Mexico City
Why Mexico, you ask? Well, let me paint you a picture - Tacos, margaritas and tequila! If that is not enough what about jaw-dropping history and beaches that look like they’ve been filtered by Instagram. Yes, we were looking for an adventure.
When I told people I was heading to Mexico, I got the usual barrage of concerned questions about safety. "Is it safe? Shouldn't you pick somewhere else?" But honestly, you only live once. (lets just hope it is a long time!)
Our travel itinerary for the next month. While our total sum of spanish words could be counted on one hand, I had the most important memorised - “dos cervesas por favor”
After spending only 24 hours here we knew it was the right decision.
Welcome to El Zócalo, the giant living room of Mexico City. Plaza de la Constitución is where everything happens – protests, festivals, mariachi performances, and the countless tacos being sold from corner stalls.
Standing tall and proud next to El Zócalo, the Metropolitan Cathedral is a mix of baroque, gothic, and neoclassical styles constructed between 1573 and 1813 (which explains the mash-up of styles). Inside, gold-covered altars, towering columns and intricate carvings reflect Mexico’s colonial past.
Just steps away from El Zócalo, the ruins of Templo Mayor reveal the ancient heart of the Aztec empire. Though archaeologists found parts of the Templo Mayor in the early 20th century, it was not until 1978 that excavation began in earnest. Walking along the elevated walkways you peer down at what was once the heart of Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital, in the heart of a modern city.
Forget night clubs – Mexico City's parks are where the real party’s at. As the sun sets, Parque México, Alameda Central, and even random street corners transform into open-air dance floors with locals of all ages moving to the rhythms of salsa, cumbia, and danzón. Despite my best efforts to get Kathy to dance with me, our two left feet were best left off the dance floor.
Mexico City has more people living here than the entire population of Australia and it feels like they are all out in the street. Beyond the parks the streets themselves were full of people, as though a stadium full of winning, chearing supporters had just been dumped out on the road.
To truly experience a city there is no better place than the local market. The smells, the sounds, the shouts of vendors trying to sell you everything from handmade crafts to questionable tourist trinkets – it’s all part of the charm. But it is the food markets that stand out with tamales, herbs, fruit and sausages all being sold side by side. And yes, the occasional dried and roasted grasshopper snack (chapulines are a thing) up for grabs.
While I am sure the City is busy most times of the year, there was something special about being here during the Christmas festive. The city pulls out all the stops and the atmosphere is pure magic as we watched the christmas parade.
Bosque de Chapultepec is Mexico City’s answer to New Yorks Central Park – but bigger and with a castle. With everything from rowing a boat on the lake, to visiting the zoo, it’s was the perfect escape from the city buzz.
The Metro is a cheap and easy way to get around the bustling city, but it certainly comes with its own unique challenges. Some say it feels like an extreme sport during the hectic rush hour, making it a mode of transport best avoided unless you genuinely enjoy very intimate close contact with strangers. If that does not deter you, the ever-present fear of pickpockets silently relieving you of all your valuable belongings will likely give you pause.
Yep - we chose to ignore all of this well-meaning advice.
The Museo Nacional de Antropología is like the ultimate Mexican time capsule. Aztec calendars, Mayan artifacts, and giant Olmec heads that make you question how they were carved, let alone moved in to place. And the crown jewel - the massive Aztec Sun Stone. This 25-ton intricately carved basalt slab describing Aztec life is one of Mexico's most famous symbols. The stone was carved in the late 1400 but it was only discovered in 1790 buried beneath the Zócalo.
Feathered headdresses, conch shell instruments, and hypnotic drumming – Concheros dancers put on a show that’s part performance, part spiritual experience. This dance has roots in pre-Hispanic times and blends indigenous and Catholic traditions. It’s colorful, intense, and captivating.
Imagine climbing a tall pole and then gracefully spinning down head-first only being held by a flimsy rope – that’s Los Voladores de Papantla. It’s part ritual, part daredevil act, with performers, dressed in bright traditional outfits, perform this centuries-old ceremony to honor the gods.
Diego Rivera was a Mexican painter whose bold large-scale murals depicted Mexican history and society, especially the 1910 Mexican Revolution. His murals are larger than life, and some what morbid when you look closely.
While we could have easily spent a whole week exploring Mexico City, there was more to experience further afield. Just an hour outside of Mexico City, Teotihuacan is the kind of place that makes you feel like Indiana Jones – minus the danger plus more sunblock. This ancient city is home to the towering Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. Teotihuacan dates back to around 100 AD, and wandering around its massive avenue, Calzada de los Muertos (Avenue of the Dead), is like stepping back in time.
Xochimilco, located 28 km south of Mexico City, features a network of canals and artificial islands. This unique area is important for farming and is popular with colorful party boats that travel up and down the canals.
Standing amid rows of vibrant, juicy, lime green lettuce, one could easily be mistaken for being in a contemporary farm. However, these bountiful crops are part of a rich 1,000-year-old tradition that dates back to the time of the Aztecs.
We were fortunate enough to visit the fascinating community of San Pedro Tlahuac, which is home to Nahuatl descendants who are diligently working to keep their traditional way of life alive. These highly productive farms are, in fact, small artificial islands built on a freshwater lake, a unique practice known as chinampa farming, which has garnered recognition as a world heritage site.
With all this organic food available what better excuse to make our own fresh tacos.
While we could easily have spent several more days exploring Mexico City it was time to move on to our next city - Puebla - famous for mole poblano, chiles en nogada and Talavera pottery.
See Part 2 for this adventure.