Mexico City
Mexico City is one of the biggest cities in the world by population. It is also the most populous city in North America and one of the world’s alpha cities.
It is located in the Valley of Mexico at an altitude of 2,240 metres. The city has 16 boroughs which are then sub divided into neighbourhoods or colonias.
This enormous city is both the oldest capital city in the Americas and one of two founded by indigenous people. It was originally built on a group of islands in Lake Texcoco by the Aztecs under the name Tenochtitlan. The Spanish rebuilt it and it was known as Cuidad de Mexico and was the centre of the Spanish colonial empire. An independent state today it is known as CDMX (Cuidad de Mexico)
How can I explore Mexico City?
If you are only here for a short time then it’s hard to know where to start. If you want to escape the city madness you could visit Chapultepec Park, the largest park in Mexico city. There are many Mexico City tour packages available, and a number of Mexico city tour companies who can show you all over the city depending on what your interests are. I chose this particular tour with Via Tours as it was a Mexico city tour with a local guide.
Most people want to stay in the Centro historic so that most of the old colonial buildings, shops, restaurants are within walking distance. Tours are not particularly expensive and I chose my day trip with Via tours to various points of interest including Xochimilco.
Be aware that the traffic in Mexico city is absolutely crazy and it can take you an hour to travel just a few miles if you get stuck in rush hour traffic.
I arrived early on day one and was leaving very late on day two. My mind was made up in advance about what was doable in that time. I left my luggage at the Hotel Gillow and headed out for my first port of call.
Hotel Gillow
The hotel Gillow is actually the oldest hotel in Mexico City and slap bang in the historical centre. It doesn’t have the panoramic views out over the city that some have (see my post about where to stay in Mexico City) but it’s not too expensive, and I liked it’s quirky style. My room was also huge with a large Jacuzzi bath which I did enjoy. Each floor has a rest area and there is a business centre and rooms for corporate meetings.
The Hotel Gillow is not really a boutique experience. It is friendly and approachable and in a great location at a reasonable price. The hotel decor is an eclectic mix of what may or may not have been fashionable through the decades, but I feel that is part of its charm. It is close to the main shopping street, and lots of places to eat including the Pirate Burger restaurant which got my attention with its life size pirate model standing at the entrance. It’s also close to one the main museums, the Museum of Fine Arts which is huge.
I had a long wait before I got my flight out of the city late on the second night and so I spent quite a few hours sitting in the foyer waiting. I was watching people come and go as well as the dynamics between the front desk staff and the bell boys who were storing and retrieving everyone’s luggage for them. Carlo was one I remember. I love people watching and I really enjoyed this little window into the world of this buzzing Mexico hotel.
The Museum of Anthropology
Mexico City is one of the cities with the most museums in the world!
The Museum of Anthropology (or the Museo Nacional de Antropologia) was my top pick. This museum is about 10 years old now and holds one of the most important collections of pre-Hispanic art. It is also the most visited museum in Mexico. Most people will have heard of the Aztecs or the Mayans but there were many other cultures like the Olmecs and the Toltecs all with their own creative style.
There is map of Meso-America in the Teotihuacan room which shows all the pre Hispanic cultures that existed in the country before the Spanish turned up.
Designed in 1964 by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, Jorge Campuzano, and Rafael Mijares Alcérreca, the monumental building contains exhibition halls surrounding a courtyard with a huge pond and a vast square concrete umbrella supported by a single slender pillar. . A waterfall rains down from the top of the umbrella creating a sort of rain forest feel. Surrounding the hall are gardens, many of which contain outdoor exhibits and reconstructions of ancient sites.
The Stone of the Sun
One of the most famous exhibits here is The Aztec Sun Stone (or Calendar Stone.) It depicts the five consecutive worlds of the sun from Aztec mythology. It is huge and very impressive. The giant stone heads of the Olmec civilisation are here, found in the jungles of Tabasco and Veracruz. There is also a model of the former Aztec capital Tenochtitlan the remains of which you can still see, in the centre of modern day Mexico City
Each civilisation seemed to have different ceramic style. Some were so lifelike and modern conveying real movement and character. Some are very stylised and more primitive looking, but all display a high degree of skill and imagination.
As a lover of all things ceramic this was a real feast for me, as were the stunning friezes re coloured to show how beautiful they would have been all those years ago. This is a proper old fashioned museum without the need for interactive plastic exhibits or dumbed-down explanations. Hall after hall of beautiful ancient artefacts speak for themselves. I loved it.
My Mexico city day trip
First stop on our Via tours trip was to a local artisans silver shop. A dangerous stop for me, as I like nothing more than a bit of Mexican silver work. After a shot of complimentary tequila it took little persuasion for me to buy a huge and very beautiful ring with a large Citrine stone at its centre. And yes it was expensive, but I claim it’s an investment.
We visited the University site which is the oldest in North America and strolled through the artists neighbourhood of Coyocan which is where Frida Kahlo lived. Her small house is very blue – it’s called Casa Azul- and is a popular site with visitors. We didn’t go in as we were told ‘there’s not much inside,’ and the queues are very long. I was happy taking photos of the exterior as it does have the feel of a bit of a tourist trap. Most of the people I was with on the trip were from Columbia, and there was only one American guy who could speak English (apart from the guide of course) but we all got on just fine.
Xochimilco
Our last stop was the famous waterways of Xochilmilco, a UNESCO site. We drive to the South of Mexico City past some eye popping three story motorways whose concrete support pillars are covered in gardens. It looked like something out of a sci fi film but it certainly seemed to keep the traffic moving!
The canals of Xochilmilco are the last remnants of a vast water transport system built by the Aztecs. They created sandbanks to fashion the canals and planted them with gardens in the middle of a huge lake.
Today, colourful boats called ‘trajinera’ which are a bit like giant gondolas, punt up and down the shallow canals. It is a great fun thing to do. Other boats drift by you selling hats or jewellery or food which they cook on the boat. We had our own cook on board and enjoyed a meal of tacos, empanadas, rice and mole sauce which was very good.
I even had a cerveza to enter into the spirit of things. Mariachi bands play their uplifting Mexican folk music as they glide past on their own boat. Or you can hire them to jump onto your boat and give you a personal performance. This boat yard never closes and the atmosphere is very festive especially at weekends. I even had a go at the punting myself!
Mexico City – Homeward bound
Our group travelled back trough the endless traffic jams after a happy day chattering happily in Spanglish on the way. Of course everything is helped by the fact that it is always sunny here. Where to next I wonder?
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Check out more of my Mexican adventures at the Rancho Las Cascadas