Mexico City, Mexico
-
You will need more than one vacation
to
fully enjoy the many activities available in the worlds largest city.
México City is the cultural center of México and is home to a seemingly
endless array of cultural activities. An entire vacation could be
devoted strictly to the more than one hundred museums, and you would
probably still not have time to visit them all. The floating gardens of
Xochimilco are an attraction that has been in operation since Aztec
times. Mexico City is a "Federal District," called Distrito Federal,
or D.F. for short (similar to Washington, D.C.). D.F. is
the dominant center of Mexican life.
Hoteles
The
Zócalo (main square) and historic
center are not to be missed and are a good starting place for deciding
your itinerary, as there are plenty of things to do and see in a
relatively small area. Chapultepec Park, (the world's largest park
within a city) is home to many attractions and should be on your
must do list, especially if you have any youngsters with you.
There is always some sort of free entertainment going on, such as
concerts, magic shows and mime troupes. If you can imagine it; it is
probably happening somewhere in México City.
The nightlife in the capital is second to none and provides an enormous
variety of entertainment. Ballet, opera, folkloric shows and
theatre compete with rock concerts, bars and nightclubs featuring all
kinds of live music. Live Cuban music and the tropical salsa clubs
always seem to be a big draw, for locals as well as visitors.
Teotihuacan
-
Teotihuacan is located about 31 miles North
East of Mexico City. So if you plan on going
to Mexico City, this is a must see sight. The
rise and fall of Teotihuacan coincide roughly
with the rise and fall of the Roman Empire
beginning around 600 BC, and going into
decline around 650 AD before the city was
sacked, burnt, and abandoned. The empire grew
by leaps and bounds between the 1st and 4th
centuries AD and its influence stretched from
Guatamala to Texas. The population within the
city itself grew to over 200,000 people, and
Its power and glory were not to be matched by
any civilization (including Rome) existing on
the earth at that time.
Teotihuacan is
unique in the fact that the murals uncovered
here do not depict the thematic violence or
ritualistic sacrifices found in other
ceremonial cites, they portray a society which
seemed to be interested more in astronomy, and
the benevolent Quetzalcoatl, represented by
the plumed serpent.
Mexico
City can be overwhelming. The largest metropolis in the Western
Hemisphere, a mile and a half high, barrages the body and brain. But
seen through the right eyes, it is one of the world's great cities: a
sublime, occasionally surreal, always sensual place.
All of Mexico's culture -- art, music,
food, politics -- pours into it. A lifetime would be needed to soak it
up. Given a week, or even a long weekend, a traveler can experience the
pleasures of a city that, like New York, Paris or London, is a world
unto itself.
Americans who do not know the city often
fear it. A healthy curiosity is far better. The usual warnings are still
in effect. Don't hail a cab in the street; any good hotel or restaurant
can call you one. Don't wander aimlessly at night; arm yourself with a
map and a sense of where you are. Don't ignore the altitude; easy on the
alcohol until well acclimated. And if traveling at rush hour, add at
least half an hour to your schedule.
Mexico has more festivals than days in
the calendar, and the weeks between Nov. 1 (the Day of the Dead, a
uniquely Mexican celebration) and Christmas will be especially vibrant
this year. Three of the city's most elegant neighborhoods -- Polanco,
Roma and Condesa, each 15 minutes or less from the central business
district, the Zona Rosa -- are exploding with new restaurants, clubs and
art galleries. Condesa, a small citadel of Art Deco architecture, is
celebrating its centennial. It's an exceptionally pleasant place to sit,
sip, sup and watch the passing scene.
Events
The Metropolitan Cathedral is the
centerpiece of the Zócalo, or city square. It dates from 1532 and
includes classic, neo-Classical and Baroque elements. Despite the
ravages of time and earthquakes, it remains one of the great churches of
Christendom. Free concerts, part of the 10th International Baroque Organ
festival, are scheduled for Oct. 31, Nov. 14 and 21 and Dec. 12 at 8
p.m. For information:
Sightseeing
Frida fever - A movie about Frida Kahlo and herprodigal husband, Diego Rivera.
Admirers will want to visit four
shrines to their work, all set in pretty, peaceful neighborhoods, and
all closed on Monday.
Their former home and studio is at Diego
Rivera and Altavista Streets in the San Ángel district. The
Diego Rivera Museum at Calle del Museo in the Coyoacán district. The Frida
Kahlo Museum.
Three oases at the edge of the urban
jungle stand out. The first is Xochimilco, a network of ancient canals
and gardens at the city's southern edge, easily reached by subway or
taxi. It offers a measure of tranquillity, especially in early afternoon
or at dusk. Every night from Nov. 1 to 15 at 6, gondolas leave the
Cuemanco dock for Tilac Lake Island for performances of ''La Llorona''
(''The Weeping Woman''), an old and heartbreaking musical fable of a
mother searching for her children. Tickets are $30 for a three-hour
trip. Information and reservations: (52-55) 5676-7628. Tours of
Xochimilco's gardens can be arranged through the park's professional
guides, (52-55) 5673-8061, fax (52-55) 5673-7890 or (52-55) 5673-7653.
San Andrés Mixquic, a village about an
hour's drive by taxi south from the center of the capital, is an
exceptionally beautiful place to experience the Day of the Dead, Nov. 1,
a celebration of the spirit of life and never-forgotten ancestors, when
flowers, food and candles are taken to graveyards to honor forebears.
Desierto de los Leones, a 17th-century
Carmelite monastery in a national park 10,000 feet high, lies a half-hour west of the city, five miles up a country
road from a clearly marked exit on the highway to Toluca, best reached
by car or taxi. It offers fresh air, hiking, mountain biking, an
excellent Sunday brunch and irregularly scheduled Sunday chamber-music
concerts.
Shopping
The city has two of the world's best sites for flea-market
bargain-hunting -- or antiquing, if you insist. On Saturdays from about
10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Plaza del Ángel market at Londres 161 in the
Zona Rosa, also known as the Londres market, has an assortment of goods,
from hand-tinted postcards ($1 apiece) to rococo reliquaries ($10 and up
-- far up).
