Mexico City

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Arriving in Mexico City, arranged ground transportation took us to the Hotel Reforma. Travel arrangements for the New York, Washington, DC, and Mexico parts of our trip had been made by Valene’s travel agent business partner, Mr. Stadleman.

A day exploring Mexico City took us to the Zócalo or Plaza de la Constitución. It is the main square of Mexico City and was the central point of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. The Cathedral and Palacio Nacional are located here. The Palacio Nacional dates to 1522 as the house of conquistador Hernán Cortés. Rebuilt several times, it is the home of the executive branch of the Mexcian government. The Gothic and Spanish Baroque Catedral Metropolitana (Metropolitan Cathedral) was built between 1573 and 1813 on top of former Aztec sacred buildings.

I had heard about the floating gardens of Xochimilco. Xochimilco is actually a neighborhood of Mexico City but is most often associated with the canals and floating gardens located there. The canals date to Aztec times, when they were formed from floating agricultural plots called chinampas. The method is used to grow flowers today. Navigation among the canals and chinampas was by falt-bottomed boats known as trajineras and propelled by a pole. For quite some time, named and decorated trajineras have been used to provide visitors rides through the canals of Xochimilco, and that is the image usually associated with the name. We did go on a trajinera ride. Both central Mexico City and Xochimilco were included in the Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco UNESCO World Heritage site established in 1987.

At the end of Paso de la Reforma is the Bosque de Chapultepec, once a viceregal hunting reserve and now a park. The Museo Nacional de Antropología, a must-see museum, is at the foot of the Chapultepec hill. My favorite exhibit was the 5th-century statue of the Aztec deity Tlaloc, positioned outside the museum and facing Avenida Grutas. We also saw Chapultapec Park with the Castillo De Chapultapec atop the hill and the monument to the cadet defenders of Chapultapec nearby. The monument memorializes the cadets who defended Mexico City in 1847 during the Mexican-American War.

Also on the itinerary was a visit to UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) to see the library building and its striking stone murals by Juan O'Gorman. Our local guide also took us briefly to a bullfight at the Plaza de Toros México.

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Photos

Tlaloc
Statue of Tlaloc at the Museo Nacional de Antropología (National Museum of Anthropology). Tlaloc was the Aztec god of rain, fertility, and lightning. The statue dates to the 5th century A.D. and was discovered in Coatlinchán.
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Paseo de la Reforma
Hotel Reforma InterContinental at Paseo de la Reforma and Calle Paris, Mexico City. Opened in 1936 as Hotel Reforma. Designed by Mario Pani.
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Palacio Nacional
Palacio Nacional, Mexico City. Begun as Cortés' palace between 1521 and 1530 on the site of the Aztec Casas Nuevas de Moctezuma. It was remodeled as the Spanish Viceroy's palace in the 18th century. The third floor was added in 1929. The Palacio Nacional served as Maximilian I's palace. Today it houses the presidential offices, the treasury, and the Archives. Zócalo (Plaza de la Constitución).
On the E. side of the Plaza de la Constitucion stands the huge Palacio Nacional, 675 ft. long, containing many of the governmental offices (interior open to visitors)."--Baedeker 1909.
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Xochimilco
Colorfully decorated trajineras at Xochimilco.
"...the so-called Chinampas or Floating Gardens near them have lost most of their interest. The canal ends at (8 M.) Xochimilco, whence a new aqueduct
conveys water to the city."--Baeeker 1909.
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Castillo de Chapultepec
Chapultepec Castle - Castillo de Chapultepec. Entrance. Built in 1778-1788 on Chapultepec Hill as a retreat for the Spanish vireroys. It bcame the Museo Nacional de Historia in 1944.
Chapultepec Woods, Hill and Castle is a tentative UNESCO World Heritage site.
"The chief point of interest in the immediate neighbourhood of the City of Mexico is the Palace of Chapultepec, finely situated on a rocky hill at the end of the Paseo de la Reforma. ... The present building, which occupies the site of Montezuma's Palace, dates from 1783-S5, with later additions. It is occupied by President Diaz and by the National Military School (320 cadets)."--Baedeker 1909.
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Altar a la Patria
Chapultpec monument - Monumento a los Niños Héroes. The monument commemorates the "Niños Héroes," six military cadets who were killed defending Mexico City during the Battle of Chapultepec, one of the last major battles of the Mexican–American War, on 13 September 1847. Installed in 1952.
"A monument commemorates the cadets who fell in the defence of the palace against the Americans in 1847."--Baedeker 1909.
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Museo Nacional de Antropología
Museo Nacional de Antropología (National Museum of Anthropology). The museum opened in 1964. Paseo de la Reforma.
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Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) - National Autonomous University of Mexico. The Biblioteca Central (Central Library) is to the left. The library opened in 1956 and is covered by the distinctive mosaic murals of Juan O'Gorman.
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Plaza de Toro de México
Bullfight at the Plaza de Toro de México.
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