really find that. for one thing, the pollution was not even CLOSE to that of manila. it was hugely cleaner than i expected. it's huge, yes, and there are a ton of people, but ... i liked it. granted, i didn't see very much - didn't see half of what i wanted to, to be honest, which was quite disappointing. and that's because this is where i got really sick, slept a lot, and became very familiar with the ceiling of our hotel room. and finally had to give up and go to the hospital. where the doctor drilled into me that this was "very very serious" and to take ALL the pills he gave me. whoops.
so let's see. in prep for the trip i read a lot about mexico city. and my first list of things i wanted to do was ... let's just say a bit unrealistic, considering we had only five days to spend there. the city has hundreds of museums. tons of plazas. little barrios that have to be visited. shopping. streets to wander through. it is completely overwhelming. so i had narrowed down my list considerably ... and then hardly saw any of that. more reasons to go back ...
but. my first day there, i was alive enough to go to the historical center, called the zócalo. it's basically the heart of the city, and has been since the aztecs ruled there. it's where the cathedral is, the national palace (closed!), federal buildings, etc.
[federal buildings]
[cathedral (left) and templo de santo domingo (right)]
the federal building has the mexican flag colors on it because we were there right before mexican independence day (16 september). next year is the bicentennial and there's a big clock counting down to it right there in the square as well. haha how fabulous. i love it. i would love to come back here next year to see that celebration.
but the churches. i mean, they are all beautiful. everywhere i've been, i have enjoyed visiting the churches, lighting a candle, admiring the artwork and decoration. i thank ms. mccrory back in high school for instilling that appreciation in me. and these two churches were gorgeous. the beauty of churches really is awe-inspiring.
[altar in the cathedral]
[facade of templo de santa domingo]
and then, there is of course the aztec history. i remember when i was kid back in colorado, my family went to an exhibit about the aztecs at the denver art museum. we rented those audio tour things and i distinctly remember (i must have been ... 8? 9?) the description of the human sacrifices at the templo mayor. and it scaring the shit out of me.
and then i got to go and see it.
it's amazing - the ruins of this aztec temple right there next to the spanish ones ... the spaniards literally came in and built right on top of the aztecs' city.
and they let you walk through the ruins. there are paths and all of that, but it was really, really cool to walk through the temple grounds. impressive. and freaky. the place must be f-ing' crawling with ghosts. i was just blown away by the whole thing. god the aztecs are fascinating.
[temple steps. that is seriously steep]
[i'm pretty sure those are real skulls]
[original color paint ... and check out the intricacy of the carvings]
and then there, just to the side of the temple, are aztec dancers performing.
p.s. i took like 100 photos at the templo mayor. i'll post more on facebook if you want to see more.
that day we also went to the palacio de bellas artes, the opera house. absolutely gorgeous beautiful building. and it was where i saw my diego murals (including man at the crossroads, but no photos allowed).
and then that night was when i really started to crumble. the next day we went over to coyoacán, a little suburb to the south, with a beautiful plaza. typically (apparently), the plaza is full of artists and vendors, but apparently the city has banned them, and moved them into an inside market. and the place was absolutely crawling with police to keep the vendors out. hundreds of them. a bit ... excessive, perhaps?
[and they were all over the place!]
this is also where frida was born, and where she and diego lived. so we went to her house as well. again, no photos allowed inside, but here's one of the side of the house looking into the garden.
on the metro ride over there, we got off at one of the metro stations ...
... which is decorated with 20 or so hand-painted, beautiful murals. for no apparent reason. and i would like to also mention that the metro costs 2 pesos. do you hear that boston and new york city? two pesos.
so. that was what i saw. the next day we went to the hospital, and then we left. like i said, missed a ton, which is a bit disappointing, buuuut it just means i have to go back.
[bellas artes with vendors]
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