Teotihuacan and La Virgen de Guadalupe

On Monday, I booked a tour to see the pyrimids at Teotihuacan, a site about 30 minutes from Mexico City. The tour seemed like a good deal since it included a visit to the shrine of La Virgen de Guadalupe, a visit to an artesan shop where they make obsidian handicrafts, and a tour of Tlateloco which was part of the original Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.

Our first stop of the day was to the Plaza of The Three Cultures, which is situated on the ruins of the Aztec city of Tlateloco. It is also the site of one of the first churches built in Mexico City, Santiago de Tlateloco. It´s called the Three Cultures plaza because it incorporates a ruin of an Aztec temple, a church of the Spanish colonional conquest, and the headquarters of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs which represents modern Mexico, a mix of the two previous cultures. It´s easy to notice that the colonial church looks to be built of the same exact material as the Aztec temple, which is in fact true. What better way to conquer and oppress a people than to tear down their temples and use the raw materials to build your own? Imperialism at its finest (that one´s for you Annie!). We were given a sobering history lesson about what happened on October 2, 1968. This day was 10 days before the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics games in Mexico City. Students and many others numbering nearly 15,000 marched peacefully from Mexico City´s center to the plaza at Tlateloco to protest government corruption, lack of free speech and other social problems. While the protesters were gathered in the square, plain-clothes military personnel took up positions within the crowd and other military personnel took up positions around the perimeter of the square. Sometime during the night, near dawn the order was given to open fire on the crowd. Until this day, the exactly number of dead is not known but estimated to be from the hundreds to the thousands. Immediately following the massacre, the event was covered up, the plaza was cleaned of blood and the media and the rest of the world never knew anything had happened. Ten days later, the opening ceremonies were held in the exact same place where the stone-paved plaza is still pockmarked with bullet holes to this day. Allegedly the VP of Mexico, Luis Echeverria wanted the protesters dealt with swiftly in order to prevent embarassment the protesters might cause to the country in that time of international scrutiny. Indeed. It took almost 30 years for much of the truth to come to light and a formal investigation to be held. I got the chills standing in that plaza, looking at the plaque that memorializes the dead and the arrangement of empty flagpoles that were used during the Olympic ceremonies. Scary stuff.

After that we visited what is undoubtedly the holiest place in the Western Hemisphere, the shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe. It is impossible to understand Mexico without understanding the role the Virgin of Guadalupe plays in peoples´ lives. The story of the Virgin is this (from Wikipedia):

"According to the first accounts of the Guadalupan apparition, during a walk from his village to the city on December 9, 1531, Juan Diego saw a vision of the Virgin Mary at the Hill of Tepeyac. Speaking in Nahuatl (the Aztec language), Guadalupe said to build an abbey on the site, but when Juan Diego spoke to the Spanish bishop, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, the prelate asked for a miraculous sign. So the Virgin told Juan Diego to gather flowers from the hill, even though it was winter, when normally nothing bloomed. He found Spanish roses, gathered them on his tilma, and presented these to the bishop. When the roses fell from it an icon of the Guadalupe remained imprinted on the cloth."

So we were able to walk right beneath the image of La Virgen and snap photos from a moving walkway. This is one of the first places here I´ve taken pictures where there weren´t "No Flash" signs everywhere. Our guide informed us that the Catholic Church´s stance is that the image is the result of a miracle, and so ordinary light does not have the power to cause the colors in the image to fade. Indeed, the colors in the image are incredibly vivid for a "painting" (or whatever it is) that is almost 500 years old and been subject to the cameras of nearly 20 million visitors a year. The two basilicas on site are accompanied by a beautiful park situated on the hill of Tepeyac where Juan Diego had his vision. When hearing the story of Juan Diego and the Virgin, regardless whether the story is true or not, I can´t help but think of what an incredibly ingenious way to bring the Catholic religion to the indigenous people of Mexico, by having an indigenous Aztec man bear witness to a miracle which eventually would solidify the Catholic church´s influence in the country (at nearly 90%, Mexico is one of the most Catholic countries in the world). It should also be noted that the indigenous people didn´t completely give up their own religion. There are aspects of Mexican Catholicism that are very different from Roman Catholicism and are the result of the Aztecs incorporating certain beliefs and iconography into creating their own brand of the Catholic faith.

Our next stop in the tour takes us even futher back in time, even before the Aztecs, to the ancient city of Teotihuacan. We first stopped at an artesan shop run by the Martinez family, right outside the ruins. We got cultural lessons in how various things can be made from the Maguey (Agave) plant. Paper, thread, dye, and three types of fermented drinks (Tequila, Mezcal, and Pulque). Our tour included free samples of each, and yes, someone did take the sample of Mezcal with the worm in it. Apparently in Mezcal, the worm is not just a gimmick, but actually imparts something to the flavor of the drink. The artesan shop had some beautiful obsidian handicrafts that they make onsite, and also some tacky Mexican trinkets as well (see the picture of Roan).

The city of Teotihuacan itself was actually not as impressive as I had imagined it would be. I guess it´s not fair of me to always be comparing ancient ruins to the Tikal ruins in Guatemala, one of the most expansive and best preserved ruins in the whole world. However, the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon were quite awe inspiring, espeically considering that the inhabitants of Teotihuacan had only themselves to move the stones (no beasts of burden to help). The tops of the pyramids offer some beautiful views.

Additions to the website

For everyone who keeps asking me where I am, I've created a little sidebar to the right. Since I don't post everyday, I'll at least try to keep updated everyday exactly where I am and where I'm off to next. Also dear readers, you remember that you can make fun at me or yell at me or blow me kisses, or whatever, in a comment at the end of each blog entry.

Lucha Libre

As promised, here is a writeup about my Friday night excursion to the Lucha Libre. To be honest though, I'm not sure what to write, because really how can I hope to capture in words what needs to be seen to be appreciated. I went to the Lucha Libre as part of an organized excursion courtesy of the hostel. Seven other brave souls went with us, including our "guide". Before we left, we went to a private lounge in the hostel and were served tequilas and beer, which were included in the price of the excursion. I guess the liquor was meant to warm us up and make us more pliable to an evening of Mexican wrestling. Well, it really wasn't needed as you shall see. The stadium was a typical stadium, holding about 10,000 people. The place was about 75% full, surprisingly enough... Isaac, our guide, said that people from all classes come to the matches, and there are often celebrities in attendance as well. Well, the way the Lucha Libre works is there are two teams, the Rudos (the "Rudes") or the bad guys, and the Tecnicos which are the good guys. There are typically 4-5 matches per night, with each match between the Rudos and Tecnicos being between teams of 3-5 combatants. Each match gets progressively more exciting as the teams and fighters are of higher caliber and of greater popularity. On the way to the match, Isaac taught us some various vulgar taunts and phrases that we were expected to hurl at the combatants (and possibly each other) at various times throughout the night. I won't go into detail here, but most of them made some reference to the other person's mother. He also taught us a special "whistle" which meant that your mother is a whore. Naturally we all had a great time trying to do that whistling sound, which wasn't that easy actually. So we took our seat and began hurling insults before the match even began. The matches took place in a boxing ring, with contestants entering the arena through a very elaborate entrance complete with lights, smoke and dramatic music. Most of the fighters wore the masks which are the signature of the Lucha Libre. The masks are apparently a throwback to when the league first got started in the 50's and the fighters wore masks to protect their identity because they all had typical day jobs and were ashamed to be involved in the Lucha Libre. An early highlight of the evening was when we discovered that one of the matches was to feature women combatants. Ok, let me say right now, that when you are in a foreign place, among a foreign culture, there are definitely certain barriers of good taste which are easier to knock down in the name of cultural immersion and exploration. What I'm trying to say is that I was whooping and hollering for the female fighters as much as anyone, and I'm not embarrassed about it. Ok maybe a little. But wait, it gets worse. The third match of the evening was a bout of 3 versus 3. Well, I should say 3.5 versus 3. The Rudos team had a midget, oops, I mean a little person, on their team as well. What made it even more ridiculous is that he was dressed in what appeared to be a purple furry monkey suit with a black mask. He didn't do a whole lot during the fight, except for shout and taunt the other team when they were being pinned to the ground until.... One of the Tecnicos got thrown out of the ring, and his Rudo adversary body slammed him on the ground outside of the ring. All of a sudden, the little purple monkey scaled the ropes of the ring and delivered a crushing body slam to the hapless Tecnico, no doubt stunned by this doubly bad turn of events. The crowd went crazy when the little guy nailed the Tecnico.
For the most part the crowd had been on the side of the Tecnicos (good guys) as is only fitting, but they really threw their support behind the little purple monkey. But then again, who wouldn't root for the midget in that scenario? Again, I was caught up in the emotional swell of the crowd and cheered as loudly as anyone else. Sitting here writing this up, it's hard to imagine me condoning the involvement of a little person in such a freakshow, but I gotta say I was really rooting for the little guy. And not just because he was in a monkey suit either. So by the third match or so, the matches began to take on a not so subtle pattern. At the beginning of the match, the Rudos would always gain a quick upper hand, which would send the crowd into a murmuring anger. Then the Tecnicos would by means of superior skill, slowly begin to overcome and beat down the bad guys. This would whip up the excitement in the arena. But the Rudos weren't to be counted out... usually by means of cheating or trickery (boy those judges are stupid) the Rudos would gang up on the Tecnicos and it would appear the Tecnicos were almost finished. By now the crowd is simmering in a rage of disbelief. But in the moment when it seemed like the Rudos would finally finish of the Tecnicos, the Tecnicos called on some secret well of strength and overcome to the odds to put the Rudos out of commission. This miraculous turn of events sent the crowd to their feet in a burst of cheering and applause. Of the five matches of the night, four of them went this way. The Rudos actually did win one of them, and I suppose it must be so. Even though the Lucha Libre clearly began as a working class fantasy of the common man to be able to rise above evil and corruption, even in the face of despair and defeat, I suppose that the bad guys have to win occasionally in order to sustain the suspension of disbelief which makes the matches so enthralling. On the way out of the arena, a bunch of us bought some really cool masks. When we got back to the hostel, we staged a brief fake fight among four or five of us while wearing the masks. One of the Danish guys with us however, got more than he bargained for. A portly youth who happened to be hanging around the hostel decided to wrestle with the unsuspecting Dane in earnest. The Danish guy, Jens, went along with it goodnaturedly, until the kid managed to tackle him to the ground, and poor Jens didn't see it coming. The kid, who'd clearly eaten too many gorditas in his day, laid a full body slam on Jens, who can't be more than 140lbs soaking wet. We had a good laugh about that. So there you have it: I cheered for midgets in monkey suits, pugilistic women in tights, and muscled men in masks and speedos. All in all, it was a fantastic evening of utter nonsense.

Diego Rivera and the Mexican Muralists

Most of the day Thursday was spent in pursuit of murals all across the city. My search took me to the Supreme Court building, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Diego Rivera Mural Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. The murals of Jose Clemente Orozco and Diego Rivera are so fascinating and beautiful; I am really taken by them. The murals all have a very strong narrative, either historical or political, which makes them less subtle than other forms of art, but more powerful in a way. I´ve tried to include photos of as many as possible in my photo gallery. The real reason though I visited the Museum of Modern Art was to see Frida Kahlo´s piece "Las Dos Fridas", an incredibly moving piece that was amazing to see in person. In it she lays bare the pain she feels about her divorce from Diego Rivera. She paints her pain so boldly and honestly that it´s almost hard to look at. But the steely look on her face(s) shows the courage she has to endure it. The museums here are of a really high quality, and amazingly cheap. I´ve paid an average of $2 to get into the museums.

After my museum trek, I took a bus down the Paseo de la Reforma, a wide boulevard full of monuments to Mexico´s history, especially highlighting moments of change. I stopped at looked at the Angel de la Independencia (possibly the most recognizable image of Mexico City), the Monument to Cuauhtemoc who stood up to Cortes and was the last Aztec ruler (who died under Cortes´ torture to reveal the location of the Aztec´s cache of riches), and the Glorieta de Simon Bolivar, a hero to all of Latin America. "But wait!" you say.... "what about the monument to Christopher Columbus?" Alas, since they still largely preach that Christopher Columbus discovered the New World here, in a gesture of solidarity to my Nordic homies, I boycotted the monument. Ok, ok.... so I don´t have any Nordic homies...... ok, ok... so I don´t have homies of any kind (no Eric, having an afro doesn´t make you a homie).

Today I visited the Palacio Nacional overlooking the Zocalo where every September 15, the Presidente appears from his balcony to yell "¡Viva Mexico!" to the gathering horde. The Palace is completely decked out in Diego Rivera Murals depicting Mexico´s history and the culture of Mexico´s pre-hispanic people. Once again, the murals were awesome. I had a great guide named Isaac who was very knowledgeable about every detail contained in the murals. It really makes a difference and helps them to come alive.

Ok, well that´s enough history and culture for one day huh? Tonight I´m headed to a place that really encapsulates modern Mexican culture... the Lucha Libre!! Yes, I am going to see some Mexican wrestling. If you don´t know what it is, and haven´t seen the Jack Black movie "Nacho Libre", think of it as the Mexican version of that bad fake American pro wrestling, only even more so. A group of people from the hostel are going, and really, how could I pass this up? My only regret is that they don´t allow cameras inside. Boo! Well, expect a full report anyway.

Oh, I almost forgot... I decided to go back to Pasteleria Ideal and get some photos for you food lovers out there. Ok, fine the photos were for me. But you can still enjoy them. But when I went back to the bakery, I couldn´t find it. I searched all over where I remembered walking, but nothing. I started to think it was some sort of mirage or a fantastic dream. But with the help of a kind doorman, I finally located it. Get your pastry on here:

Pasteleria Ideal

¡Viva Mexico!

So, I´m staying at a hostel in the Centro Historico, called Hostel Catedral (presumably because it´s located across the street from the Catedral Metropolitano... but who knows?). It´s a really nice place with several levels of dormitory style rooms. I´m staying in a room with 6 single beds and a full bathroom. It´s been a while since I´ve lived communally, and I´d forgotten a few things.... like how rancid a room of sleeping men can become. Seriously, I mean there are only four of us in there, and I woke up in the middle of the night and the smell was the like the inside of a package of dry-roasted peanuts (thanks to Dave Lister for the analogy). I mean bad. Other than that, the place is great. It has the golden trifecta of traveler´s accomodations: cheap, good location and free breakfast (I took an extra banana this morning, but only because I was offended by the powdered Nescafe they tried to pass as "coffee").

Like the good geek I am, I signed up for the free walking tour that the hostel offers. Well, it's only free to the -esteemed- guests of the hostel; ordinary rabble have to pay full price (whatever that is). Four of us joined our guide, Isaac, for a trip to the Chapultepec forest which is one of the largest urban parks in the world. We took the Metro to the other side of the city where the park is located. While standing on the completely packed subway car, I looked around and realized I was the tallest person on the train. (Mexicans are short in general) Geez, that's never happened to me before. ¡Viva Mexico!

Complete with 800 year old trees and a castle, Bosque de Chapultepec was originally the personal garden of some Aztec (or maybe Toltec, not sure) empire. The Castle was built in 1785 as the residence of the viceroys of New Spain, and later served as the personal residence of Emperor Maximilian (until his timely departure) and the national military school. Lazaro Cardenas converted the castle into a history museum in 1944. During the Mexican-American war the Mexican general Santana called all his troops north, leaving the castle undefended, except for the cadets that remained because they were too young to join the battle. Anyway, at the base of the castle there is this monument to memorialize the 500 or so cadets that defended the castle against thousands of better armed U.S. forces who had received intelligence that the castle was unguarded. If I understood the story right, all the cadets died to a man (or boy). And so they built this memorial, the Monumento a los Niños Heroes.

There are several museums in the Chapultepec park, but the only one we visited was the Museo Nacional de Antropologia, which chronicles Mexico's pre-hispanic, mesoamerican cultures. It's one of the most impressive museums I've seen. It's not too large, but still manages to cover thousands of years in detail. There are many original artifacts from archeological sites all over Mexico, but the majority of the exhibits are reproductions of stone stellae, sculptures, murals and architecture found in mesoamerican Mexican archeological sites. At first I was disappointed to learn they were reproductions, but then I realized that because they weren't real, I could get much closer to them, and besides, it didn't really matter since they were so realistic that it would take an expert to tell the difference. I included photos of some of them in the gallery, but be warned that they banned flashes, so they may not be as crisp as would be desired.

After the tour, I walked around the Centro Historico in the afternoon and was in search of a cheap meal because I was starving (I had already scarfed my illicit banana). I passed this complete hole in the wall joint... literally, it was almost a hole in the wall. But I was intrigued by the blue corn tortillas the old woman was cooking up on the makeshift griddle. So I ordered two large tacos de carne (beef), and they were fantastic. The best part? Less than two bucks total. ¡Viva Mexico!

On my way back to the hostel, I passed a bakery called Panaderia Ideal, and normally I wouldn´t be moved to write about a bakery, but this is an exception. I walked in and it was a very ritzy looking building with dozens of large tables scattered throughout, each piled high with every sort of donut, pastel, brioche, cookie, torta, pan dulce, danish and sweet rolls that you can imagine. It was like walking into a pastry lover´s wet dream. The way it works is you walk around with a cafeteria style plastic tray and a pair of metal tongs and you just pick what you want and pay at the register. I was so giddy perusing all the goodies, that I swear I was giggling at one point. After 20 minutes, my tray was filled with a wide variety of sweets carefully chosen from the mind boggling towers of baked goods. I knew I could never eat it all, but I wanted to at least try all ones I had bought. Looks like donuts and danishes for dinner. ¡Viva Mexico! Luckily there was a Cafe nearby and I had a coffee and some pastries while I watched a soccer game on TV: America (a Mexican team) versus Santos of Brazil. It ended in a 0-0 tie. Typical. But it was a perfect way to end the evening. Now it´s off to bed and the odorific joys of communal living.

As promised, here is the link to my photo gallery:
Mexico City Photo Gallery

Zocalo, Aztec Shamans and Diego Rivera

The Metro system proved to be fairly easy to navigate. I had to take four different lines to get to my hostel this morning, but I did it without problem. The only snag was when I was trying to get on the pink line, I had to wait for about 20 trains to go because they were so packed, that every time they stopped about 10 people tried to get in each set of doors, while only usually 3 succeeded. I knew it would be a real pain in the ass to try with my large backpack, so I waited for the rush hour to die down a bit.

I came out of the Metro station at the Zocalo in the Centro Historico, with the Palacio Nacional on one side and the Metropolitan Cathedral on the other side. It was quite a site. I quickly found my hostel adjecent to the Cathedral and retired to my room for some much needed rest (I only got about 2 hours of sleep on the plane). After the restorative nap and a lunch, I hit the pavement. I am really impressed with Mexico City so far. I had heard it was a dump and not worth the time spent there. But I've found it an incredibly vibrant city with people, markets and bustle in every direction. Sure it stinks and there's some trash on the streets. But hey, it's a city... one of the biggest in the world. The street performers at the Zocalo are entertaining, doing mimes and other audience participation games. My favorites are the Aztec "Shamans" who offer to cleanse you of evil spirits with their incense and tinctures. Acutally, I'm quite amazed how prevalent the noble Aztec facial features are among the general populace. It's hard not imagine some of the men in ceremonial headresses and Moctezuma-style priestly robes, rather than business attire, so like the archetypal Aztecs they look.

The architecture in the historic district is amazing, all weathered colonial facades and gothic statuary. As often as not, the beautiful buildings are practically covered with lean-to stalls selling all manner of worthless junk, but somehow the anachronistic juxtaposition just adds to the feel that this is a living, breathing city.

There is a Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera exhibition going on at the Colegio de San Idefonso (where some of Orozco and Rivera's most famous murals adorn the walls). I tried to get in but the line was too long, so I'm going to try again in the morning. I did get to see the murals though, which are amazing. I took several pictures, but due to the ban on flashes, I'm not sure if they will turn out. I combed the gift shop hoping to find some Frida Kahlo art temporary tattoos, but alas, they had none (sorry Endrik and Annie).

Arrival in Mexico City

The maiden entry. I have arrived in Mexico City. Whooo! or something like that.... I have only 3 minutes left on my internet time, so this will be brief. It was an uneventful trip. Now I have to attempt to navigate the Metro system.... See you on the other side.