Mexico City well balanced: two museums, four lunches

1. The Centro Histórico - Mexico City’s historical center consists mainly of centuries old colonial buildings. Several churches, including the largest church in Latin America - the Mexican Metropolitan Cathedral - adorn this area. Several history museums are also in this area.
2. The National Museum of Anthropology located in the forest of Chapultepec - one of the world’s great museums and the undisputed leader in the field of Mexican Anthropology. All major Mexican civilizations are covered.
3. The Museo del Templo Mayor (Museum of the Great Temple) situated in between the cathedral and the Offices of the President is a fantastic museum and archeological site depicting life in Tenochtitlán before the Spanish reduced it to rubble and replaced it with Mexico City.
4. Having a michelada (beer with ice, some lime juice and salt) on the roof of the Hotel Majestic. The views of the activities in the Zócalo (main square) with its huge Mexican flag are only equaled by those fortunately enough to work in the Palacio National (Offices of the President) on the opposite site of the square.
5. Real Mexican food - not oily or fattening and with the chili mostly served on the side.

Quick Tips:

During this visit to Mexico City the emphasis was not really on sightseeing. The only new site for me was the Templo Mayor and I instantly regretted having waited so long to see it. I was also happy to see the level of building activity in the Centro Histórico and hope that will transform the area back to a safe and more pleasant area, as there are some incredibly beautiful buildings. Similarly the magnificent boulevard Paseo de Reforma lined with trees, statues and monuments (and too many cars!) is also being beautified at the moment.

Absolute must-sees in Mexico City are the Centro Histórico and the National Museum of Anthropology before heading out of the city to see the archeological site Teotihuacán. Then add personal interest sites such as the Frida Kahlo, Diego Riviera and Trotsky museums in the south of the city or modern art and history museums in Chapultepec.

Enjoy some real Mexican food as oppose to the artery clogging Tex-Mex that most Mexican restaurants around the world serve. However, avoid food from street stalls unless you have intestines of stainless steel - Moctezuma’s revenge is no joke.

Best Way To Get Around:

Driving yourself in Mexico City unless you are familiar with the roads and Mexican driving style clearly is the worst option. The Metro system is cheap and reliable but can get very crowded and petty theft is a problem especially at the stations close to the major tourist destinations.

Hailing taxis on the street is potentially dangerous - even Mexican citizens get robbed by bogus taxis cruising the streets. Taking a taxi from a taxi stand (sitio) is considerably safer. More expensive but also more luxurious and safer taxis are available from all major hotels.

A new alternative is the Turibus - an open top double-decker bus, which runs a circle route including Chapultepec, Centro Histórico and Reforma. Although we haven’t used it ourselves these Turibuses appeared popular.

Ever since the arrival of the automobile, walking has been declining in popularity in Mexico City despite the almost permanent gridlock all over the city. However, the Centro Histórico can easily (and should) be done on foot but even here watch your step.

The restaurant on the roof of the Hotel Majestic came highly recommended as it offers a superb view over the Zócalo, the enormous square in the center of Mexico City. Feeling peckish, we crossed the Zócalo from the Cathedral and tried to find the entrance to the hotel among the clutter of small jewelry shops that occupy the street level of the building. Here, a few outdoor tables and chairs level form the rather unappealing Majestic Café, but this is not where you want to be -- head for the lobby entered from the side street and ask for the restaurant. The hotel dates from 1937 and the elevator may well be the original -- it is driver-operated, but surprisingly quiet, and will swoosh you up to the seventh floor fast.

The restaurant has both an indoor area as well as a large veranda. The indoor area is slightly more elegant, but all tourists head straight for the veranda, which is covered by canopies according to the weather. The view is superb -- you are almost at eye-level with the massive Mexican flag and the view of the cathedral and the Palacio National is inhibited. Some street noise also drifts up, but it''s not intrusive, apart from the police officer using a megaphone to move cars along.

The menu offers typical Mexican dishes -- not Tex-Mex -- as well as more standard international fare such as pastas and various meat dishes. Most of the main courses, especially the more international ones, looked a bit expensive and priced for the foreign tourist market. We were planning on having Mexican food anyway and the Executive Lunch Set at NM$85 looked like fair value. I had the soup of the day (cream of cilantro, which fortunately didn’t taste too strongly of the main ingredient) and slices of beef with onion, while my wife had a green salad and chicken with mole. The dessert was a rather cheap-tasting ice cream, although the coffee was surprisingly good and strong.

Service was prompt, friendly and fairly efficient as I came to expect in Mexico City restaurants. (Decent restaurants here don’t tend to employ part-time staff.) Most of the other patrons were Europeans, which was not surprising given the location and the early hour -- at 1pm, most self-respecting Mexicans are still two hours away from lunch.

The food was fair to good, but not so good that I’m planning to eat here again. I’d be happy to return for the view and would strongly recommend that, but on such occasion, I would stick to drinks only and eat elsewhere.

(The Majestic Hotel is currently part of the Best Western group. A friend who stayed here a few years ago said it was OK, the view of the Zócalo set the mood, but the street noise, especially early in the morning, drove him away forever.)

Hotel Majestic Restaurant Terazza Av Madero # 73 Col Centro Tel: 5521 86 00

Sanborns is a nationwide chain of family restaurants with a shop attached. The restaurants offer both traditional Mexican dishes, as well as some Tex-Mex and international fare. The shops sell books, magazines, CDs, electronics, as well as sweets and usually a pharmacy and ATM are located inside the stores. The range of English books and magazines depends on the specific location.

As chains of family restaurants go, this isn’t a bad one and we frequent them on every visit. The food is generally tasty and reasonably priced. The selection available is vast, so there is something for every taste and occasion. Breakfast is served until 1pm and can be a full Mexican or American breakfast or lighter stuff such as hot cakes and waffles or yogurt and muesli. Most of the food is traditional Mexican and full meals include the traditional pasta or rice dishes served as starters to a meat main course. Lighter fare such as enchiladas and tacos as well as true Tex-Mex fajitas and burritos are also available. Various international options such as sandwiches and burgers are also available to make it a true family restaurant even for foreigners with picky children. A range of cakes is on offer to round off a full meal or to enjoy with coffee only. If you come for the latter only, it is considered good form NOT to help yourself from the breadbasket that usually arrives with the menus.

Sanborns always have fresh flowers on each table and always a combination of red and white -- usually carnations. According to tradition, the original owner was told that his enterprise would prosper as long as red and white flowers appear together on the tables. The waitresses wear colorful traditional Mexican dresses and service is usually good. Décor varies by location.

The first Sanborns was opened in the Casa de Azulejos in the Centro Histórico and it still occupies this building. The location is superb and the décor here fantastic consisting of centuries old tile mosaics. Although you could probably find better restaurants in the center of Mexico City going to Sanborns here is not a bad choice. The food is good and reasonably priced and you are assured of both Mexican and more international food. Also lunch in Mexico can be a leisurely affair taking easily two hours so service in many restaurants can be slow for the simple reason that most patrons are in no rush. However, if you don’t want to waste daylight sightseeing hours on lunch, you can be in and out of Sanborns in 20 minutes.

Furthermore, and frequent visitors to these shores can confirm the importance of the following: I’ve been sick in Mexico City many times, but never has a meal in Sanborns been the prime suspect.

La Casa de los Azulejos Francisco Madero 73-7 Tel: 5510 3748

My wife had a business meeting earlier in the day, so she was dressed for the Sheraton -- the rest of us were not. However, El Cardenal in the recently opened Sheraton Centro Histórico came highly recommended, so off we went to line up at the valet parking next to flashy new SUVs in our 17-year-old Nissan Tsuru, which was dented on every corner, with no flat surface unscratched and a suspect exhaust.

El Cardenal is located on the ground floor at the main entrance to the Sheraton and the place is beautiful. The restaurant is airy and spacious, like the hotel lobby it faces through huge clear glass doors. The décor is modern, but restrained, with clean lines and just a hint of Mexico. Nothing garish, nothing fake, with pleasant background music staying in the background.

We arrived shortly after 2pm, which is early, but an acceptable time for lunch in Mexico City. We were shown to the best table available and no attempt was made to shovel us to the corner despite the casual attire. Shortly after 3pm, the place was packed with ties and suits.

The food here is traditional Mexican -- fajitas, burritos and nachos are NOT on the menu. It was a hot day so we started off with a round of refreshing micheladas (beer -- I prefer Bohemia -- with ice, lemon and salt).

For starters, we had the complimentary avocado with cheese and green tomato and onion salsa on small corn tortillas to which we added shrimp tacos and a cheese wrapped in zucchini flowers. All were superb, but the latter on its own would entice me to return. The main courses were grilled chicken with wonderful spices and nopales (cactus) and guacamole on the side, chicken enchiladas with mole (a traditional Mexican slightly spicy chocolate sauce), and beef and onions served in gateau style between tortillas. The food was cooked to perfection and all could be termed low fat, as much of traditional Mexican food actually is. However, our desert selection was high in taste and calories: crepes with a cheese filling and fruit sauce, corn cake and three-cheese cake. We topped the meal of with coffees and cappuccinos, the latter made stronger by request to resemble European strength, as opposed to the more common very weak coffee served in Mexico.

Service was superb throughout, as one would expect from a good restaurant in Mexico City. The waiters were attentive and friendly without being overbearing. One friend was hovering in his decision between two beers when the server noticed his accent and, to his delight, suggested a beer from his hometown.

The total meal including drinks and tip worked out to just less than US$20 per person, which is very good value taking into the account the quantity and quality of the food. Throw in the location and superb service and it becomes a real bargain.

El Cardenal, Hotel Sheraton Centro Histórico, Av Juárez # 70, Tel: 55186632

We had a leisurely two-hour lunch with friends in the Bistro-Restaurant Salut les Copains in Havre Street just off the magnificent Reforma Boulevard. The restaurant is part of a larger and very elegant French-Mexican culture center, which includes a French book shop, an exhibition area, as well as what seemed to be space for lectures or workshops.

It was a hot sunny day, but pleasant in the shade, so we selected a table on the terrace. Refreshing lemonade was produced swiftly while we studied the menu. Although the fare was clearly French, the menu was in Spanish only. For lunch, only set-menus are available and include a salad or soup, a main meat course, and dessert. Vegetarians will go home truly hungry.

The salads were fresh, although the dressing rather bland. Although the bread was tasty, I thought it a bit dry. The main courses were cooked to perfection. Three of us had chicken: mine was flattened chicken breasts in a cream sauce flavored with tarragon and perhaps a touch of orange -- I couldn’t really made my mind up on that and regret not having asked as it was divine and worth trying to reproduce at home. It was accompanied by a small selection of vegetables and fried potatoes with onions. The two other chickens had an equally tasty basil sauce accompanied by vegetables and rice. The fourth person in the party raved about her salmon, which was also smothered in a creamy sauce of some kind.

I actually felt like meat, but as my understanding of very well-done and that of the average French cook differs radically, I decided not to. The men at the table next to us had two different steak choices and I was surprised to see that it was well-done with only the slightest touch of pink. My chicken was tasty enough that I didn’t regret my choice, but next time . . .

Desert was a passion fruit sherbet and fig cake -- both were good, but the sherbet was particularly refreshing. I scored again as they ran out of fig cake and offered me an even better chocolate cake instead. We rounded the meal off with cappuccino, unfortunately with very weak coffee, as the Mexicans prefer it.

The set lunches range in price from just over US$8 to just less than US$12. Including drinks and tip, the bill came to less than US$15 per person, which I considered excellent value for the quality of the food and the pleasant surroundings.

It was hard to pinpoint the average lunchtime clientele. Some were office workers from the nearby business district while other seemed to be ladies at leisure. There were also a significant number of older French ladies dining either alone or in pairs who clearly knew a bargain when they tasted one.

Salut les Copains Casa de Francia Havre 15 (off Reforma) Colonia Juárez

Continued from Part 1

The largest hall in the museum is not surprisingly dedicated to the Mexica -- more often known as the Aztecs, although the Aztecs was just one nation in a much larger grouping. In this hall, much more information is available on all aspects of this fascinating civilization. Minor information boards are once again in Spanish only but all general aspects of Mexica life and culture are in both English and Spanish.

The main display in this hall is also the pride of the Museum and Mexico -- the massive round Sun Stone. This stone was lost after the destruction of the Major Temple complex of Tenochtitlán by the Spanish conquistadors in 1521, but was rediscovered in the center of Mexico in 1790. It is often incorrectly described as the Aztec calendar, but in reality forms only a part of it. (Most postcards and even most books on sale in the Museum shop still call it the Aztec Calendar, although newer ones refer to it somewhat grudgingly as the "Sun Stone (Aztec Calendar)."

Other displays here include paintings and models of what Tenochtitlán and the Mayor Temple complex looked like prior to destruction and rebirth as Mexico City in the 16th century. The larger stone statues and round stone altars receive the most attention, but there are also interesting smaller items of note. These range from items of every day use, such as vessels and kitchen utensils, to religious paraphernalia, such as incense burners with the most bizarre carvings. Always popular are the knives made of obsidian stone and decorated with sinister smiling faces made of stones inlays. These surprisingly small knives were used in the "cut out the heart" ceremonies that were a central part of the Mexica religious views in which the blood offerings of human captives were used to return blood and thus life to the earth via the Sun and war god.

The Mexica and especially the Aztecs were predominantly warrior nations. It should therefore not be surprising that their scientific, art and architectural achievements did not really surpass those of other civilizations that lived slightly earlier in Mexico. This can be seen vividly when the Mexica is compared with the exhibits in the hall dedicated to the civilizations that lived in the present state of Oaxaca. For me of particular interest here is the civilization of the Zapotecas who lived in Monte Alban just outside the present-day city of Oaxaca. This civilization reached its peak between 300 and 700 A.D. and among other things performed some kind of brain surgery! Skulls have been found that were opened and the patients survived several years after. The search for the herbs and medicines that were used to control both pain and infection are still continuing in the valleys of Oaxaca.

National Museum of Anthropology Paseo de la Reforma Chapultepec, Mexico City Open: 09:00 - 18:00, Tue - Sun

On several previous visits to the Historical Center, I missed out on visiting this major Museum. However, this time around, I was determined to finally see the excavations and made a visit to the Museum my primary purpose of going to the Center.

The Museo Templo Mayor (Great Temple) is located next to the Zócalo (Main Plaza) between the Office of the President and the Cathedral. The Spanish conquistadors made it a policy to build churches on or right next to the indigenous religious sites and the massive Mexican Metropolitan Cathedral, Latin America’s largest, was no exception.

Mexico City, or Tenochtitlán as it was then known, made an awesome impression on the Spanish conquistadors who first saw the capital of the Aztec Empire in 1518. It was a city build on islands in a large lake. It was as large as the largest European city and its splendor exceeded much of what was known on the old Continent.

As in Spain, religion played a dominant role in the Aztec Empire and it should have been no surprise to the Spanish that the largest constructions in the city were temples to the various gods. None was larger or more important than the Templo Mayor (Great Temple) dedicated to the gods Tlaloc (rain and water) and Huitzilopochtli (war). Twin shrines were built on top of a huge pyramid, which in its final incarnation measured 45m high with a base of 76m by 81m. (In contrast, the Metropolitan Cathedral is 60m high).

The pyramid and temples were painted predominantly white, although it was soon confirmed that some of the red marks were indeed the blood of human offerings. This was the Hill of the Serpent, the most sacred of Aztec sites and the place where around 1325, an eagle was seen perched on a cactus devouring a snake -- glance at the Mexican flag for a picture telling more than a thousand words -- which was the sign that the new Aztec city must be founded here.

The conquistadors were disgusted with the human offerings, but more than enchanted by the obvious wealth of the city, and they set out to conqueror and loot the Aztec Empire. It is a history of intrigue, deceit, and dastardly deeds, which led to the end of the Aztec Empire and the attempted destruction of all its religious symbols.

The museum consists of two distinct parts: an outdoor archaeological site of excavations and a museum building exhibiting the findings at the site, as well as Aztec life in general.

Entry is NM$ 37 -- a sign claims that correct change is needed and change cannot be given to people paying with a Peso 50 note! Remember to keep the ticket at hand as you need to show it again when moving from the archaeological site into the museum building.

Open: Tuesday through Sunday 9am-6pm

Continue to Templo 2

Continued from Temple 1

It was never the intention that any part of the Temple Mayor would ever be seen again and the zealous had success for almost half a millennium. However, in 1978, diggings to install electrical cables led to the discovery of a large round stone carving of the dismembered body of the goddess Coyolxauhqui. Further archaeological excavations followed and resulted in the uncovering of parts of the original Templo Mayor. It has long been known that the pyramids, on top of which the temples were built, were frequently enlarged by adding new layers to the existing ones and excavations at this site revealed the remains of seven stages of construction.

The first part of the museum is these mostly uncovered archaeological excavations -- even in spring, the sun baked down mercilessly. Special elevated walkways lead the visitor through the site with explanations (in Spanish only) at the more important discoveries. Most of the large stone snakes are copies, with the originals inside the museum to protect the stone from pollution.

The first temple was constructed around 1325, but is still buried underneath the second stage, which escaped most of the violent destruction of the five layers above it and is virtually intact. On the right-hand side is the temple to the god of war: here a small black stone can be seen which was used during the ceremonies surrounding human sacrifice. Inside the museum is a display of the obsidian knives that were used to cut out the beating hearts of human sacrifices. Afterwards, the dead bodies were thrown down the pyramids. At the left-hand side of the pyramid -- the side of the god of rain and water -- a chacmool used for more peaceful offerings can be seen. Also note the sloping of what should have been horizontal surfaces -- a consequence of the soft foundations of the island, which led to the sinking of the pyramid over time.

Of the newer pyramids, little remained apart from a few of the original steps, which resemble walls as the dirt between them had been removed. Of the most recent pyramid, the one seen by the conquistadors, only the lower levels remained, including a couple of large stone snakes, frogs, and snaked heads.

The last parts of the excavations are mercifully under cover -- it covers the quarters of the eagle warriors. Some exquisite wall decorations were preserved. Before entering the museum building, note the surrounding "newer" buildings. Construction of the enormous Mexican Cathedral started in 1525 and it is therefore not much older than the final stage of the destroyed temple. Also note the buildings that were literally cracked open by earthquakes -- a natural consequence of the drying out of the lake bed on which modern Mexico City was built.

Continue to Templo 3

Continued from Templo 2

The Museum building offers a welcome cool atmosphere after the baking sun. Audio sets are available for rent. We didn’t use them, but they will be invaluable to visitors unable to understand the Spanish-only descriptions in this museum. The museum has two things I really appreciate: a well-marked recommended route that guides you through the museum and allow you to see all exhibitions without having to dash to and fro, backtrack wondering whether you are missing something important; and descriptions large enough to easily read from a comfortable distance without having to rub your nose against the wall.

The museum covers much more than just the excavations of the Templo Mayor, although the emphasis is naturally on the local findings. The star attractions are the huge round stone of Coyolxauhqui and the statues of the eagle warriors.

Close to the entrance is a large model of what the total temple complex must have looked like -- there were many other temples in addition to the Templo Mayor. However, the Templo Mayor towered over all and small figures emphasize its size compared to humans as well. Another model shows a cutaway of the Templo Mayor -- after seeing this model it is much easier to understand the archaeological site outside.

Other halls cover the daily life of the Aztecs according to themes such as agriculture, fauna and flora, trade -- they understood globalization even though their world was much smaller -- and several dealing with religious aspects such as rituals, burial and the individual gods.

The most important god to the Mexicas was Huitzilopochtli, the god of war, who also provided blood to the Sun. The latter function required human sacrifices, which kept the Aztec military busy and in control of the empire. One of the shrines on top of the large pyramid of the Templo Mayor was dedicated to this god and his thirst for blood.

In Mexica mythology, Coatlicue was the earth and her children were the stars, the moon (the god Coyolxauhqui) and the sun (none other than Huitzilopochtli himself). However, prior to the sun’s birth, the moon became jealous and incited her brothers the stars to kill their mother and the child in her womb. However, before Jerry Springer could sort it all out, the sun was born fully armed for war and promptly beheaded the Moon and watch her body being dismembered by every twist and turn of it rolling down the mountain. This dismemberment of the moon can be observed during every lunar month or if time is pressing simply look at the carvings on the 8 ton, 3.25'' diameter round stone of Coyolxauhqui.

It was the finding of this stone in 1978, which resulted in the excavation of the Templo Mayor and the opening of this very fine museum about a decade later.

The National Museum of Anthropology must rate as one of the great museums in the world and as far as Mexican anthropology is concerned, it is unsurpassed. The building itself is a masterpiece from the late 1960s. It has 26 exhibition rooms arranged on two floors around a huge square. Part of the square is covered by a roof, which seems to be suspended in the air with a waterfall rushing down a huge column, which protrudes through a hole in the middle of the roof.

The first halls give an introduction to anthropology in general and then move to Mexico specific. The halls on Teotihuacan, the Olmecs, and Tula have impressive displays, but the little information available is only in Spanish and even this is so limited that it is hard to make sense out of it all without prior knowledge. Also, some of the displays are copies while others -- even very large ones -- are original, but no explanation is given.

The largest hall is dedicated to the Mexica -- see separate Mexica Exhibitions entry.

Further halls cover the inhabitants of northern Mexico, but these are generally of lesser interest compared to the other more famous civilizations. The exhibitions on the Mayas were closed for renovation. The second floor of the museum is dedicated to contemporary life of the indigenous people of Mexico.

A restaurant serving both Mexican and American style food is available but mostly frequented by foreigners -- the average Mexican visitor (correctly) expects a markup. We only had lemonade, but the other patrons generally seemed satisfied with the food, although I personally won’t time my visit to have a meal there.

The museum is huge and civilization fatigue sets in after a while. It may be best to select a few halls in advance rather than to rush through trying to see it all and in the end not having a clue if the Atlantes were Mayan or Aztec.** An audio guide (US$6) may be a sensible option for those with limited Spanish.

Entry to the museum is a bargain at Pesos 37 (about $3.50). On Sundays the museum is free for Mexican citizens -- official documents are needed as proof and actually verified -- so expect more families and school children doing assignments. On Sundays, the museum is busy but not unpleasantly so -- tour groups on guided tours rushing behind guides with little regard to other visitors are more of a nuisance.

On Sundays, there are always some stalls set up in front of the museum selling drinks, snacks and a lot of plastic junk and arts of lesser quality. Of more interests are the conchero dancers and the voladores pole ceremony – still considered more a religious ceremony rather than entertainment, but the money collectors do come by around halfway through the display.

(** It was Toltec!)

Continue to Mexica Exhbitions