More Mexico City

Today is my day to relax, chill out, play on the computer, read, nap... regroup. My cousin and her family left this morning for a family trip to NYC and I have the whole house to myself. I need the rest after yesterday and because tomorrow I´m going to Teotihuacan. A friend of my cousin´s husband has very generously volunteered to chauffeur me back and forth tomorrow as well as on Sunday. No way in HELL would I ever attempt to drive on my own in this city!!! I may have brass balls, but you need ones of steel for that!!

Ok. So yesterday. El centro, el Zócalo, el Palacio Nacional, la Catedral Metropolitana, el Templo Mayor y su museo. I barely know where to begin. We arrived and parked and walked a block to el Zócalo, which is the main square. This is one of the most beautiful places on earth, but unfortunately they have blocked the view during the Christmas season with a huge ice skating rink. Check out these fotos.

Anyhow, we arrived and began our explorations with a self-guided tour of el Palacio Nacional. We visited the room in which the Mexican constitution was signed, the old living quarters and museum of Benito Juárez, and the incredible murals of Diego Rivera. There are no words that would do these incredible works of art justice. You can look at pictures, take a virtual tour, or listen to me ramble on, but nothing comes close to seeing them in person. Just spectacular.

From there we went to la Catedral Metropolitana. This cathedral is built on top of a cathedral built by Hernán Cortés after he conquered the Aztecs (bastard). But it is gorgeous. Lots of gold, lots of marble, lots of alcoves for the faithful to worship with their favorite saints, and the most incredible altar made entirely of gold that I´ve ever seen. Although I´m not in the slightest religious, it didn´t feel right to take pictures, so you´ll have to visit there yourself to see it.

Then we were hungry. We found a little place by accident called la Casa de las Sirenas. Here´s a little tour I found online. Wicha and I sat out on that rooftop porch with a gorgeous view of la catedral. La comida, which is eaten anywhere between 1:00 and 3:00 is the main meal of the day here in Mexico. This meal usually includes some kind of starter and an entree - like we gringos do at dinner. Instead of doing that though, we ordered several starters, my idea of eating "light." Guacamole con chicharrón (pork rinds - yeah, I know but oh so good), queso fundido, tacos de camarones con crema de chipotle, y chiles rellenos de pollo con salsa de nuez. The tortillas de maiz were homemade, and it was all delicious. (Sounds like a lot, but they were all appetizer sizes - so no crap from anyone please.)

After la comida we went to see el Templo Mayor and the museum. This temple of Tenochtitlan was the main temple of the Aztec empire. It was destroyed by Cortés (bastard!) in 1521. In 1978 it was discovered during some construction, and much has been excavated and is on display just outside the museum. This temple was constructed and rebuilt seven times, and as you walk through it you can see the different layers of construction. Still visible are stone statues of sacred animals such as snakes and frogs, areas in which human sacrifices were conducted, and rooms in which Aztec priests spent time in meditation. The architectural prowess it must have took to build and rebuild this temple is unfathomable. At one time is was almost as tall as the cathedral is now.

The museum houses all the art and artifacts found in the temple and other exavations of Tenochtitlan: stone statues, gold adornments, obsidian tools and knives used to cut out the heart of enemies and prisoners of war. In 2006 they found another important relic; a stone temple to Tlaloc, the Aztec rain god. I know I keep saying this, but it is incredible!! The history, the art, the Spanish and Aztec architecture... I could easily spend an entire week just in downtown Mexico City. Perhaps one day I´ll get that opportunity, but so far this has been one hell of a trip! How lucky am I to have had this chance?!

I´m sitting here now, drinking my chocolate caliente, enjoying the quiet and peacefulness of a day off. Life is good.