We packed a lot into our final day in Mexico. Much of what we saw and experienced was within walking distance of our hotel in the Centro Histórico, the heart of Mexico City. Come walk with me and I’ll show you some of what we saw.
These statues of a wandering group of nomads discovering an eagle perched on a cactus and eating a snake tell the legend of the founding of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. The image of an eagle eating a snake atop a prickly pear cactus also forms part of the coat of arms that is seen in the centre of the Mexican flag.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven, better known as the Catedral Metropolitana, overlooks the Zócalo, a huge city square and is built over what was once part of the Aztec Templo Mayor.
From there, we’ll walk down busy pedestrian-only Avenida Francisco I. Madero which is lined with shops, restaurants, and amazing architecture.
Here, covered on three sides by blue and white Talavera tiles from Puebla, is the famous Casa de los Azulejos (House of Tiles), an 18th-century Baroque palace built by the Count of the Valle de Orizaba family.
At the end of the pedestrian avenue, we come to the stunning Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts), a prominent cultural center that hosts notable events in music, dance, theatre, opera and literature and holds important exhibitions of painting, sculpture and photography. Unfortunately, most museums and cultural centres in Mexico City are closed on Mondays, so we weren’t able to see the inside. Perhaps on our next visit!
A patio coffee shop on the eighth floor of the Sears department store (yes, Sears is still alive and well in Mexico) offered spectacular views of the Palacio des Belle Artes and much of the city beyond.
Directly across the street from the Palacio des Belles Artes are the Palacio de Correos (Main Post Office) and Banco de Mexico (Bank of Mexico).
If you’re ever in Mexico City, the interior of the Post Office is definitely a must see! Absolutely stunning, it took five years to build and has been in continuous operation since it opened in 1907.
Unfortunately, the antique elevator, though fully operational, wasn’t open to the public. In addition to being an active post office, the building houses a bookstore and a small free museum of postal artifacts. Believe it or not, this handsome fellow is an ancient mailbox! Letters passed through his mouth to be collected and sent to their destination.
Beyond the Palacio des Belles Artes is beautiful Parque Alameda. What was once an Aztec marketplace is now one of the city’s primary green spaces complete with fountains and statues. Created in 1592, it is the oldest public park in the Americas.
It was in the park that three mounted police officers on horseback donned their sombreros and agreed to have their photo taken.
That completes our “walking tour” of Centro Histórico and our most recent trip to Mexico. Now we’re back home in Canada, the land that every Mexican we met referred to as “mucho frio!” (very cold!) I would agree. In fact, I would call it “demasiado frio!” (too cold!).
Though I still have one more blog post to write to finish up our trip to Mexico, we are home and for today’s post, I thought I’d do a quick review of what I packed. Once again, we found that traveling carry-on only was the way to go. It’s so easy and there are no baggage fees and no waiting around at airport luggage carousels wondering if our suitcases made it onto the right plane.
The first book in the series, My Name is Lucy Barton, reads like a memoir to such an extent that when I finished it, I actually researched the author to find out whether or not it was autobiographical. Though there are parallels, particularly in the facts that, like Strout, Lucy Barton is a writer and both were raised in rural areas somewhat isolated from other children, the similarities end there.
Following Augustine 