Museum of national anthropology
Cathedral, M.C
Casa Azul, house of frida Kahlo
Temple of sun
Temple of sun
I still can´t believe I am here! I am ahalf a aworld away yet arrived here without any hassles. I am staying at a beautiful hotel on the Paseo de Reforma. I am within easy walking distance of the Zocalo and historic centre.
The architecture here is fascinating: old-fashioned ornate buildings surrounded by modern steel and glass structures. The traffic here is ceaseless and there are lots of people. I feel safe here (I know one should be cautious in any city) and it hasbeen easy to get around. On my first day I familiarised myself with the historic centre. There are pedestrianised areas there. It is nearly Christmas but it is very strange to see a Christmas wonderland taking up the square - there is an ice-rink, snow slope and lots of Christmas trees and dazzling decorations on the surrounding buildings.
At the first opportunity I arranged to go on a trip to Teotihuacan or Las Piramides (The Pyramids). I went on a small bus with a Venezuelan couple and a Mexican couple who live in germany. Our young tour guide was helpful and kept us smiling. My Spanish did improve during the day. I wanted to go staright to the Pyramids but we had a few stops along the way. We saw Tlateloc or Plaza de las tres Culturas7Plaza of the 3 cultures. There are ruins here of one of the 1st cities in Mexico city and built next toit/on it a 16th cent san Franciscan convent (the 3rd cuklture being present day buildings). We went on th Bsilica of Guadeloupe - the original cathedral and the modern day one. It was here that the Virgin of Guadeloupe appeared to san Juan Diego (the first indigenous convert) and requested that a church be built. It is an importnat place of pilgrimage and there were people from all walk so life visiting, praying, leaving flowers and devotions. Our next 2 stops were shops were we waited around far too long. By late afternoon we reached the Pyramids. The advantage was that it was cool and not crowded. It is like being in a dream when you visit there. Words can´t describe the awe of touching the pyramids and climbing to the top. I did climb to the top of the Templo del Sol/Temple of the Sun, which is very steep. You can look over the city and it is also starnge to look down on the modern towns that have sprung up around. There are mountains in all directions. I walked down the Avenue of the Dead wondering how those who did this centuries ago felt. On the Templo dw la Luna/Temple of the moon you can only climb up to the 1sdt level. from here you get an amzing view of the lay out of the city and the Avenue of the dead/Calle de los Muertos. The visit felt all too short but so worthwhile. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teotihuacan
Anorther of my must sees was Casa Azul (Blue House) or Museum of frida Kahlo. I got there on the underground which was surprisingly easy to use and no more crowded than the london metro. Although I had seen her paintings in London, nothing beats the experience of seeing her work in her very own house. There were drawings and portraits, icluding some unfinished ones. You could feel her personality, her presence. The living areas were fascinating: the beds,the evry day items.The long room where she did her oainting I found most interesting.It was poignant to see an ancient wheel chair there. One had a sense of her suffering - mental and physical. It seems she lived and loved intensely.
Yesterday I jumped on a tourist bus, one of those open-topped double decker buses. I enjoyed seeing all the monumemnts at the round-abouts/glorietas on the Paseo before arriving at the Museum of national Anthropology . This is a magnificent building set in the gardens of Chapultepec. It is laid out around a vast rectangular courtyard. There are several, massive halls covering the different areas/periods of mexico´s history. The halls are huge and light with plenty of space to marvel at the exhibits. I visited the hall of Teotihuacan and this explains the culture around the Pyrmamids. I spent most of my time in and was truly awe struck by the Hall of Mexica ( Aztecs). There are magnificent statues of gods and structures from buildings. There were also huge paintings and models of Tenochtitlan: you could imagine yourself being there all those centuries ago. If you only have time to visit one place in Mexico city, this would be it!
It was tiring but before I left I had a quick walk around the hall of the Maya. I would probably appreciate this more after a visit to the Yucatan and Guatemala but it was good to have a glimpse. There were some beautiful stelae - tall stones with hieroglyphics and carvings. Ther were some beautifully carved figures, so exquisite they could have been done yesterday.
Finally I tore myself away from the museum and headed back for a cup of tea - bottled, cold, lemon tea.
Enough, I must get out today and tomorrow I head for Oaxaca.
The architecture here is fascinating: old-fashioned ornate buildings surrounded by modern steel and glass structures. The traffic here is ceaseless and there are lots of people. I feel safe here (I know one should be cautious in any city) and it hasbeen easy to get around. On my first day I familiarised myself with the historic centre. There are pedestrianised areas there. It is nearly Christmas but it is very strange to see a Christmas wonderland taking up the square - there is an ice-rink, snow slope and lots of Christmas trees and dazzling decorations on the surrounding buildings.
At the first opportunity I arranged to go on a trip to Teotihuacan or Las Piramides (The Pyramids). I went on a small bus with a Venezuelan couple and a Mexican couple who live in germany. Our young tour guide was helpful and kept us smiling. My Spanish did improve during the day. I wanted to go staright to the Pyramids but we had a few stops along the way. We saw Tlateloc or Plaza de las tres Culturas7Plaza of the 3 cultures. There are ruins here of one of the 1st cities in Mexico city and built next toit/on it a 16th cent san Franciscan convent (the 3rd cuklture being present day buildings). We went on th Bsilica of Guadeloupe - the original cathedral and the modern day one. It was here that the Virgin of Guadeloupe appeared to san Juan Diego (the first indigenous convert) and requested that a church be built. It is an importnat place of pilgrimage and there were people from all walk so life visiting, praying, leaving flowers and devotions. Our next 2 stops were shops were we waited around far too long. By late afternoon we reached the Pyramids. The advantage was that it was cool and not crowded. It is like being in a dream when you visit there. Words can´t describe the awe of touching the pyramids and climbing to the top. I did climb to the top of the Templo del Sol/Temple of the Sun, which is very steep. You can look over the city and it is also starnge to look down on the modern towns that have sprung up around. There are mountains in all directions. I walked down the Avenue of the Dead wondering how those who did this centuries ago felt. On the Templo dw la Luna/Temple of the moon you can only climb up to the 1sdt level. from here you get an amzing view of the lay out of the city and the Avenue of the dead/Calle de los Muertos. The visit felt all too short but so worthwhile. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teotihuacan
Anorther of my must sees was Casa Azul (Blue House) or Museum of frida Kahlo. I got there on the underground which was surprisingly easy to use and no more crowded than the london metro. Although I had seen her paintings in London, nothing beats the experience of seeing her work in her very own house. There were drawings and portraits, icluding some unfinished ones. You could feel her personality, her presence. The living areas were fascinating: the beds,the evry day items.The long room where she did her oainting I found most interesting.It was poignant to see an ancient wheel chair there. One had a sense of her suffering - mental and physical. It seems she lived and loved intensely.
Yesterday I jumped on a tourist bus, one of those open-topped double decker buses. I enjoyed seeing all the monumemnts at the round-abouts/glorietas on the Paseo before arriving at the Museum of national Anthropology . This is a magnificent building set in the gardens of Chapultepec. It is laid out around a vast rectangular courtyard. There are several, massive halls covering the different areas/periods of mexico´s history. The halls are huge and light with plenty of space to marvel at the exhibits. I visited the hall of Teotihuacan and this explains the culture around the Pyrmamids. I spent most of my time in and was truly awe struck by the Hall of Mexica ( Aztecs). There are magnificent statues of gods and structures from buildings. There were also huge paintings and models of Tenochtitlan: you could imagine yourself being there all those centuries ago. If you only have time to visit one place in Mexico city, this would be it!
It was tiring but before I left I had a quick walk around the hall of the Maya. I would probably appreciate this more after a visit to the Yucatan and Guatemala but it was good to have a glimpse. There were some beautiful stelae - tall stones with hieroglyphics and carvings. Ther were some beautifully carved figures, so exquisite they could have been done yesterday.
Finally I tore myself away from the museum and headed back for a cup of tea - bottled, cold, lemon tea.
Enough, I must get out today and tomorrow I head for Oaxaca.
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