Hi

5 days down and 5 days back more or less. I feel that over this time, my whole perception of North America has adjusted. While on the way down, the ruins and remnants of ancient civilizations brought back to mind that this is an old land. As I looked around me at the landscape on the return journey, even throughout the United States and into Canada, I thought about the native American peoples that lived nomadic lives in Nuevo Leon, Texas, Georgia, Virginia and Quebec millenia ago...and wondered about their world view and how much contact they had with one another. The history lost.

As for Mexico I find myself listening in my free time to Luis Miguel's new album "Mexico en la Piel" and an old one by Juan Gabriel to reminisce on my 10-day travels in the country and a night out with fun-loving capitalinos in la Zona Rosa when I was introduced to these artists.

Mexico City was a fantastic place to end an adventurous journey and the memories of elegance, grandeur, delicious food, historical layers and passion I think I will treasure for long into the future.

I loved that my preconceived notions about Mexico City were blown out of the water; makes me wonder if other places that people talk about in terms of "crime, pollution and poverty" are actually somehow equally fabulous? (Bogota?) My experience in Mexico City has made me question certain things, which I think is a great gift.

My memories of Monterrey I treasure as much as those of Mexico DF; I appreciated Monterrey in that it's less overwhelming, but at the same time has plenty of beauty architecturally and in natural surrounding. Generally just a fun place to be. (BTW I returned to the Museo de Historia Mexicana to learn about the peoples I missed at the Museo de Antropolgia to learn a little bit about them: the Purhepecha, the Maya, the Toltecs, the Olmecs, the Zapotecs, the Totonaca. A nice place for people to go in Monterrey who want an overview. They had a presentation on the Jaguar and its importance in Mesoamerican mythology; very interesting.)

Anyhow, it was a fantastic adventure, including the stops in Texas, New Orleans and the Northeast. I wouldn't recommend the trip to anyone (long & exhausting at times) except perhaps those who are cuckoo and stubborn enough to think it sounds like fun. Between you and me, while I'm not ready to do it again tomorrow, I just can't stop smiling in remembrance.

Posts are in US forum and Latin American forum for those who want to read it all. (Or double-click on the blue underlined Daniel Williams).

¡Bonne année, Happy New Year & Feliz Año!

Bonnie,

I had the pleasure of living in Mexico City as a student between 1955 and 1959 and again 1964-65. They were the best years of my life. MC had three million people in the late 50's. It was a wonderful town. I was just a kid from the Midwest US. I fell in love with MC right away. One year I had my car down there (1940 Buick Special). Studying art in Mexico was a dream. The period was the "afterglow" of the Mexico's great mural movement. I painted a fresco on the front wall of the Creative writing Center of Mexico City College where I was a student--7' by 24'. I became a Mexian muralist!--well, at least one to my credit. I lived in Colonia Roma...a wonderful neighborhood. Took the "Toluca Rocket" (second class bus) to school. Walked all over got to know parts of MC like the back of my hand. In those days you could see the glaciers on the the two great volcanos 40 miles away almost every day. They seemed to be a different color every day. I returned in '68--twice that summer, dated a Mexican girl, whirlwind romance. Delightful! She was a very nice and decent person. Those weere the days.

Norm

Bonnie ?

Norbrad,

I saw the film Frida with a friend of mine, and remembered how you wrote you were a muralist in the 50s. I realize that Frida Kahlo died in 1954, so think you wouldn't have met her but was curious if you ever got the chance to meet Diego Rivera, or hear him speak... I read he died in 1957, so possibly an overlap there.

DAN

BTW Thanks for sharing your memories. Personally, I still can't believe how amazing my trip in December was.

Mexico City has always (in a strange way) reminded me of Rome: layers and layers of fascinating history, but somehow current and buzzing.

Glad you enjoyed it. Makes me want to go back.