México: The Modern Mix of Mexico City
In January 2017, we embarked on the final destination of our round-the-world trip. I can honestly say that we saved the best for last by visiting Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal — better known as Mexico City. My roots run deep in México on both sides of my family. But, unlike my travel hubby, I can only count the number of times I’ve been to México on one hand. I really wish we would have visited the country more often throughout my life. I would have loved visiting extended relatives and learning more about this beautiful country — including its history, people, and regional diversity. But, I’m very happy we got the chance to explore the unparalleled sights and get a flavor for the city when we did.
Ciudad de México, D.F., is an amazing city. El Zócalo, or Plaza del Zócalo, is the immense main square in the historic Central District of Mexico City. Complete with a humongous Mexican flag adorning the central flagpole, this is a prime location where all major celebrations take place. Prior to colonization, the Zócalo was the main ceremonial center in the ancient Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. Suffice it to say, we felt like we were on a voyage throughout history.
El Zócalo is also a prime location to start because it’s flanked by key sights. Casa de Azulejos, or “House of Tiles,” is an 18th-century Baroque palace, built by the Count of the Valle de Orizaba family. The building is unique with a façade covered on three sides by blue and white tiles imported from the Mexican state of Puebla.
Next, we stopped by the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral (or the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary, Mexico City) to pay a visit to the gravesite of my maternal ancestor, Juan O’Donoju y O’Ryan. He was the last viceroy of New Spain who convinced the vacating Spanish forces to stand down and ease the transfer of power to the new Mexican sovereign. Similar to how we started this round-the-world trip by exploring my Irish roots, we’re ending it with these very same roots in the New World in addition to exploring my deep paternal roots in Mexico.
Time-traveling may be impossible right now, but it felt like we were walking back in time at El Museo del Templo Mayor. Templo Mayor, or Huēyi Teōcalli in the Nahuatl language, was the main religious temple of the Aztec people in the capital city of Tenochtitlan. The site’s Mesoamerican ruins sprawl many city blocks culminating in a picture-perfect view of the present-day Zócalo.
What made visiting this area all the more special was lunch at El Balcon de Zócalo. We found this gem of a restaurant and enjoyed a long almuerzo on the patio — which unfolded onto breathtaking views of the plaza.
A major highlight of our trip was eating our way around the city. What most estadounidenses don’t know is that Mexico City is a world-renowned culinary mecca. Unlike the dated Mexican food in the states, the cuisine in D.F. is bold, innovative, always evolving, and downright delicious. You can still get your traditional staples, but their versions are full of flavor dominating their closest stateside competitor.
We didn’t go ultra-high-end by dining at the best restaurant in town (Puyol, $$$$), but we settled for a close second that didn’t disappoint our palettes nor budget. Yuban in Roma Norte ($$$), known for moles and tlayudas, boasted delicious comida oaxaqueña.
Breakfast at El Hidalguense Restaurante started as quite the adventure — on the menu that is. Ash nearly lost his appetite when he saw an array of insects pictured on the menu. He promptly freaked out worrying that his chicken eggs would have insect eggs or creepy-crawly gusanos (worms) hiding in them. I didn’t know what the big fuss was about because I’ve happily ordered and eaten chapulines (grasshoppers) at Mezcal — San José’s main Oaxacan restaurant. Luckily, when his huevitos and my sopes came out we didn’t have any squirmy tagalongs in them.
Moreover, some of the best eats were in the least likely of places. El Huequito is a small taqueria located under an overpass in Condesa that served bomb-ass street tacos with a myriad of salsas. (We lined up many more savory destinations aiming to explore the country's diverse regional cuisines but, unfortunately, we had to cut our trip short due to a health scare that had us flying back home early. Wah Wah!).
More than its modern fare, there was an incredible mixture of places to explore during our time in D.F. that blended both old and new worlds. In descending order, here are the top three must-see sights of Mexico City.
3. La Casa Azul/Frida Khalo’s House. Over the last decade or so, Fridamania has hit the global stage with Frida’s face emblazoned on knick-knacks found in stores from Paris to Tokyo. Nowhere is this more evident than in her previously inhabited home in Coyocan. The tour line to get into the infamous artist’s house stretched down the long block with everyone buzzing to get in. Other than the vibrant colors inside the rooms of the compound, one thing that stood out was the beautiful plants in her central courtyard. I could just imagine her finding inspiration for her art in this magical world she created inside and outside her home.
2. El Museo Nacional de Antropologia. By far one of the best museums in the world, it is immense and majestic. Our exploration started at the very beginning — before the Spanish invasion and before entering the museum.
At the entrance, there were beautiful works of art — both permanent and temporary. From the neon-colored eagle and serpent at the door to the Mexican flag and its emblem hanging over the building. Walking through the main doors transported us into a world unto itself. We only had to walk halfway through the block-long courtyard to see pillars transform into waterfalls.
There are many buildings to explore filled with unique artifacts from the many pre-Columbian tribes and their respective dynasties. Room after room chronicled the history, culture, and community of the indigenous peoples and cultures of the Américas. I was swelling with pride when I got to experience the Tarascan room in one of the middle buildings. The Purepecha ruled parts of central Mexico and they famously fought off being conquered by the Aztecs. My paternal grandfather’s lineage hails from the Purepecha tribe in the present-day Mexican state of Michoacan. This history was a major influence in my life growing up in my Papi’s taqueria in San José, which was suitably called, El Tarasco. Unlike the gloomy feelings that overcame me in Spain, I felt elated in this space! I wanted to soak it all in so I spent ample time reading and learning about my native roots in this room.
El Museo Nacional de Antropologia pays particular homage to the final dynasty that ruled central Mexico before the Spanish conquest: The Aztec Empire. The Aztec Empire consisted of an alliance of three Nahua city-states — Mexico-Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan —which ruled the area in and around the highland plateau of central Mexico from 1428 to 1521. At its peak, the alliance controlled most of central Mexico as well as some more distant territories in Mesoamerica, including parts of Chiapas and areas near the Guatemalan border. Back then, present-day Mexico City was known as Tenochtitlan, and it was the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas.
One of the most awe-inspiring artifacts of this period was on full display at the museum. Carved between 1502 and 1521, the Aztec Sun Stone (Piedra del Sol) is the most famous Aztec sculpture. Measuring 11.75 feet in diameter and 3.25 feet thick, and weighing 54,210 lbs, it boasts an intricate design depicting the hieroglyphic language of a sophisticated culture. Shortly after the Spanish invasion, the Sun Stone was buried in the Zócalo, but it was rediscovered in 1790 during repairs on the Mexico City Cathedral. Following its rediscovery, the Sun Stone was mounted on an exterior wall of the cathedral, where it remained until 1885 (source). Nowadays the Sun Stone hovers above visitors in El Museo Nacional de Antropologia beaming in all its glory.
1. Teotihuacán. The most magnificent place to visit in its natural habitat is located northeast of Mexico City. Teotihuacán was once a flourishing pre-Columbian city and is now a vast Aztec archaeological site. It was a bit of a challenge to actually get there since it was difficult to catch rideshares or taxis from D.F. We keep trying to call Ubers and they consistently canceled on us once we told them where we were going. After many unsuccessful calls, we finally found a taxi that would take us there, but even that driver was hesitant to drive outside of the city. Once we secured a ride, we were on our way to time-traveling once again.
Driving into the site along the road lined with makeshift outdoor restaurants and shops was quite unique. (We even circled back after we concluded our tour to have lunch complete with my favorite, a Mexican Coca-Cola.). But, nothing can truly prepare you for the drive up to take your first glance at the massive pyramid. It was so exciting to jump out of the car and take it all in!
Walking around the Aztec pyramids in Teotihuacán was spectacular — and that is an understatement! There are so many interesting constructions along Avenida de los Muertos (Avenue of the Dead) — which runs through the middle of the site. On the left side of the plaza in front of the Temple of the Moon are several areas including the Palace of the Jaguars, which houses many wall paintings, sculptures, and underground rooms.
To make your trip to Teotihuacán all the more enjoyable, here are some helpful tips to plan for:
- Arrive as early as possible since the site is located in an unshaded area. It gets very hot especially as the day wears on, so bring lots of water and sunscreen.
- If you want to hire a guide (we didn’t), there are several licensed guides near the entrance. Park entry is 70 pesos and basic private tours start at about 800 pesos. Expect to haggle based on the length of the tour, the language of the tour, the group size, and the guide’s knowledge.
- Avenida de los Muertos runs down the middle of the site linking the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, the Pyramid of the Moon, and the Pyramid of the Sun. The latter two boast panoramic views at their summits. But, don’t just walk from one temple to the other without taking in the smaller sights between them.
- The site has a lot of smaller pyramids on the premises, but here are the 4 main attractions: (1) The Temple of the Moon: A medium-sized pyramid off the center of the complex. (2) The Temple of the Sun: The largest pyramid in the structure with an excellent view of the surrounding mountains. Pro-tip: Start here before it gets too hot and wear sunscreen. They don’t call it the Temple of the Sun for nothing! (3) The Temple of Quetzalcoatl: One of the most sacred temples in the complex. This temple is decorated with many stone serpent heads depicting the powerful feathered serpent and Aztec diety, Quetzalcoatl. (4) Museo Teotihuacán: If soaking up the sun and the vastness of the outdoor site wasn’t enough to absorb the culture, the museum is well worth the visit. Located close to Puerta/Door 5, the building contains outstanding displays, a miniature recreation of the entire site, and artifacts from that time period, including pottery and bones(!!).
- A drive on the road around the perimeter of the site provides many surprises too since there are smaller noteworthy structures surrounding the complex that measure about 4–5 meters in height. Pro-tip: A car would have been a great option here too.
Overall, we had a phenomenal time visiting Mexico City and its surrounding area. From exploring personal to collective histories and discovering a beautiful collision of worlds, we felt the mezcla (mixture) of this truly original city permeate every facet of life. Although we only got a brief taste of the city this time around, so we can’t wait to go back for more!
