May 26-29, Mexico City

Mexico City is the capital city of Mexico, D.F. It has a population of 19.2 million, making it the largest metropolitan area in the Western Hemisphere and the second largest city in the world. It is second only to Tokyo with a population of 35,197,000 in 2005.

Our holiday started here at Hotel Gran Melia Reforma which is located at Paseo de la Reforma. The superb hotel is close to government buildings and financial institutions.

Hotel Gran Melia was a pleasant surprise. It is an excellent hotel, the staff was very helpful. At dusk, Wim and I decided to walk to Zocalo Square when day merchants just started packing up their wares. We walked and walked and I had the a good impression how large the square is. I learned that it is the largest square in the Western Hemispshre and once part of Tenochtitlan, the political and religious hub of the Aztec empire. Over the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries the Spaniards built expansive and beautiful mansions and public structures from the stones of the Aztec temples that they had destroyed. (This is mean!).

The following day we started our real sightseeing activity.

The kind receptionist at Gran Melia gave us an advice:

'Don't go to the streets behind the palace!"

Like curious cats, this was the first place Wim and I went on a rainy evening. The market was almost deserted.

We did visit Palacio Nacional where we saw the amazing murals of Diego Rivera. Unfortunately, we did not have time to visit the House of Frieda Khalo.

Tlatelolco

Tlatelolco today is the Plaza of the Three Cultures. It contains the excavated ruins of the great pyramid, second largest in the city, and one of the oldest colonial churches, dedicated to Santiago (Saint James), patron saint of the conquistadors, who would charge into battle yelling "Santiago, and at 'em!" And it is surrounded by modern office buildings and government-built housing projects named for important dates in Mexican history.

"There are stelae, inscribed stone monuments. One describes the pre-Columbian history of Tlatelolco, which was an independent Aztec city until it was absorbed by Tenochtitlan in the 15th century. The second (shown on the next panel) tells of Cuauhtémoc's defeat. The third, erected in 1993, concerns the events of Oct. 2, 1968. This site was once a major Indian city that rivaled and eventually was conquered by the Aztec empire.

"This was Mexico's Kent State, except that the government killed about 100 times more students. The exact number is disputed. You can find holes in the old church wall made by machine gun bullets.

The monument lists the names of the known victims and chastises the press for its failure to report honestly on the event."

Source:http://thedagger.com/archive/conquest/tlatelolco.html

What a big blunder! I realized we did not see Templo Mayor! How is it possible? Our tourist guide did not it us there. Well, a good reason to go back to Mexico City.

Translation: August 13, 1521 Heroically defended by Cuauhtémoc, Tlatelolco fell to the power of Hernán Cortés. It was neither a triumph nor a defeat. It was the painful birth of the mestizo nation that is the Mexico of today.--text of monument at Tlatelolco

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The famous basilica, located on the site where a baptized Indian Juan Diego supposed to have seen the virgin on Saturday, December 9, 1531.

Archelogical ruins of Teotihuacan

Teotihuacán is one of the main attractions surrounding Mexico City. Growing from an agricultural settlement, it would soon become the main city of the pre - Spanish Mexico.Considered by the Aztecs as the city of Quetzalcóatl (their main god), Teotihuacán is known by its two big pyramids: the Pyramid of the Sun, and the Pyramid of the Moon, being the first one the third biggest pyramid of the world.

For more information about this archaeological site, visit: http://archaeology.asu.edu/teo/

During evenings, Wim and I walked from the hotel up to Zocalo Square and stopped to look at some majestic building from both sides of the road. We saw the fabulous Palacio de Bellas Artes, a white marble concert hall and arts center. The theatre is home to productions by international and national artists, including the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico.

At Madero Street, corner of Filomeno Mata, we saw a house covered in blue and white tiles. This house, located at number 4 Francisco Madero Street, is covered in azulejos (tiles) from the state of Puebla, which are called talavera. The mansion was built in the 1n the 16th century.


Walking brings you to interesting places. We saw a large bakery shop selling hundreds, no thousands sorts of bread. Wim wanted to see more inside the shop and I was grateful I joined him. Then we climbed up the stair to the second floor without knowing what awaited us. Gosh, inside was like a candy store, no a house of cake! I have never seen so many cakes in one time and in one place in my entire life. It is like a fairy tale and I wanted to stay there forever!


How about this cake for your birthday?
Or this!
And this!
The National Museum of Anthropology

The House of Cake is awesome but it is a like a dream. The National Museum of Anthropology is the real thing! The center housed the an extensive collection of artifacts.



They way they were...




The grandeur of Mexican architecture



Four days in Mexico City and we did not see everything yet. There are still places to see, perhaps a good reason to go back to Mexico City. Then, it will be my fourth visit in this beautiful country.


Viva Mexico! Hasta la vista!