Culture on the Alameda

On Sunday Alejandro and I took the Metrobus and the subway to go downtown.  We emerged from the subway near the Alameda, the downtown "central park" of Mexico City.

At one end the entire width of the park was taken up by the "Feria de Libros" (the Book Fair).  There were dozens of booksellers and every kind of book... classics of literature, children's books, cookbooks, popular fiction, etc., etc.

Alejandro's six-year-old nephew is an avid reader and takes pride in his own personal "bilbioteca" (library).  One of the reasons I wanted to go downtown was to go to the bookstores and buy him some books.  Well, I didn't have to go to a bookstore; I did my shopping here at the Book Fair.

As we continued our walk through the Alameda we saw a special outdoor exhibit of sculptures by Rodrigo de la Sierra.  A native of Mexico City, de la Sierra began his career as an architect, and years later developed a new career as a sculptor.  His most famous works portray his comical "everyman", "alter ego" Timo.

De la Sierra is certainly not a Michelangelo or Rodin, but I found his sculptures to be charming and endearing.

At opposite end of the Alameda, by the Palace of Fine Arts, a screen was set up and a documentary was being shown.  The film was about Susana Harp, a well-known singer of Mexican folk songs.  

This outdoor cinema called "La Cultura a Pantalla" (Culture to the Screen) is apparently a regular feature on the Alameda on weekends.  The program listed all the films that were being shown that day.  They also included a documentary on Mexican handicrafts, and filmed performances by the Ballet Folklórico, the National Symphony and the National Dance Company.

The Alameda is not just a pleasant place for a weekend stroll.  It offers free culture to the masses.