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Published: December 28th 2006
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Virgin of Guadalupe
The original cloak bearing the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe After the laid back beach culture of Puerto Escondido, the metropolis of Mexico City beckonned. The 18-hour bus ride followed an inordinately roundabout route and included a three-hour sleep stop for the driver. Arriving at Mexico City at Bus Terminal Tapo exhausted and disoriented, the unscrupulous taxi drivers circled immediately. They tell you that $25 is the fare to Centro Historico. Too tired to complain immediately, you spot the “sitio official” kiosk on the way to the taxi. Sure enough, at the kiosk a ticket to Centro Historico is $8. You buy a ticket and are ushered to the taxi at the front of the official rank; in the mean time the original unscrupulous taxi drivers have melted away. You tell the driver the name of the hostel - Moneda - that is also the name of street, and stretch out to enjoy the ride. Everything goes smoothly until we reach the end of Moneda - just like a lot of the rest of the centre of Mexico City Moneda is an unofficial street market, impassable to cars. Having done all he had to do to earn his official fare, the taxi driver dumped me at the end of Moneda and
waved me down the street. Fortunately it was only half a block down.
Moneda is a nice, well-organized city centre hostel. Free Internet on somewhat sketchy PC’s - par for the course in Mexico - with free breakfast in the rooftop bar each morning. The front desk is 24/7 and they have tour booking facilities.
Day One, Tour Number One, Part One: Virgin of Guadalupe. The Virgin of Guadalupe is a very important figure in the Mexican spiritual makeup. Just two short years after the Aztec capital fell to Hernan Cortes, the Virgin Mary appeared to the very recently baptized Juan Diego. Through a blinding light she demanded that a church be built on Tepeyac hill and that this request be passed onto the bishop. Though a lowly Indian, the insistent Juan Diego was granted an audience with the bishop. The incredulous bishop demanded some sort of proof of the unlikely encounter. Fortunately the Virgin Mary appeared Juan Diego a couple of days later. Juan Diego relayed the bishop’s request; the Virgin Mary acceded to the bishop’s request by causing the usually barren Tepeyac hill to bloom with roses and subsequently appeared as an image on Juan Diego’s
Teotihuacan Pyramids
Thats me and the third biggest pyramid in the world (Temple of the Sun) cloak when he presented the miraculous blooms to the bishop. The original cloak, or is it an early Mexican painterly masterpiece, is hung in The Basilica of Guadalupe.
Day One, Tour Number One, Part Two: Teotihuacan Pyramids. Teotihuacan or “place of those who have the road of the gods” was at its height in the first half of the first milenium AD. The largest city in the Americas, the term also referred to the civilisation that this city was at the centre of, which at it greatest extent included most of central Mexico. The layout of the city is best appreciated from the top of the Temple of the Moon. At the foot of the Temple of the Moon thirteen smaller pyramids are arrayed around a plaza. Leading away from the plaza is the Avenue of the Dead. The Avenue of the Dead is the North-South axis. Defining the East-West axis is the Temple of the Sun, the third largest pyramid in the world, off to one side of the Avenue of the Dead. At the far end of the Avenue of the Dead off the eastern side is a large plaza including Temple of Quetzalcoatl, the so-called Temple
Temple of Quetzalcoatl
One of the most beautiful buildings of pre-Hispanic Mexico, again at Teotihuacan of the Feathered-Serpent. It is a six-tiered step-pyramid with relief figures of Feathered Serpents alternating with Fire Serpents. The layout and scale of the complex is literally breathtaking. Even though we were there for four hours not everyone on the tour made it up both pyramids and I seemed to be the only one who perservered all the way to the stunning Temple of Quetzalcoatl.
Day Two, Tour Number Two, Part One: Chez Frida and Diego. Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera was a famous artist marriage. Frida was famous for her extraordinary self-portraits depicting her suffering arising from her childhood Polio and later trolley bus accident. Diego was famous for his murals featured in the Palacio Nacional and in the Education Ministry. Whilst Diego was originally more famous, Frida subsequently has become more famous, as much for her remarkable life as for her work. Whilst there is not an extensive collection of their work in the house, the house does afford a glimpse into the artists’ lives including the mirrors that afforded her the opportunity to carry out self portrait studies in bed.
Day Two, Tour Number Two, Part Two: Xochimilco. Xochimilco is a charming area of Mexico
City, a throw back to when the whole city was lined with canals. We were in Xochimilco for a Sunday pleasure cruise up and down some its charming canals just like many locals. The atmosphere on the canals was charming with floating vendors, picnic parties and mariachis.
Day Three, Tour Number Three: Walking Tour of Mexico City (Free to Moneda guests!) Day three and I was beginning to get a little toured out. However since it was free and only really a half-day I tried to tune in. However I soon found myself tuning out and chatting with other tourists more than following what our excellent and well informed tour guide had to say. We started with the interior of the mammoth Catedral Metropolitana on Zocalo. We then moved on to the excellent Diego Rivera murals in the Palacio Nacional. We finished in front of the Palacio Bellas Artes having been lead through the magnificent Casa de los Azulejos on 16 de Septiembre, which we went back later for an excellent meal (at the restaurant Sanborns).
Day Four, Not a Tour: Anthpological Museum. Whilst there was a tour to the Anthropological Museum I decided I could negotiate my
Gondallier at Xochimilco
I challenge you to get the right pronounciation for this place way to and around the Anthropological Museum on my own. So I set off to try out the Mexico City underground and found it well organised and great value - 1 peso or 5p for a single journey. All stops even had their own logos! One warning Chapultepec is the most convenient stop for the Anthpological Museum from Centro Historico, but it is still quite a step - best to catch a bus, at least on the way back. The museum has a stunning central support column with surrounding water feature - see the attached photo. The museum is very well organised, drawing together many threads from Teotihuacan and Mayan sites. Though somewhat toured out I'd definitely say that the Anthpological Museum was worth a visit.
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Mum/Laurie
non-member comment
Even more WOWS!
This account of your time in Mexico City is truly amazing, so colourful and so LARGE. Point of info.........what date were you there? I'm not surprised you became 'tour guided out'........but what an experience to pack into a few days..........or even one lifetime. Love, Mum