Mexico City

In hindsight, it might have been better to allow more than two days to try and get to know the world’s second biggest city (population circa 20 million). That said, in the time we did have we managed to pack in a lot – mainly by not sleeping very much. We stepped off the night bus from Guadalajara and straight into a taxi towards the Zocalo, the main historical centre of Mexico City. After checking out the football scores and finding ourselves a place to stay (note the priority there) we got ourselves on the subway and headed for the Museum of Anthropology in the northern part of the city. (Typically, the subway is far more efficient than the London underground and has the added bonus of only costing 15p per journey. One of the good things about having such a large population is that the tax revenue can be used to subsidise public services such as transport, electricity and water).

The Museum of Anthropology was designed by the eminent Mexican architect Pedro Ramirez Vasquez and houses a huge collection of pre-Conquest artefacts. We spent several hours immersed in the world of the Teotihuacans, Toltecs, Aztecs and Mayans, one of fabulous stories, incredible scientific and creative endeavours, and everyday acts of grisly, awe-inspiring violence.

This unfortunate crew were discovered at the base of one of the pyramids in Teotihuacan – their hands have been tied behind their backs and they are wearing necklaces made of human jaw-bones…..



One of the interesting features shared by all of the pre-Conquest cultures was a game played with a rubber ball and a hoop. The players, chosen for their ability as warriors, were required to keep the ball in the air using their elbows, knees, hips and heads only. It was extremely difficult to score as the hoop was very small and, to add to the pressure, if the players passed in the wrong direction they were sacrificed as an offering to the gods. Perhaps England might have got a bit further if they’d been facing a similar incentive.

The next day we embarked on a whistle-stop tour of some of the most important historical sites in the vicinity. First up were the Aztec ruins of Tlatelolco, right in the heart of the city. One of the most interesting things about Mexico City is how the old and the new co-exist side by side – in this picture you can see the remains of these pyramids flanked by a 16th century Spanish church and a 1960s office block.



Adjacent to this site is a public space called the Plaza de las Tres Culturas. In 1968, ten days before the Olympic Games were held in Mexico City, a large demonstration was held by students and teachers to protest about social conditions at the time. The Mexican government did not want to be shown in a bad light with the Games so close to commencing and drastic, brutal action was taken. The army surrounded the demonstrators, snipers were positioned on the rooftops and soldiers dressed in civilian clothing infiltrated the masses. Then they opened fire. Afterwards, they removed the bodies and cleaned the plaza to remove any trace of what had happened. This massacre was silenced by the government and remained unreported in either the Mexican or international media. It is estimated that between 500 and 2000 people were killed that day, mostly young students. Imagine this happening in Trafalgar Square.



In 1993 a group of activists made a film called Rojo Amancer about the massacre which caused an outcry in Mexico. For the vast majority of the population this was the first time they knew about the events of that day. The government was eventually forced to acknowledge the bloodbath, though the official statistics released claimed that ‘only’ 33 lives were lost. Our visit to the Plaza was a truly shocking reminder of what governments will do in order to protect their own interests and how this information can be prevented from entering public knowledge.

We needed a bit of uplifting afterwards, so it was lucky that our next stop was the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe (an incarnation of the Virgin Mary), the most important in Latin America. Although not wildly enthusiastic about visiting it, it was actually really interesting and very beautiful, with amazing views of the city into the bargain.

Following the obligatory stop at a carpet shop (and the five free shots of mezcal “before you buy”) we arrived at Teotihuacan. This site, meaning “Place of the Gods” dates from around 300 BC and is thought to have been home to around 250,000 people. In Mexican mythology the story goes that long ago the indigenous people of the land set out on a long journey to search for this sacred place. They founded Teotihuacan on the site where they finally saw the sign they were looking for – an eagle sitting on a cactus with a snake in its mouth. This symbol is also found at the centre of the modern-day Mexican flag.

The Roman Empire existed at roughly the same time as Teotihuacan, although the former is thought to have been the bigger. At it’s heart was a huge market, and people from all over Meso-America came here to trade goods. The main avenue – the “Calle de los Muertos” - (Street of the Dead) - runs for several kilometres, and is lined by many pyramids and other structures believed to have been used as alters. The Pyramids of the Sun and Moon tower over the avenue, built to honour the gods who sacrificed themselves to bring light to the world. It was a great experience to see this place and gain a deeper understanding of Mexico’s historical and cultural roots. Climbing up and down all the pyramids was also good exercise for us!

The next morning there was just enough time to see the epic murals of Diego Rivera (Frida Kahlo’s lover) in the National Palace before boarding the bus to Oaxaca.

Time for a nice rest? Unfortunately not…

Susie and Phil xxx