Sun
Mar
20
mexico city
- I take an overnight deluxe bus from Manzanillo to Mexico City, arriving at 6 am. It is Friday morning, the beginning of the weekend, and the city is in good spirits. I deposit my bags at the Hotel Fleming, which is in the historical district, within walking distance of the Zócalo- the main plaza- and then I spend most of the day at the Museum of Anthropology of Mexico. It is immense. The first floor holds artifacts, grand and small, from past Mexican civilizations. In thinking back to what I saw, my mind is still blown. And so for now, I will let the photos speak for me. The second floor is filled with exhibits which depict village scenes from different geographical areas, along with the objects that were used in daily life, and in ceremony. All of it is artful. And this is one reason why I am impressed with Mexico: the creativity, the color, the imagination, the ingenuity... and most of all, the strong, living community: people engaged in the act of creating, contributing to the shared life of their pueblo.
- On Saturday morning, the main boulevard leading to the Zócalo is closed off to traffic. Hundreds of bicyclists, skaters, and skateboarders are gliding down the street, mixed with runners and walkers. The park is filled with the umbrellas of vendors, with families, and with pods of teenagers racing about. The benches hold old men napping, mothers and grandmothers with babies, and couples, who are engaged in one way or another: gazing into each other's eyes, talking, kissing, grooming each other.
- I walk to the Zócalo, which is filled with various political rallies, occurring simultaneously: women's rights, worker's rights, indigenous rights... people of all ages are listening to speakers or watching dances or demonstrations.
- I live on street food. My favorite is nopal cactus salad with goat cheese on a freshly made tortilla.
- It is evident to me that the people of Mexico City are proud of their diversity, and of how they make an effort to accept each other, and get along. This pride is expressed to me by cab drivers, waiters, the tortilla woman on the corner.
- I visit the Palace of Fine Arts- El Palacio de Bellas Artes- where the symphony orchestra plays, where the folkloric ballet is presented, where art is exhibited. The semi-art nouveau building is brilliant and impressive, with its 3 story high domed ceilings, marble floors, and immense political murals by Diego Rivera and others. And then I go to Frida Kahlo's house/museum. What a pioneer woman! Valiant and creative and brutally honest in the face of her life's physical and emotional pain, and joy.
- On Monday I take a small group tour. First we go to the Basilica de Guadalupe. Here, since it reflects my experience, I will lazily give you a quote from the "Lonely Planet Guide to Mexico":
- "Mexico's patron saint- actually a manifestation of the Virgin Mary- is the dark-skinned Virgin of Guadalupe, who made her appearance to an Aztec potter in 1531 on a hill outside Mexico City. Revered, she's both the archetypal mother and the pre-eminent focus of Mexicans' inborn spirituality. Elements of the complex belief systems of Mexico's pre-Hispanic civilizations survive alongside Catholicism among the country's many indigenous peoples... [and she provides] a crucial link between Catholic and indigenous spirituality... her name is evoked in religious ceremonies, political speeches, and literature."
- Next, we drive about 10 miles outside the city, to Teotihuacán, Mexico's biggest ancient city, and the capital of an empire. I climb the Pyramid of the Sun, the world's 3rd largest pyramid. And then I climb the Pyramid of the Moon. Once again, I will let the photos speak for me. ~robin~
