Mexico Here

Not far from Paseo de la Reforma, on the plaza in front of the Monument to Motherhood, a large tent-like structure has been erected.  It houses a so-called "immersive experience" called "México Aquí" (Mexico Here).  Over the years there have been several other similar "immersive experiences" located on this site.  The first, which appeared just before the pandemic, was the best of all of them... a "Van Gogh experience" in which images of the artist's paintings were projected all around you.  The other exhibits have paled in comparison.  Nevertheless, I decided to check out "México Aquí" on Wednesday.  Although it was mildly interesting, it was not worth the rather steep admission fee of 490 pesos (about 28 U.S. dollars).  In spite of the large number of visitors to Mexico City for the World Cup, I was the only person at the "experience".

The concept of the show is to experience Mexico City through each of your five senses.  After watching a short video about the city, you enter a room devoted to the sense of touch.  You can touch some volcanic stones.  Then there is a collection of stone sculptures that date from pre-Hispanic times to the present day.  (No, you are not allowed to touch the sculptures.)

At first I thought that these sculptures were replicas, but they are all originals from private collections.

A sculpture from the Zapotec civilization dating from between 600 and 950

A colonial sculpture of a lion from the 17th century

An abstract contemporary sculpture

 

The next room is devoted to the sense of hearing.  There is a recording of the sounds of the city...  the music (the traditional song "Cielito Lindo") played by an organ grinder with all sorts of street noises in the background.

Next was the sense of sight.  First there was a screen on which classic movies from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema were projected.

It was followed by photographs (some of them vintage) of life in Mexico City.

The next room was the sense of smell.  You were supposed to be able to smell typical scents, such as "copal", the incense which is burned for the Day of the Dead.  But I didn't smell anything!  I think the "smell machine" was not working.

Finally the sense of taste.  Here there was an early machine for mass producing tortillas, and a display of typical kitchen implements such as tortilla presses and a kettle for steaming tamales.

And that was it.  Not really worth the time or money.