This morning I set out to see what sounded like the most interesting place in that neighborhood, a park called "El Parque Hundido" (The Sunken Park). At one time in the 19th century, there had been a brickyard at that location. Years later, after Colonia del Valle was developed as an upper middle class area, a park was created in the depression where the brickyard had been... thus was born The Sunken Park.
It's a walk of several blocks from my apartment to Avenida Insurgentes, the busy thoroughfare which crosses the entire length of the city from north to south. Here I was able to catch the Metrobus to reach my destination. The Metrobus is a fairly new addition to the city's public transportation system. The buses are long, articulated vehicles which have dedicated lanes and stations in the center of major avenues. The very first Metrobus route was the one along Avenida Insurgentes. They are very convenient, but unfortunately they are often just as crowded as the subway. This morning we were packed like sardines, and I was straining to get a glimpse out of the window to see the names of the Metrobus stops, so that I would get off at the correct place.
After nine stops, I got off right in front of the park. The centerpiece of the park is a floral clock.
On closer inspection, I could see that the clock kept accurate time, but that it was in need of some additional plantings.
Throughout the park there are statues and carvings that are replicas of works of art from the pre-Hispanic civilizations of Mexico.
Here are the serpent columns from a Mayan temple at Chichén Itzá in the Yucatán.
And here is a replica on one of the giant stone heads that were carved by Mexico's earliest civilization, the Olmecs.
While I was in the park I ran across a film crew that was filming a scene for a "telenovela" (soap opera). I spoke very briefly with one of the actors, and he told me that the name of the show was "El Señor del Cielo" (The Lord of the Sky). In the scene that they were filming, a woman was screaming while two well-dressed men dragged her across the park.
On the other side of Avenida Insurgentes, just a block away, is another park which has a tiny church dating from the late 16th century, "La Capilla de San Lorenzo Mártir" (the Chapel of St, Lawrence the Martyr). Back when it was built, this was surely countryside some distance from Mexico City.
An elegant apartment building seen from the Park of San Lorenzo.
I returned to my apartment by Metrobus, and even though I had to stand, it was not nearly as crowded as before.
Insurgentes is a fascinating street in its own right. According to Wikipedia, it's the second-longest city street in the world, and it is definitely a monster. It goes from the Periferico in the north, to nearly Ajusco in the south, and has every imaginable "scene" along the way.
ReplyDeleteI've never been to Parque Hundido, though I've heard endlessly about it in my fantasy real estate shopping. Del Valle is a reasonably nice neighborhood, not too far out, with modern housing, and reasonable prices. Much of the development is multi-story, so there's a lot of inventory for sale at any given time.
I'm a fan of the Metrobús, though it can get AMAZINGLY crowded at times. One time I rode it with a friend, and had the bus rolled over, no one would have shifted position by a centimeter, they were all so tightly jammed in. It was a real challenge to get out when our stop came.
I'll have to check out "La Capilla de San Lorenzo Mártir" next time I'm there.
Saludos,
Kim G
Boston, MA
Where we need something like the Metrobús.
I had read that Insurgentes is the longest street in the world... although that was some years ago. So what avenue has taken the number 1 spot?
Deletesaludos,
Bill
This post makes me smile - Parque Hundido was about a 40-minute walk from my old apartment in eastern Del Valle. I did not know that it was once a brickyard. I *love* this park of Mexico City, although I wish a north-south Metro ran along Insurgentes to supplement the horrific street traffic and always-crowded Metrobus. One can dream, right?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to have brought back some memories for you. That was my first time in Colonia del Valle, and it seemed like a nice area.
DeleteYes, the Metrobus, although a great concept, is often just as jammed as the Metro.
Saludos,
Bill