When I left off on yesterday's post, Alejandro and I were on the Zócalo (and we were still looking for batteries for some of the candles for my "ofrenda").
We were walking along the "portales" (the covered arcade) on the west side of the Zócalo when I saw a shop that I had never noticed before. "Sombreros Tardan" is one of those businesses with a long tradition that you so often find in Mexico City's "Historic Center". It is a prestigious hatmaker that has been in this location since 1847.
The shop windows were decorated appropriately for the Day of the Dead.
Heading south down 5 de Febrero Street we passed another business with a long tradition. The department store "El Nuevo Mundo" is not as well-known as its competitors, but it has been in the same location in "El Centro" since 1877 when it started out as a fabric shop. (Alejandro's mom always used to buy fabrics there.) We walked inside because I noticed that the store was already decorated for Christmas.
In their candy section, they were selling the traditional sugar skulls that are a part of the Day of Dead celebration.
A few blocks to the south we came to the Avenue of República de El Salvador, the street where we were told that we could find the batteries I needed. Before reaching the electronic stores grouped along that street, we passed another interesting old commercial establishment, "Farmacia París". This pharmacy has been in business for nearly 80 years, but it looks much older since it is housed in a building that was once a colonial convent. We went inside to look at the impressive "ofrenda" that they had set up in the courtyard.
Continuing down the avenue, we found a store that looked as if it might have the batteries we were looking for. They didn't have them, but the lady directed us to another shop a few doors away. It was a tiny, hole-in-the-wall store. We showed the fellow the battery, and he started looking through little drawers filled with different kinds of batteries. He finally found what we wanted, and we bought a good supply.
With that mission accomplished we continued our walk. We passed these inflatable decorations outside a store... a mixture of Halloween and Day of the Dead, the kind of conflation that annoys many Mexican traditionalists.
We passed the Museum of Popular Arts, one of my favorite museums in Mexico City. We didn't go inside because they were going to close in a half hour, but the entrance was beautifully decorated for Day of the Dead.
As always, we had a delicious dinner there. Alejandro had beef tongue enchiladas. (I do not eat organs, but I am not turned off by tongue. I had a taste of his enchiladas, and they were very good.)
I had chicken breast covered in poblano peppers and cheese.
The Cathedral
The National Palace
The west side of the Zócalo, known as the "Portal de los Mercaderes" (Arcade of the Merchants) was colorfully illuminated.
The Day of the Dead lights on the twin buildings of city hall
We never fail to enjoy ourselves on our trips to "El Centro".
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