Mexico City

Amazing history, architecture, art, and food. So glad we extended our visit to CDMX from 5 nights to 7 and changed our accommodations from Historico Central to La Condesa. Conversations with people who love their regular visits to Mexico City helped us set our itinerary. Thanks to our son Alex and friends Alex and Aldo.

We spent one full day walking  in Centro Historico: Temple Mayor * Xocolo * Metropolitan Cathedral * Grand Hotel * Calle Madero * Convent of San Francisco * Casa de los Azulejos ("House of Tiles") * Torre Latino * Palacio Postal * Palicio de Belles Artes (free for 60+) * Barrio Chino / Chinatown Gates. Several sites are concentrated so it is easy to get immersed in culture and history. We managed all these places in less than 8K steps, if my pedometer was accurate.

Another day we went to the Museum of Anthropology and took in an English-speaking tour focused on Mayan history.  If I lived in Mexico City, I would get a lifetime membership here, returning every day for a year and still not seeing everything it has to offer. The collection holds thousands of Mayan artefacts, including some from The Tomb of the Red Queen, a 7th-century Mayan burial site discovered in 1994 in Chiapas. Before leaving we visited the imposing Piedra del Sol (Aztec Calendar Stone) which is not a functional, day-to-day calendar but actually a massive carved sacrificial vessel known as a cuauhxicalli (eagle vessel). It was created in the 15th century as a monument to the sun god Tonatiuh and the Aztec cosmos. 

The following day we had an early morning start with an unforgettable balloon ride over Teotihuacan, a massive pre-Columbian Mesoamerican city (1st–7th centuries CE) renowned for its colossal Pyramids of the Sun and Moon and the Avenue of the Dead. It was quite a perspective as we flew over one of the largest ancient American cities and a major religious, cultural, and military hub, though its original 125,000 inhabitants remain mysterious. 

We spent that afternoon in Chepultepec Castle. If walls could talk! The site of the hill was a sacred place for Mexica, and the buildings atop it have served several purposes during its history, including an imperial residence, presidential residence, observatory, military academy, and since February 1939, the National Museum of History. The view from the hilltop over Chepultepec Park and the city is worth the steep climb.

Originally built by a Spanish Viceroy in 1785, it was then occupied by the Austrian Habsburg archduke and his wife Emperor Maximilian I & Empress Carlota. Two of my favourite places in the castle were Carlota's bath and Maximillian's Alkazar Rooftop Garden. The couple captured my imagination because they tried to bring liberal reforms, but were countered by strong opposition by the growing Republic movement. Empress Carlota ruled when her husband was out the country, becoming one of the first female leaders in Latin America. When Maximillian was executed she sought help from the Pope, who washed his hands of the political situation. Her story did not end well. She suffered a nervous breakdown and lived most of the rest of her life institutionalized.

Various Mexican presidents took up residence in the Castle between 1882-1834. when it became a military academy. Following its use as a residence, President Lázaro Cárdenas declared the castle as the home of the National Museum of History in 1939, which opened to the public in 1944. 

The stained glass windows were made in Paris by the order of President Diaz and are an ironic contrast to the terrible poverty and disillusionment of the Mexican people he was representing repressing at the time. No wonder there was a revolution! After claiming he would not run again, in 1910 Díaz ran anyway and jailed his main opponent, Francisco Madero, securing a fraudulent win. Madero escaped to the U.S. and called for an armed uprising, sparking the Mexican Revolution in 1911. Revolutionary armies, including those of Pascual Orozco, Pancho Villa, and Emiliano Zapata, began taking over northern and southern regions.

San Ángel and Coyacan were more bohemian destinations. An Uber to Coyacan to see the exterior of Frida Kahlo's house, the interior of the Trotsky Museum, and some traditional dancing in the Plaza Hidalgo. Someone was getting married in the baroque church, Iglesia de San Juan Bautista. The El Bazaar Salado art market made me wish I had more space in my carry on! Gorgeous textiles, pottery, and art. 

Our apartment in Condesa was walking distance to Avenida Ámsterdam and Colonia Hipódromo, so we took full advantage. Free WiFi in many of the parks. I truly hadn't expected how many trees there would be - over 100,000 in this borough alone. We were a little early to see any jacaranda in bloom, but hibiscus added plenty of colour and there was ample deco architecture to enjoy on our walks. Watch where you step however - the sidewalks heave in places from earthquakes' past.

A full Sunday exploring Condesa and Roma Norte. So many places for brunch, pastries or coffee. I wanted an English book so we sought out this cool bookstore, Under the Volcano, located on the second floor of the American Legion building.

We still managed to fit in the Hop On/Hop Off bus. It was a blessing in the first few days when we were trying to adjust to higher altitudes and many of the stops were already a part of our plans.

  

Our hotel, Vicente Suarez By Mr W, was on a relatively quiet tree-lined street and had a rooftop garden. When we first arrived we stocked the fridge with some breakfast essentials and beverages, but mostly we  took advantage of all the great cafes and restaurants nearby. Maizajo taqueria came Michelin recommended, so of course we had to try it! Azul Condesa's menu had ancestral dishes (grasshoppers) and regional foods (mezcal tastings!). Other memorable meals were at Oxa (San Ángel), set in a beautiful courtyard with a huge tree in the middle and tropical plants all around. The Terraza Gran Hotel (Historico Central) overlooked the Xocolo and had an amazing menu and fabulous cocktails... Also Sala Gastronómica inside the Museum of Anthropology, where I tasted a pretty plate of delicious mole. Street food vendors were great, too - we looked for the ones with long lines of people waiting, based on a tip from our son Alex.

Now, after enjoying our week in CDMX, I have to ask myself: What took my so long?