Sometimes I Hate this Place

Most of the time I truly enjoy being in Mexico City, but occasionally this city really gets on my nerves.  Last Friday evening was one such occasion.  So pardon my negativity while I vent.

As I have previously written, several relatives and friends of Alejandro's were here for a visit.  On Friday after work Alejandro was going to leave his car here at the apartment, and we were going to take the Metrobus to meet them for supper.  We walked over to the bus stop on Insurgentes Avenue.  There was a steady flow of buses headed south, but we were headed in the opposite direction.  Finally some northbound buses came by, but they were  Route 2 buses which after a couple stops veer off of Insurgentes in another direction.  They came one after another, and none of them were very crowded.  Then there were some buses whizzing by, completely empty, but with signs saying "Fuera de servicio"... "Out of service".  Finally some Route 1 buses came, but they were all packed like cans of sardines.  A few people waiting at the stop would literally push their way into the buses, but not us.  After three or four sardine cans had come and gone, we decided to get on one of the Route 2 buses.  At least it would take us a couple stops closer to our destination.  From there we were going to walk the 1.5 miles to their hotel.

While we were walking, Alejandro got a phone call from the group.  They had left the hotel, and were headed to "Casa de Toño".  We were to meet them there.  I thought, "Crap!"  "Casa deToño" is a popular chain of restaurants.  Why it's so popular, I don't know.  They serve a decent bowl of "pozole" (hominy soup), but I think their food is mediocre.  It is certainly not worth a half hour walk.  There was a line waiting to get into the restaurant, but our group had been already been seated.  The place was a madhouse.  The noise level was so high that conservation was impossible.  The table was really too small for all of us, and the waiters kept bumping into me as they passed by.  I felt as if I were crammed into a Metrobus.  

By the time we were finished with supper, the Metrobuses were less crowded, and we make it back to the apartment.

It was definitely not one of my better evenings in Mexico City!

The Two Basilicas

On Thursday some relatives and friends of Alejandro's, from both Texas and Mexico, arrived in Mexico City for a long weekend visit.

On Friday, while Alejandro was at work, it was my job to be their tour guide... rather ironic since I was the only "gringo" in the group.  However, if you have read much of this blog through the years, you know that I very much enjoy playing tour guide.  The group wanted to visit the Basilica of Guadalupe, a shrine dedicated to Mexico's patron saint, and the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the entire world.

I suppose "tour guide" is not exactly the correct term for my role.  Every Mexican and Mexican-American knows the story of the Virgin of Guadalupe.  They certainly didn't need any commentary from me.  My job was simply to get them there and back.  I met them at their hotel in the morning, and I led them to the nearest Metrobus station.  We took the Insurgentes Metrobus north almost to the end of the line, and then walked a few blocks to the Basilica.

Actually there are two Basilicas.

The old Basilica was built between 1695 and 1709 on the site of earlier shrines.  It sits at the foot of the hill where the Virgin is said to have appeared.

The interior of the old Basilica is quite ornate.  The only thing that it lacks now is the venerated image of the Virgin of Guadalupe over the main altar.

The soil of much of Mexico City is spongy due to the fact that it was once lake bottom.  The old Basilica, like many other colonial buildings in the Mexican capital, began to settle unevenly into the ground.  By the second half of the 20th century, it was deemed unsafe and closed to the public for a number of years.  Repairs were made to stabilize it.  Although it is still noticeably leaning, it is once again open.  

Next door to the old Basilica, is the new Basilica, which was built between 1974 and 1976.  It features a round floor plan so that the image of the Virgin can be seen from all angles.  The new Basilica can hold up to 10,000 people.

Behind the main altar there is a moving sidewalk from which visitors can look up and get a closer view of the image which the faithful believe miraculously appeared upon the cloak of Juan Diego in 1531.

I really don't care that much for the exterior of the new Basilica.  The interior is certainly impressive.  But for my money the old Basilica looks like a church. while the new structure looks like a huge, lavish auditorium. 

Busy Weekend

I have been faithfully writing one or two entries ever since I arrived in Mexico City.  However this short post is probably all that I will have time for until next week.  It is going to be a very busy weekend.  On Thursday some relatives and friends of Alejandro arrived for a long weekend visit to the city.  

Today, since Alejandro had to work, it was my duty to play tour guide.  (It's rather ironic that the only "gringo" in the group was the tour guide.)  They wanted to go to the Basilica of Guadalupe, and then shopping for handicrafts.

Tomorrow we will be leaving the city early in the morning to go on a full day's outing to Valle del Bravo, a lakeside resort and picturesque colonial town about three hours from Mexico City.  More activities are planned for Sunday.

So, readers... ¡hasta lunes!... until Monday!

The Metrobus Controversy

I have mentioned several times the Metrobus line that runs the entire length of Insurgentes Avenue.  That line, the first to be constructed, was opened in 2005.  Since then five more lines have been built along major thoroughfares throughout the city.

There are plans for a seventh line, but they have been stalled by controversy.  The newest line is supposed to run for more than nine miles along the iconic, tree-lined boulevard, the Paseo de la Reforma.

The line will be served by a fleet of 80 double-decker buses.

(image from the web)

Work had already begun on preparing the lanes dedicated to the bus line, when a judge ordered a halt on the project.

Since the Paseo de la Reforma is designated as an historic landmark protected by law,  major alterations to it are prohibited.  Mayor Miguel Mancera of Mexico City vowed that there will be a Metrobus line along Reforma.  The project, the Mayor insists, would be of minimal impact on the appearance of the boulevard.  No trees would be cut down along Reforma.  The Metrobus would take two of the thoroughfare's existing lanes, and current curbside bus stops would be used for the Metrobus.  There would not be the construction of the large, roofed bus stops in a median strip as is the case with most of the other lines.

 The bus stops would not look like this...

... but rather like this stop along Metrobus Line 4 which passes through the Historic Center.

I read in a newspaper article yesterday that the National Institute of Anthropology and History, the organization responsible for the country's historic sites, has ruled that the new line would not have a negative impact on the city's patrimony, as long as a few modifications are made to the plan.  One of those changes would be the elimination of any Metrobus stops along the portion of the route that passes through Chapultepec Park.

I was looking forward to the completion of this line because it would provide easy access by public transport to a some of the city's major attractions, especially the Anthropology Museum.  However, since the museum is located within Chapultepec Park, it seems that there may not be a bus stop there.  It will be interesting to see how it all turns out. 

In the Historic Center Far from the Tourists

Mexico City's “Centro Histórico” is the largest colonial neighborhood in the Americas.  Many of the top tourist attractions of the city are located here.  But if you go a few blocks away from the tourist route, you enter an old city which has not been prettified or sanitized.  It is an assault on the senses with the crowds of people, the smells of street food, and the cacophony of vendors hawking their wares.  

Yesterday I wandered around the old city and actually saw some places I had not seen before.

I came across this colonial building.  It is now a cultural center run by the University of Mexico.  

I went inside, and the lady at the front desk said that I could enter and take pictures of the courtyard.

It looked older than many of the colonial buildings.  As I left, I asked the lady if she knew when it was built.  She said it dated back to the late 16th century... so it's more than 400 years old!  I later did a bit of research on the building.  It is known as the House of Talavera, and it was once the home of a Spanish nobleman, the Marquis of Aguayo.  When it was built, it was located on the shore of Lake Texcoco (the lake which once covered much of the valley where Mexico City is located).  The house originally had gates where canoes could pull up to it.

The street across from the house is called Talavera Street, and it is a pedestrian street.  

The street is also known as “Niño Dios” (God Child... i.e. Baby Jesus).  All along this block there are religious statues, including several of young Jesus, that were placed here through private donations.

Most of the stores along the street sell clothing for images of the Baby Jesus.  Every year for the Feast of Candlemas (February 2nd) people will take their Jesus doll that was brought out for Christmas, buy it a new set of clothes, and take it to church to be blessed.  Since this is not the time of year when there is a big demand for these clothes, the majority of the stores were closed.  However there were a few that were open, and I was able to take some pictures of outfits for little Jesus.

I am sure that in January all the stores are open and doing a thriving business.

At the next block the street changes its name to "Alhondiga".  It is still a pedestrian street, but here it is crowded with a "tianguis" (outdoor market).

If you dare, there are plenty of stalls selling street food.

Bins of different kinds of chile peppers.  The "chiles de árbol" in the lower right are "muy picoso"... very hot! 

Bins of dried beans and seeds.  Note the bin of "chía" seeds.  Yes, the same seeds that come with "chía pets".

One store along the street was selling soccer shirts.  If you've read much of this blog, you know that I collect Mexican and Spanish soccer shirts.  I spotted a shirt I don't have... "Los Tigres", the team from Monterrey.   They had my size, and the shirt was made in Mexico (not China), so I bought it for 160 pesos (less than $9 US).  I think I will have to return here and see what else they might have.

After a couple more blocks the street changes its name again.  Now it is "Santísima", named after the Church "Santísima Trinidad" in the background.  Now I am back in familiar territory although still not in an area visited by many tourists.

The façade of "Santísima Trinidad" (Most Holy Trinity), which dates back to 1735, is an excellent example of the ultra-baroque Churrigueresque style that was popular in colonial Mexico. 

The original ornate and gold-gilt interior was replaced with a simpler neo-classic style.

Over the years the church has sunk about nine feet.  (In Mexico City it is not uncommon for buildings to settle into the spongy soil.)  As a result Santísima Street and the intersecting Moneda Street have ramps descending to the level of the church.  The walls along those ramps have become a canvas for talented street artists.  This is something new that I had not seen the last time I passed through here.  Like the Romita neighborhood that I wrote about last week, the area around "Santísima Trinidad" has become a prime location to see Mexico City street art.

Be careful, however, because the paved area in front of the church seems to be a favorite spot for young skateboarders.

From there it is not a long walk down Moneda Street to the Zócalo, Mexico City's main square.

Looking down the street you see the tiled dome of the Church of Santa Inés, and beyond that, you can make out one of the towers of the Cathedral.

Back on the Zócalo... back in tourist territory...

The National Palace

The Metropolitan Cathedral

How's the Weather?

Summer is now officially here.  Looking at the weather reports I see that back home in Ohio they have already been dealing with quite a few days of temperatures at 90 F or above.  That is unseasonably hot for the month of June.

Here in Mexico the rainy season is supposed to start sometime in June.  On the evening of my arrival on June 7th we had heavy rain.  For several days after that we had rain... anything from a good downpour to a "chipichipi" (a light drizzle).  I assumed that the rainy season had begun.  The rain came, in the normal manner for Mexico, in the late afternoon or evening.  The mornings and even the early afternoons were bright and sunny.  The "rainy season" was not preventing me from being out and about.  

However, the last few days have been without rain, so I am not so sure if the "rainy season" is truly upon us or not.  Saturday, June 24th, is the Day of St. John the Baptist.  When the native tribes of Mexico were converted to Christianity they associated the Catholic saints with their ancient gods.  St. John was associated with Tlaloc, the god of rain.  After Saturday the long range forecast calls for rain and storms for the following ten days.  We will see if Tlaloc starts doing his thing.

As far as the temperature goes, it has been very pleasant here, although the locals think it is very hot.  Most days, the high is in the low 80s... summery but not sweltering.  Even in the evening, it has still been warm enough to go out in shirt sleeves.  I will be very happy if the weather continues like this for the rest of the month.

A Corner of Tranquility

On the edge of the neighborhood of San Rafael, next to the "Circuito Interior" (the inner belt freeway) is a spot that I never knew existed until I read about it on the internet.

Here in Mexico City there is a U.S. Military Cemetery.  

The Mexico City National Cemetery was established in 1851 as a burial place for U.S. soldiers who died in the vicinity of Mexico City during the Mexican American War.  Buried here are also veterans of the Civil War, the Indian Campaigns, and the Spanish-American War as well as their families and members of the U.S. diplomatic service.  Congress closed the cemetery in 1924, and since then it has been operated by the American Battle Monuments Commission.  The one acre cemetery is a well tended oasis in the busy city.

The remains of 750 unknown U.S. soldiers who died in the final battles of the war as the troops advanced upon Mexico City are buried in a common grave.

When the adjacent freeway was built, the cemetery lost about half of its land.  The 813 other bodies buried here were moved and placed in vaults in the walls that were constructed along the sides of the property.