The Running Angel

 As I mentioned yesterday, the traditional place for Mexican City soccer fans to celebrate victories is at the Monument to Independence, one of the city's most iconic landmarks.  It is topped by a gold gilt Winged Victory, which gives the monument its nickname of "el Angel".

Alejandro found this picture online which I thought was funny.  The terrified Angel is running down Paseo de la Reforma chased by the hordes of fans celebrating Mexico's victory and advance to the Round of 16.

Another Victory

Last night, the Mexican team advanced to the next level of play in the World Cup in a match with Ecuador.  The game was played once again here at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium.  It was supposed to begin at 7:00, but because of thunderstorms it was delayed an hour.

I don't have cable TV at the apartment, so I was unable to watch the game.  However, I checked the score frequently on my cell phone, and I could tell from cheering outside when Mexico scored a goal.  The final score was 2 - 0 with another victory for the home team.

Then the noise of celebration began.  Groups of people walking down the street were cheering loudly, and car horns were honking incessantly.  I knew that I wasn't going to be able to get any sleep for a while, so I got up, turned on the laptop, and looked at webcams in various parts of the city.  Traditionally, the Monument of Independence (commonly referred to as the "Angel") is the location to gather after "fútbol" victories.  Sure enough, the area around the monument was like New Year's Eve on Time Square.  I took a photo of my laptop screen, and although the picture is not great, I think you can make out the throngs of people.

I looked at another webcam situated more than a mile up Paseo de la Reforma from the "Angel", and here too the boulevard was jammed with crowds.

In fact, at the left of the picture, looking down Reforma, it appears that giant TV screens had been set up all along the boulevard, and that the crowds extended all the way from here to the Independence Monument.  I read that more than one million fans had gathered.  The tragic part is that three people died, crushed by the crowds.

A smaller crowd had gathered by the Monument to the Revolution, which was illuminated with the colors of the Mexican flag.

There were not that many people by the Palace of Fine Arts, but I made a video so that you can hear the noise of the honking horns.

Mexico moves on to the next level of the tournament.  Assuming that the team from England defeats the Congo today, Mexico will play against the English, once again at Azteca Stadium on Sunday.  (We will be in London that day... so I better not wear my Mexican soccer jersey!)  Even though I have relatives in England, I will be rooting for Mexico.  Sorry, cousins!

Turning to July

It's the first of the month, and my readers know that means it is time to look at this month's picture on the calendar.  My 2026 calendar features pictures from my travels in Germany.

July's photo is one that I took some years ago on a visit to Augsburg, a city not far from Munich.  The top attraction there is the city hall which dates back to the 17th century.  The assembly hall, known as the "Golden Hall", is a dazzling work of Baroque extravagance.

 The ceiling, which is nearly 6000 square feet, is covered with paintings and gold gilt.

A Novel of the Gilded Age

 After having watched the HBO TV series "The Gilded Age", I thought that it would be appropriate to read a classic novel set in that era, Edith Wharton's Pulitzer Prize winning book, "The Age of Innocence".

"The Age of Innocence", just like "The Gilded Age", takes place in New York City in the late 19th century and portrays with the rigid societal norms of the upper class.  The author was a child of that era, the daughter of a wealthy New York family.  Wharton was expected to be a society matron, but she flouted conventions.  She established herself as a successful writer, moved to Europe, took a lover, and divorced her husband.

As I began the novel, I could not help but compare it to the HBO series.  The opening chapter takes place at an opera performance at the Academy of Music.  The small opera house had a limited number of boxes, which meant that the "nouveau riche" families were shut out.  There is mention of plans to build a larger opera house (what would become the Metropolitan) which did not please the "old money" families.  The so-called "opera war" was one of the themes of the TV series.

The protagonist of the novel is Newland Archer, who comes from a proper "old money" family.  He is engaged to marry May Welland, who is also from a suitable family.  It is at the opera that he is introduced to May's cousin, Ellen Olenska.  Ellen has escaped an abusive marriage to a Polish nobleman and has returned to her family in New York.  In spite of the scandalous situation, her New York relatives manage to have her accepted in "society", although eventually they urge her to return to her husband.  Newland marries May, but he has fallen in love with the enigmatic Countess Olenska.  Does he repress his desire for Ellen and live according to societal standards, or does he run away with her?

This is a quiet novel that is certainly not for someone who craves suspenseful or action-packed books.  However, it does give us an excellent portrayal of life among the upper class of that period.

Now, perhaps taking a cue from the popularity of HBO's "The Gilded Age", Netflix is making an adaptation of "The Age of Innocence".  "The Gilded Age" returns for its fourth season this fall, so I will be looking forward to a double dose of life in old New York.

A Noisy Week

Mexico is a very noisy country... honking horns, the loudspeakers of street vendors, barking dogs, church bells at dawn, and firecrackers at all hours of the day for every saint's day, funeral or holiday.  Fortunately, my street is relatively quiet.  Sure, there are traffic noises and the junk dealers and vendors of tamales passing by.  But the neighborhood dogs are generally quiet, there are no church bell towers nearby, and, thank goodness, no firecrackers!

However, all last week there was a lot of noise.  At the nearby World Trade Center, the ruling party Morena and its allies were holding a convention.  According to what I read, the event was for aspiring candidates to register for gubernatorial races.  I don't know how much was actually going on inside the convention center, because all week it seemed as if all the action was going on in the streets.  Throngs of people were gathered outside the World Trade Center, at times blocking the street.  They were chanting, blowing horns, banging on drums.  There were brass bands playing.  They did not stay by the World Trade Center... they blocked nearby streets as they rallied for their favorite candidates.  There was a parade on my street (unfortunately I was not able to grab my camera quickly enough) with a band and girls dressed in colorful, traditional attire.

  

These are some of the young ladies dressed in local attire who paraded down my street.  It mades me chuckle to see them glued to their cell phones.

The event was still going strong on Saturday.  When Alejandro and I went out for breakfast, he captured some photos of a colorfully dressed group from the state of Tlaxcala.

For six days the noise was incessant, but at least they broke up by late afternoon each day.  This week the neighborhood is back to normal with just the usual level of background noise.

Vandalism

It seems to me that graffiti has become a much worse problem in the past year or two.  Pieces of lovely street art are often defaced by punks with no respect for anything.  A few days ago, I noticed that the Monument to Motherhood was covered in graffiti.

I was a bit surprised that the vandals had targeted this monument given the fact that mothers are so highly revered in Mexican society.  What's next?  Graffiti on the Basilica of Guadalupe?

Perhaps the city government, instead of "beautification projects" such as painting the pedestrian bridges purple, could address this problem.  

It's Everywhere!

In case you haven't already noticed, you can hardly go anywhere in Mexico City without being aware that the city is one of the hosts of the World Cup.

Here are some more miscellaneous photos...

These two giant figures of soccer players are on the plaza by the Monument to Motherhood.  One is sponsored by GNP, an insurance company, and the other is sponsored by Uber.

 

At the intersection of Paseo de la Reforma and Insurgentes Avenue there is a light display, although I have not been by here at night to see it lit up.

Dr. Simi, the beloved mascot of the drug store chain, Farmacias Similares, is portrayed on this mural as a "fútbol" hero.

And here is the dear doctor, posing in his soccer jersey.

In the middle of the Glorieta de Insurgentes is this giant inflatable soccer ball which was created by seven prisoners at the Penitentiary Center.  It is decorated with the image of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god of pre-Hispanic Mexico.