Start of the Ruta Maya

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I did not eat here, I just had a cup of coffee and a great time enjoying the view over the Zocalo.

Metro : Chapultepec

This museum is very, very big. On the lower floor there are 12 exhibition halls, which show the different regions of Mexico, and one especially for the Maya culture; on the upper level you can see a collection of clothing, housings, and utensils of the 56 still existing local cultures in Mexico. You can easily spend a day in this really interesting museum. It is really interesting to visit this museum before you start exploring the different archeologically sites all across Mexico.

One of the highlights is the Calendar Stone. This is the beautiful Calendar Stone or the Sun Stone. The earth or Sun God in the middle is surrounded by the 20 symbols of the Aztec calendar. It is forbiden to make photos with a flash, so the picture I added is a postcard that I bought in the museumshop. The diameter of this stone is 3,6 m and the weight is 24 ton.

Metro Chapultepec

At the place where the Virgin appeared they built a church around 1566; later on around 1709 they built this Basilica. Due to shifting because of the draining of the underground, this old building is breaking down. Since it became unsafe to receive so many believers there, the people decided to build a new church next to the old one. With a complex construction of racks they have tried to conserve the old Basilica.

The interior of the old Basilica looks really beautiful. Personally I liked the interior of the old Basilica then the interior of the modern one.

The new Basilica was consecrated in 1976. To prevent jamming near the high altar, from where you can see the coat of Juan Diego, they have constructed a conveyer band, so that the pilgrims slowly pass by the holy Coat. On this coat you can see the portrait of the Virgin of Guadelupe. On the painting (pict 4) you can see Juan Diego with his coat and on the coat reflects the portrait of The Virgin. Note that the Virgin has a dark face.

There are two explanations why over here they call The Holy Virgin Guadelupe. The first version is that the Bishop who did not speak Nahuatl asked Juan Diego if the Virgin had told him her name. Juan Diego answered, "Yes, her name is Santa Maria Coatlaxopeuh (Holy Maria who trampled a snake)." Coatlaxopeuh was corrupted by the Bishop to Guadelupe. More likely the Virgin's name was imported by the Spanish. Most of the Conquistadores were coming from Extramadura, where this Virgin of Guadelupe already was known since 1322, in a village named after her.

Many, many Mariachi-groups are waiting here to play their songs; they can play anything from the saddest song to the most pleasant one. Till deep in the night these Mariachis play and sing every tear-jerker, every thing that you want to hear. You pay, they play, that is the way it goes.

On this Plaza Garibaldi, there were several beautiful statues of famous Mariachis. These statues were telling something about the history of this Plaza, like the memories to the glorious life of Jose Alfredo Jimenez (1926 – 1973) and also the Mexican idol Pedro Infante. Everywhere on this Plaza you saw Mariachi groups performing in front of a family, or in front a young couple who were deeply in love, or just near a restaurant table.

On this Plaza there were small groups of Mariachis, but there were also few big groups, and mostly they were playing for lots of people. Like that people started dancing just outside on the Plaza. It was great to see and to hear.

The third picture, Here you can see people spontaneously dancing to the sounds of the Mariachi music.

We stayed on this Plaza for several hours. It was so great to hear this music, and to see the beautifully dressed mariachis and also the joy of the local people. Can you imagine how it feels to sit on a bench on the Plaza Garibaldi, and listen to a Mariachi group who is playing and singing just in front of you? Well I know it must be difficult to imagine it, but believe me it gives you kind of chicken-skin.

Of course when you walk in a big city, you also see the not so beautiful things of our modern society like poverty and the homeless. As we passed this little park, El Jardin de la Solidaridad, we saw people camping in plastic self-made tents, our guide told us that it was kind of a demonstration of some homeless.

Another modern monument on Passeo de Reforme is El Caballito (little horse). It is 28 meters high and weight: 26 tons. Note also that in the front of the picture, you see people selling all kind of stuff along the streets.

Metro : Revolucion

Metro : Bellas Artes

Metro : Bellas Artes

This is a magnificent building. The Spanish used bricks and walls from the Aztec temples and pyramids which were located next to the Cathedral (now Temple Mayor). On the right of the Cathedral, there is the Sagrario Metropolitana, a small parish church, with a beautiful front. The interior of the Cathedral is also very beautiful. Especially the Altar de los Reyes is certainly a "must see".

Near the Cathedral, at Monte de Piedad, you can see a row of men. These men all represent different professions like electrician, painter, plumber, bricklayer. So in fact it looks like a public Interim office. If you need a certain job to be done at your home, over here you can rent a handyman. I believe this is really practical.

Metro : Zocalo

This is the most important Plaza of Mexico. It is used for official ceremonies and military parades. In the middle of this square you see the Mexican pride, a huge Mexican flag.

This square is surrounded by the Cathedral Metropolitana and the Palacio Nacional.

Metro : Zocalo

My guidebook said that one needs to show some ID to enter the Palacio, but we just walked in without showing anything, or maybe another possibility is the fact that we visited the Palacio as a group and that earlier our tour guide made the necessary arrangements, I don’t know. But if you want to enter without problems, carry your passport with you, so if they ask you can show it to heavily armed guards. By the way these guards do not like to be photographed. If you want a picture of these guards, ask authorization first.

The courtyard is built in a typical Spanish style. The Palacio Nacional is built on the same place were once stood the Palace of Moctezuma, were Herman Cortez has lived after he had conquered Mexico.

Metro : Zocalo

When you go up the main stairs, coming from the courtyard, you’ll see a very big wall painting. It shows a part of the Mexican history, like the Aztec period, the Colonial period, the French occupation, the Mexican revolution . . . Unfortunately, it was very dark at that place and it was prohibited to use a flash, so I was not able to make a picture of this masterpiece. The picture I added here is one of the many frescos you can see on the sidewalk at the first floor.

BY TAXI : Well, there are plenty of those green, Volkswagen Beetle taxis. Best is to ask the hotel reception to call for a taxi as it is safer. It can be dangerous, to take a taxi along the road, especially when you are travelling alone. There have been many ripp-offs in the past. This picture was made from the 44th floor of the Torre Latinoamericana.

BY METRO : Some guidebooks say that it is unsafe using the Metro in Mexico City. Anyway it is a cheap way of travelling (2 pesos for a ride), and very efficient if you have to travel from one end of the city to the other end. Maybe it is best to avoid the rush hours because then it is too crowded, but anyway even outside rush hours, you'll never be alone. Just be careful, carry your day-backpack in front of you, keep your wallet in a safe place, and leave all valuable documents in a safe in your hotel.