Mexico City
I had pretty much decided NOT to do a Mexico City TR, I've done one before and Ready2go2's TR from June 2024 was excellent, what could add...then my wife and I had the greatest day, I had to write about it. Oddly enough our great day started because we were supposed to go the Tianguis Sunday Antique Mart with our friends from Canada but Larry is sick, so they begged off around 10AM. We discovered that we each had $31P left on our Metro tap card from last year. Let me tell you with $31P on your tap card you are pretty close to King of the Metro. The rides are $5P! So Bused to Revolucion, two Metro stops to Belles Arte and we are in the bosom of the city. Walked by Beethoven, past the Post Office and headed down Calle de Tacuba to the Museo National de Arte. I've written this on this forum before, Mexican Art museums can rival any museum in the world for quality and quantity. Last year we missed the National Museum, but we have been before. Really interesting exhibition by a Mexican artist, Adolfo Mexiac and then did the first floor. Barely made it through the first floor, need nourishment with a view. How about on top of the Sears building. The cafe on top has the best view of the Palacio de Belles Arte hands down. Back to the apartment and it started to pour. We just made it. Tonight, Lucha Libre Baby. Our friends are still sick so they email us the tickets. Crazy Fun. Ended the night with street tacos across the street from our Amsterdam apartment. Perfect Mexico Day. You could do 10 more perfect days in Mexico City and not repeat any of the things we did today!



Da, da, da daaaah

Angle shot of the Palacio Belles de Arte

Gargoyle outside of the Post Office

This is actually the loading docks of the Post Office with Belles Arte in the back

Ceiling in the Telegraph Exhibition. This building was the Edificio of Communications and Public Works

Look at that staircase. The building is a work of art in itself



Did you know Diego Rivera hung out with Picasso in Paris?

Another Diego River picture.

Adolfo Mexiac self portrait. Most of the work displayed was black and white, so this was in interesting choice for the opening of the exhibit


This is at the top of the Sears building and this is so civilized. There are tables and then there are the chairs on the ledge on the right. When you are first seated they tell you, you will be at the table for half an hour, you order, get your food and as the ledge seats open up we move you from your table to the ledge and you get a half hour on the ledge. Everyone gets a chance at the ledge. It's like socialism or something.

And you want to be on the ledge, because this is what you look down on.

TEOTIHUACAN
After such a wonderful day in CDMX, I guess we were due for a typical average day. In six trips to the city I've never been to Teotihuacan, normally we would have done this by ourselves, you know take Uber or the Metro to the Norte Bus Station and then grab the bus the goes to the site. However with our friends in tow we decided to book an excursion. But then our friends cancelled, still sick. we went anayways. Pick up went smooth, 7 people, picked up at various points and I've never been with a more disparate group. No conversation, no Buenas Dias'. Our guide did a good job. If for no other reason than the sheer size you have to visit Teotihuacan, but remember this site was abandoned 600 years before the Aztecs arrived! It's huge but very little ornamentation, after our visit to Chichen Itzait was kind of bland. It is 1.5 miles between the pyramids, which is massive.

One of the most interesting discoveries on the tour was riding north of town and seeing Cable Cars going up to the mountain. Apparently about a 3 years ago the Mexican government built cable cars to the people could take them to the bus or Metro stations to get into town!

We had lunch at La Gruta, we were looking forward to that, baldOne has mentioned that numerous times on this site but it was a huge disappointment, not entirely the restaurants fault. Our tour guide dropped us off, he couldn't go in unless he bought lunch. At $400-$500 a pop I can see why he passed. They wouldn't seat us individually, two some's, three some's etc. The insisted that the whole group sit together. We were at a big table right next to the kitchen and the bar on the very top, never made it into the cave. Very disappointed. Then there was the classic mescal testing and what was supposed to be a demonstration of Obsidian carving. Got a couple of tastes of mescal and then into the shop to buy stuff! Now this is classic to booked tour excursions but it was not mentioned on the website. All in all, a pretty standard blah experience, but we did get to see Teotihuacan!





If the people live on these hills how do we get them down?

You can see the Cable Cars going up

This guy went right next to our van

Pyramid of the Moon

Another interesting thing I learned on the tour. I've seen these stones between the masonary at a lot of sites. Many of these sites have had reconstruction, and to show where the reconstruction is, the archaelogists have put in these pebbles or rocks to highlight that section

Avenue of the Dead. Other groups, not the original inhabitants used this roadway to bury people. The mound you see right behind the red sign is some kind of crypt.

We did go down to some "underground" buildings and you can still see the original paint. Probably a religious site...or a Sherwin-Williams store.

The painting of the Jaguar, one of the more interesting murals

Looking back down the Avenue of the Dead

Some interesting detail at the Temple of Quetzalcoatl

La Gruta, pretty much our view from where they sat us!

Bummer on the La Gruta experience. It was a pretty unique place even if it was pricey.

A very unique place and the pricey part we could have lived with if the location of our table was actually in the cave!

MUSEO MURAL DIEGO RIVERA
For me no trip to Mexico City is complete without a stop at the Museo Mural Diego Rivera. It's a quick history lesson and a masterpiece all in one shot.



Entrance to the Museum

Picture of almost the whole mural, once a wall in the Hotel Prado, which was destroyed in the 1985 earthquake.The mural was moved a few blocks to it's present location. There is a chart in English of each character. It's 400 years of Mexican history

The Catrina, "little" Diego and Frida

The Catrina with it's creator Jose Guadalupe Posada. Originally the Calavera Catrina was only a head with the large hat. Diego added the body in 1946-47, and the rest is history

Fantastic trip report - we go in 3 weeks so this is most inspiring. We decided against Teotihuacan and reading your description I think it was wise. Physically I think it would have been too much for me. glad you had so much fun - a shame for your friends that they were sick.