At the Amusement Park

Since 1964 there was an amusement park in the Second Section of Chapultepec Park.  It was known as "La Feria de Chapultepec" (Chapultepec Fair).  Then in September of 2019, there was an accident on one of its roller coasters that killed two people.  The Mexico City government revoked the license of the operators of the park, and the next month "La Feria de Chapultepec" was permanently closed.

Plans were made to build a new amusement park called "Parque Aztlán".  Even though it was far from completed, it was opened last March.  (The government wanted to boast of another accomplishment before this year's elections.) 

Last weekend, Alejandro and I went to the park.  My main interest was to ride the 279-foot-high Ferris Wheel.

General admission to the park is free, BUT you have to pay to ride any of the rides.  For 250 pesos for adults (around 13 U.S. dollars) and 200 pesos for children you can buy a pass that allows you to ride everything.  Compared to the admission for places like Disney World, that might seem like a tremendous bargain.  But Parque Aztlán is much, much smaller, and all the rides are not yet open.  Besides, for many Mexican families with several children, 250 or 200 pesos per head is far beyond their budget.  

Alejandro and I waited in line at the ticket window and bought the passes.  We immediately headed to the Ferris Wheel which is called Aztlán 360.

 

Each of the enclosed cabins holds six people.  We shared a cabin with a family of four.

 As luck would have it, as soon as we got on the Ferris Wheel, it started to rain lightly.  It wasn't raining hard enough for them to shut down the ride, but it definitely made the view less impressive.

Past the freeway, across the First Section of Chapultepec Park, to the skyscrapers along the Paseo de la Reforma

At the bottom you can see the new roller coaster which is still under construction.

(Yes, it's an amusement park which as yet has no roller coaster.)

After our 20-minute ride, we got off and walked around the park in the light rain.

After a while, the rain stopped, and we even had a few peeks of sun.

At first, I thought that this structure was a roller coaster under construction.  In fact, it is a remnant of one of the old roller coasters (not the one that had the fatal accident), and it is left as a memento of the old park.

The only other ride that we went on was the merry-go-round, a beautiful double-decker carrousel built in Italy.

We rode on the upper deck.

Since the sun was trying to break through, I suggested that we ride the Ferris Wheel again.  But by the time we got on, it was cloudy again.  So, the photos are not much better.  However, this time we had the cabin to ourselves, and we could move around to take pictures.

One of the lakes in Chapultepec Park

In the background, Mount Ajusco on the far south side of Mexico City

From the Ferris Wheel, you can appreciate how enormous Chapultepec Park is.

The blue building to the right is the World Trade Center, close to my apartment.

The white building is the National Auditorium.

I might return someday if an out-of-town guest wants to ride the Ferris Wheel (and if it's a sunny day).  I also want to see one of the attractions that has not yet opened.  The Dolores Olmedo Museum, which has one of the world's largest collections of paintings by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, is going to relocate at Parque Aztlán.

The sign says "muy pronto" (very soon).  That means the museum could open next month or three years from now!