City Tour: 11/15

Today was a Holiday in Mexico, for the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution. The actual date is November 20, but they moved the Holiday to today. I took a guided City tour. Many of the places we went were places that Agustin had showed me earlier in the week, but it all made a little more sense to me this time.

After I returned from the tour I went to the Santa Fe Mall, which is fairly close to my hotel. It is the largest Mall in Mexico City and is very nice, with many of the top stores. Sak's, Tiffany's, and Luis Vitton are just a few of the many that are there.

Monument to Benito Juarez, President 5 times between 1858 and 1872, and who repelled the French and overthrew the Monarchy of Maximilian.

Fine Arts Building.

One of the alters in the Metropolitan Cathedral

An organ in the cathedral. They have 2 the same size.

The facade of the chapel attached to the Cathedral

Metropolitan Cathedral

The Presidential Palace

The side of the Cathedral, teeming with people and street vendors.

A model of the island that became Mexico City, at the height of the Aztec Empire.

Lots of people out on the Holiday.

This building house the Inquisition activities.

I incorrectly identified this in an earlier post. It is the Plaza de las tres Culturas, which give recognition to the Indian, Colonial and modern cultures. It was on the site of these ruins that the last Aztec leader was captured, ending the Aztec Empire.

The Angel of Independence, perched high atop her monument. The original angel fell during an earthquake in 1957 and was destroyed, and this is the replacement. She is made of bronze with gold leaf.

A close-up of the Angel.

The National Auditorium, which seats 12,000.

Christmas decorations at Santa Fe Mall.

A look down one of three floors of the mall.

My lunch/dinner at Rincon de Santa Fe. The steak is a filet mignon. Who can eat this much? Not me.

Another look at the mall. Very nice.

Bosque de Chapultepec: 11-14

On Sunday our local Human Resource Manager, Pilar, and her boyfriend took me to visit the Park at Chapultepec. The Park is massive, 1,600 acres in all, and is between where I am staying and downtown, and the Western edge is close to the Jeanswear offices. Right after we parked the car we happened upon a demonstration of a native ritual called Danza de los Voladores, where four men climb a 100 foot tall pole and then suspend themselves that slowly lower them to the ground as they spin around the pole. Quite a site. Then we walked to Chapultepec Castle,which has a rich history including being the home of Maximilian I when he was Emperor of Mexico, and was also where the US Army fought a battle and took the castle during the Mexican-American War of 1847. It is now a museum.After getting a guided English tour of the Castle, we walked to another section of the park and visited the National Museum of Anthropology. We spent several hours at this fascinating museum, which depicts all of the various tribes and their development in Mexico and then the invasion by the Spaniards. One of the most interesting things I have found is how Mexican history portrays the Spaniards in a very poor light, even though about 80% of Mexico's population has Spanish heritage. After finishing at the museum we had a very nice lunch on Polanco, a nearby section of the city which has numerous hotels and restaurants, and features Mexico City's version of Rodeo Drive.

The dancers of Danza de los Voladores start their ritual.

Climbing the 100 foot pole. No safety wires.

As they spin, their ropes unwind from the pole and they are lowered to the ground.

One of the lakes in the park.

Lots of people and street vendors

The Castle Chapultepec

A ceiling mural depicting the young boy who was shot by the US Army and fell to his death saving the Mexican flag.

A very large mural depicting the Mexican Revolution

A mural depicting the Battle of Puebla on May 5, where the Mexican Army and locals defeated the French Army.

From the Castle, looking down the Paseo de la Reforma, towards the Angel of Liberty statue.

The tower on which the young soldier saving the flag was shot by the US Army.

Looking towards downtown from the Castle.

The rooftop gardens

More of the gardens.

Tourist taking a break.

Pilar and her boyfriend.

The view from the opposite side of the Castle.

Walking down the hill from the castle. Lots of people!!

A monument to the Heroes of Mexico.

In the Anthropology Museum, a model of the Aztec pyramids in what is now Mexico City.

A picture of the island that became Mexico City during the Aztec Empire.

Aztec sun thingamajig.

The god of the dead.

Recreation of Mayan ruins

It was a great, fun day!!

Teotihuacan 11-13

Today I took a wonderful group tour to Teotihuacan, site of Nahuati pyramids which are well over 1200 years old. The tour also included stops at Templo Mayor, the remains of an Aztec temple in the first settlement of what is now Mexico City, which was destroyed by the conquistadores, then on to the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadelupe, the holiest site in all of Mexico, and then on to Teotihuacan. It was a perfect day with bright sunshine and mild temperatures. I will say that climbing the pyramids was a work out, especially when your body is no accustomed to the thin air at a mile high in elevation.

The ruins of Templo Mayor. The church at the rear was built from the stones taken from the temple.

More of the ruin. The Spanish destroyed all native structures and used the materials to build their own.

The original Basilica for the Virgin of Guadelupe, built high on a hill that was the edge of the lake on which Mexico City is now built.

A newer (only 500 years old) Basilica, build below the hill on land reclaimed from the lake. Over the last 500 years it has settled over 4 meters at the front.

You can see how the front is leaning to the right.

Juan Diego's sacred shroud with the image of the Virgin on it. This was what converted the indigenous tribes to Catholicism.

Arriving at the pyramids

Smaller pyramids line the Avenue

The Pyramid of the Moon, where animal and human sacrifice occurred.

Looking down the Avenue of the Dead from the Pyramid of the Dead. The Pyramid of the Sun is to the left.

More of the smaller pyramids to the sides of the avenue, seen from atop the Pyramid of the Dead.

The pyramids were all clad with limestone and painted when they were built. This is one of the few remaining examples of the original painting.

The Pyramid of the Sun, the tallest in all of Mexico, and third largest in the world based on its footprint. It has 5 tiers, one for each decade of life. (which was shorter then)

Pyramid of the Sun

Looking down from atop the Pyramid of the Sun, at the smaller pyramids along the Avenue of the Dead.

Looking back towards the Pyramid of the Moon

Gringo tourist in a MacKay golf shirt atop the Pyramid of the Sun

Another look at the Pyramid of the Moon

The South face of the Pyramid of the Sun. What appeared to be buttresses spaced irregularly along this side are actually a solar calendar.

Leaving the Pyramid of the Sun

This little cutie is the daughter of the native couple that performed for us at lunch

The tour group. To my left is a young lady from China, the three to her left are Americans working for RBS, the couple at the end are from Australia and the couple at the front opposite me are from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Everyone spoke English so the tour guide did the whole tour in English.

My lunch. I don't recall the name of it, but it was very good.

Gringo tourist wearing the native dancer's headdress.

The final pyramid was much smaller and was in the Administrative end of the Avenue, where commerce was done.

The small platforms are where the commerce judges would decide what was worth what in their goods exchange economy.

Looking down the Avenue of the Dead, which is over 2 miles long

The Pyramid of the Moon is at the far end of the Avenue, and the Pyramid of the Sun is to the right.

As we arrived back downtown to drop off the Australians, we were treated to a wonderful view of the Fine Arts building, bathed in the setting sun.

It was a tiring but spectacular day.