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.