suenos de mexico: an ancient piece written for asu guide
Feb 11, 2022 1:42:56 GMT 2
shrjeff and sophie like this
Post by tzarine on Feb 11, 2022 1:42:56 GMT 2
thanks in advance for the read.
***
Called Cuzamil-Peten (Island of the Swallows) by its early residents, Cozumel was once a sleepy island getaway, where snorkeling and scuba remain the big draws. The reef's year-round visibility, accessibility and variety of marine life make Cozumel a popular destination for divers.
Downtown San Miguel retains its charm and the town square is still claimed by residents who promenade around on the balmy evenings. Tropical birds sing through the web of trees ringing the square. On some nights, bands perform here. Paletas (popsicles) in sandia, coco and melon are sold by ladies in traditional, embroidered frocks.
In the morning, we make our way to the Pastelería y Panadería on the corner of Avenida 5 Norte and Calle 4 Norte, where we pick up some conchas (rolls with a generous dusting of colored sugar). We then enjoy a walk along Malecon, the waterfront boulevard, to watch the fishing boats. This is the perfect way to start the day.
Las Tortugas, a popular open-air restaurant, serves such seafood such ceviche and Yucatan cuisine, including pibil (slowly cooked meat marinated in achiote, garlic and sour orange, then wrapped in banana leaves) and sopa de lima (a delicious chicken broth with shredded chicken, tortillas strips and lime).
We get into a taxi and the gregarious driver-convinced that I am part Mayan-engages me in a discussion about Madrid, which leads to the Castillian accent. He chuckles as he tells me he prefers the Mexican pronunciation corazon (heart) to the Castillian corathon.
Life inland remains fairly un-touched by tourism; towns are full of shops and loncherias. The loncherias next to the Mercado Municipal on Rosado Salas between Avenidas 20 and 25, are modest establishments that dish up authentic cooking-nothing fancy, but just a plate of enchiladas or chicken mole, a spicy, chili-chocolate sauce. The owner of our favorite, a plump woman in her 50's, comes out to chat and buys us locally bottled Cokes.
Juice bars serve refreshing licuados (fruit shakes made with either milk or water), with mango and papaya being our favorites. We also drink plenty of aguas, a thirst-quenching blend of fruit, water and sugar in such flavors as strawberry, horchata (cinnamon-rice flavor) and jamaica (hibiscus).
Rent a motorbike and make sure to get helmets. Pack a bag lunch, perhaps a torta, for a quiet picnic. We stop at the Temple to Goddess of Fertility and the Moon, Ixchel, at San Gervasio, in the center of the island. It is off a wickedly bumpy road, and the temple has become a bit rundown after a series of hurricanes.
A popular park, Parque Chan-kanaab, has a lovely beach with a lagoon featuring turtles and iguanas. Playa Palancar is a quiet, pleasant public beach south of town. There is a little restaurant and, after a swim, we enjoy shrimp ceviche and guacamole with fresh chips. At the southern tip of the island, Punta Celerain, lies a charming lighthouse.
We continue on our Honda along Cozumel's periphery. The Atlantic coast is wild, undeveloped and offers some spectacular seascapes, but the beaches tend to have rough seas and dangerous riptides. Along the coast are some beachside restaurants.
We take the ferry to the mainland and the charming Playa del Carmen, which actually has better beaches. A few years back, the town was a bit rough, but now has more European-run hotels and has always had good restaurants serving seafood. Playa makes a good base for day trips to the ruins on the sea, Tulum.
Chichén Itzá
Of all the Yucatan Peninsula's Mayan ruins, Chichén Itzá is one of the most impressive and the best known. In the 9th century, for no known reason, the Mayans abandoned the city. The centerpiece of the ruins is the magnificent pyramid, El Castillo. It is a steep climb, so good shoes and sunscreen are an absolute must. The intrepid climber is rewarded with the red jaguar throne with inlaid jade eyes and spots, which is inside the pyramid inside El Castillo.
The ball field has stone rings mounted at each wall. It is said that the losing teams were sacrificed; carved reliefs on the walls testify to the grisly fates of the less-athletic competitors. The Columns or Grupo de las Mil Columnas are also an impressive site.
El Caracol (The Observatory), was named "The Snail" by the Spaniards for its interior spiral staircase. We avoid the busloads of tourists and explore at the expansive site at our own pace.
Mexico City
Driving into Mexico City from the airport, we encounter a huge, modern metropolis, with grand avenues, spectacular monuments and historical sites created by Europeans and Aztecs. By any measure of population, Mexico City is one of the biggest cities in the world: eighth (8.3 million) by city limits; and second (22.1 million) by loosely defined metropolitan area.
The Palacio Nacional and the Catedral Metropolitana sit on the Zócalo, the main plaza of the city. Moctezuma built his palace here; Cortés destroyed it. The Palacio Nacional makes for a disconcerting visit; heavily armed guards patrol the building as you take in Diego Rivera's stunning and ambitious depiction of Mexican history, including images of Aztec civilization, the arrival of the plumed serpent spirit Quetzalcóatl, the first mestizo child, the devastation of Moctezuma's city and peasants rising up against the landlords in the 1910 revolution.
Also in the Zócalo is the Temple Mayor, a major archaeological site discovered by workers in the 1970's. Against the backdrop of the excavated ruin of the most important Aztec temple in the middle of a city, Aztec dancers perform clad in elaborate feather headdresses. Surrounding the Zócalo is a marketplace teeming with incredible street foods, so we decide to have an informal lunch of crisp, candied apples, freshly made tacos served with cilantro and lime, and my new favorite, blue-corn cakes with nopales (cactus). Just behind is a maze of shops selling everything from computer components to sewing goods.
On Independence Day, huge crowds gather in the Zócalo. There are fireworks and confetti so it is loud and fun, but the noise and crowds are a bit overwhelming.
Sanborns, a store and restaurant chain, is a local institution. Scattered throughout the city, they serve decent Mexican food and are good places to pick up a newspaper and have a drink. My favorite branch is Casa de Azul Lejos (House of Blue Tiles), featuring Moorish and Spanish motifs in an airy space adorned with a mural by Orozco and featuring a fountain in a courtyard.
Getting around the city by subway is easy and intuitive. The system is reminiscent of the Parisian Metro. The trains are fast, efficient and convenient.
I love Diego Rivera. He and his wife, the artist, Frida Kahlo (the intriguing subject of the movie "Frida" of a few years ago) have left their indelible imprint on the city. Part of our trip includes a quest to see his murals, which are throughout the city.
Rivera's "Sueño de una Tarde en la Alameda" (Dream of a Sunday Afternoon) in the Alameda was formerly housed in the Hotel Prado. When the devastating 1985 earthquake destroyed the building, the painting was moved to the Museo Mural Diego Rivera. The remarkable painting is an imaginary walk on the Alameda, populated with historical figures and members of Rivera's family, and also includes scenes from the Inquisition to Independence, farmers and laborers and the day-to-day life in Mexico, from the torta vendors. At the centerpiece are Frida Kahlo, and the artist depicted as a boy holding hands with a figure of Death, "La Calavera Catrina". It is a vivid work mixing politics with a sense of whimsy. Peasants, farmers and renewal through agriculture are recurrent themes of Rivera's work.
The Alameda, the downtown park, was once an Aztec market. During the Colonial period, this was where heretics were burned. Standing at the eastern side is the Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts), with its contrasting architectural styles. Its neo-Classical exterior, begun in 1904, does nothing for me; however, the glorious Deco interior completed in the 1930's is amazing. The three great muralists—Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueros—all have significant works here. The mural "El Hombre, Contralor del Universo" (Man, Controller of the Universe) is a copy of the mural in New York's Rockefeller Center that was destroyed by Rockefeller because Rivera included an image of Lenin in it. We are curious to see it since my husband once worked at Rockefeller Center.
We catch the Ballet Folklorico, the national dance company, at the auditorium at the Bellas Artes. It is an exuberant display of music, costumes and dances from all over the country.
There is a tiny Chinatown, any hankering for Chinese food can be satisfied at Hong King, on Dolores. We head to the nearby Churreria El Moro for a taste of Spain with churros (deep- fried dough sticks sprinkled with sugar) that we dip in cups of thick, hot chocolate.
The Bosque de Chapultepec offers a needed respite from the crowds and bustle of the city. The six columns of the Monumento a los Niños Heroes honors the boy martyrs who wrapped themselves in Mexican flags and hurled themselves to their deaths rather than surrender to the American army. On weekends, the park, technically a woods, is full of families relaxing.
On the grounds are the Castillo, where the Emperor Maximillian and Empress Carlota made their main residence in 1864. There is a zoo and the Museo de Arte Moderna and the Museo Anthropologic.
The Museo Anthropologic houses staggering collection of artifacts from pre-Hispanic Mexico. It is impossible to go through in just one visit. My favorite rooms are the Sala Mexica, which features the huge, circular sun calendar carved from stone, and the Sala Maya, with the mask of the rain god, Chac. Crossing the Bosque is one of the city's grand boulevards, the Paseo de la Reforma.
A stroll down Paseo de la Reforma and it all clicks: the resemblance to Madrid, the grand avenues stemming out from plazas. Here, monuments are to Independence and the last Aztec emperor, Cuauhtémoc.
In December, pelegrinos (pilgrims) come from across the country by the busload for prayers at the Basilica de Guadalupe. An Indian convert saw a vision of the Virgin in the 16th century. Her image hangs in a modern church, with the pilgrims ferried past the Virgin on a moving walkway. Around the church, stands sell every imaginable souvenir of the Virgin, from keychains and mirrors to miniature sculptures and elaborate altars.
At nightstands by subway stops, vendors makes fresh tortas (sandwiches with beef, ham or pork, avocado, cheese and jalapeno peppers). On cool evenings, get warm with mugs of atole, a hot chocolate drink thickened by masa (corn meal).
We head to Plaza Garibaldi for an old-fashioned night of entertainment. Pay for your own private serenade from a mariachi band, guitarists, violinists, trumpeters and singers in full regalia of sparkling outfits and sombreros. Top off the evening with a steaming bowl of pozole, a stew of hominy and vegetables and a mug of hot chocolate from one of the taquierias that surround the Plaza. You just might run into the bands.
Just outside the city lies Teotihuacán, the pyramids to the sun and the moon. Two symmetrical pyramids give intrepid climbers of all ages-from three-year-olds to their grandparents who walk ahead of us-glorious views of the ancient city. The Pyramide del Sol is the world's third largest, and Teotihuacán remains an important pilgrimage site.
With the heat and altitude, climb slowly.
At the end of our trip, I am left with my own sueños of Mexico: a quiet sunset on a deserted beach, the cheery owner of the loncheria, the awesome views of Teotihuacán and the vivid Rivera murals. Ah, Mexico.
***
Called Cuzamil-Peten (Island of the Swallows) by its early residents, Cozumel was once a sleepy island getaway, where snorkeling and scuba remain the big draws. The reef's year-round visibility, accessibility and variety of marine life make Cozumel a popular destination for divers.
Downtown San Miguel retains its charm and the town square is still claimed by residents who promenade around on the balmy evenings. Tropical birds sing through the web of trees ringing the square. On some nights, bands perform here. Paletas (popsicles) in sandia, coco and melon are sold by ladies in traditional, embroidered frocks.
In the morning, we make our way to the Pastelería y Panadería on the corner of Avenida 5 Norte and Calle 4 Norte, where we pick up some conchas (rolls with a generous dusting of colored sugar). We then enjoy a walk along Malecon, the waterfront boulevard, to watch the fishing boats. This is the perfect way to start the day.
Las Tortugas, a popular open-air restaurant, serves such seafood such ceviche and Yucatan cuisine, including pibil (slowly cooked meat marinated in achiote, garlic and sour orange, then wrapped in banana leaves) and sopa de lima (a delicious chicken broth with shredded chicken, tortillas strips and lime).
We get into a taxi and the gregarious driver-convinced that I am part Mayan-engages me in a discussion about Madrid, which leads to the Castillian accent. He chuckles as he tells me he prefers the Mexican pronunciation corazon (heart) to the Castillian corathon.
Life inland remains fairly un-touched by tourism; towns are full of shops and loncherias. The loncherias next to the Mercado Municipal on Rosado Salas between Avenidas 20 and 25, are modest establishments that dish up authentic cooking-nothing fancy, but just a plate of enchiladas or chicken mole, a spicy, chili-chocolate sauce. The owner of our favorite, a plump woman in her 50's, comes out to chat and buys us locally bottled Cokes.
Juice bars serve refreshing licuados (fruit shakes made with either milk or water), with mango and papaya being our favorites. We also drink plenty of aguas, a thirst-quenching blend of fruit, water and sugar in such flavors as strawberry, horchata (cinnamon-rice flavor) and jamaica (hibiscus).
Rent a motorbike and make sure to get helmets. Pack a bag lunch, perhaps a torta, for a quiet picnic. We stop at the Temple to Goddess of Fertility and the Moon, Ixchel, at San Gervasio, in the center of the island. It is off a wickedly bumpy road, and the temple has become a bit rundown after a series of hurricanes.
A popular park, Parque Chan-kanaab, has a lovely beach with a lagoon featuring turtles and iguanas. Playa Palancar is a quiet, pleasant public beach south of town. There is a little restaurant and, after a swim, we enjoy shrimp ceviche and guacamole with fresh chips. At the southern tip of the island, Punta Celerain, lies a charming lighthouse.
We continue on our Honda along Cozumel's periphery. The Atlantic coast is wild, undeveloped and offers some spectacular seascapes, but the beaches tend to have rough seas and dangerous riptides. Along the coast are some beachside restaurants.
We take the ferry to the mainland and the charming Playa del Carmen, which actually has better beaches. A few years back, the town was a bit rough, but now has more European-run hotels and has always had good restaurants serving seafood. Playa makes a good base for day trips to the ruins on the sea, Tulum.
Chichén Itzá
Of all the Yucatan Peninsula's Mayan ruins, Chichén Itzá is one of the most impressive and the best known. In the 9th century, for no known reason, the Mayans abandoned the city. The centerpiece of the ruins is the magnificent pyramid, El Castillo. It is a steep climb, so good shoes and sunscreen are an absolute must. The intrepid climber is rewarded with the red jaguar throne with inlaid jade eyes and spots, which is inside the pyramid inside El Castillo.
The ball field has stone rings mounted at each wall. It is said that the losing teams were sacrificed; carved reliefs on the walls testify to the grisly fates of the less-athletic competitors. The Columns or Grupo de las Mil Columnas are also an impressive site.
El Caracol (The Observatory), was named "The Snail" by the Spaniards for its interior spiral staircase. We avoid the busloads of tourists and explore at the expansive site at our own pace.
Mexico City
Driving into Mexico City from the airport, we encounter a huge, modern metropolis, with grand avenues, spectacular monuments and historical sites created by Europeans and Aztecs. By any measure of population, Mexico City is one of the biggest cities in the world: eighth (8.3 million) by city limits; and second (22.1 million) by loosely defined metropolitan area.
The Palacio Nacional and the Catedral Metropolitana sit on the Zócalo, the main plaza of the city. Moctezuma built his palace here; Cortés destroyed it. The Palacio Nacional makes for a disconcerting visit; heavily armed guards patrol the building as you take in Diego Rivera's stunning and ambitious depiction of Mexican history, including images of Aztec civilization, the arrival of the plumed serpent spirit Quetzalcóatl, the first mestizo child, the devastation of Moctezuma's city and peasants rising up against the landlords in the 1910 revolution.
Also in the Zócalo is the Temple Mayor, a major archaeological site discovered by workers in the 1970's. Against the backdrop of the excavated ruin of the most important Aztec temple in the middle of a city, Aztec dancers perform clad in elaborate feather headdresses. Surrounding the Zócalo is a marketplace teeming with incredible street foods, so we decide to have an informal lunch of crisp, candied apples, freshly made tacos served with cilantro and lime, and my new favorite, blue-corn cakes with nopales (cactus). Just behind is a maze of shops selling everything from computer components to sewing goods.
On Independence Day, huge crowds gather in the Zócalo. There are fireworks and confetti so it is loud and fun, but the noise and crowds are a bit overwhelming.
Sanborns, a store and restaurant chain, is a local institution. Scattered throughout the city, they serve decent Mexican food and are good places to pick up a newspaper and have a drink. My favorite branch is Casa de Azul Lejos (House of Blue Tiles), featuring Moorish and Spanish motifs in an airy space adorned with a mural by Orozco and featuring a fountain in a courtyard.
Getting around the city by subway is easy and intuitive. The system is reminiscent of the Parisian Metro. The trains are fast, efficient and convenient.
I love Diego Rivera. He and his wife, the artist, Frida Kahlo (the intriguing subject of the movie "Frida" of a few years ago) have left their indelible imprint on the city. Part of our trip includes a quest to see his murals, which are throughout the city.
Rivera's "Sueño de una Tarde en la Alameda" (Dream of a Sunday Afternoon) in the Alameda was formerly housed in the Hotel Prado. When the devastating 1985 earthquake destroyed the building, the painting was moved to the Museo Mural Diego Rivera. The remarkable painting is an imaginary walk on the Alameda, populated with historical figures and members of Rivera's family, and also includes scenes from the Inquisition to Independence, farmers and laborers and the day-to-day life in Mexico, from the torta vendors. At the centerpiece are Frida Kahlo, and the artist depicted as a boy holding hands with a figure of Death, "La Calavera Catrina". It is a vivid work mixing politics with a sense of whimsy. Peasants, farmers and renewal through agriculture are recurrent themes of Rivera's work.
The Alameda, the downtown park, was once an Aztec market. During the Colonial period, this was where heretics were burned. Standing at the eastern side is the Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts), with its contrasting architectural styles. Its neo-Classical exterior, begun in 1904, does nothing for me; however, the glorious Deco interior completed in the 1930's is amazing. The three great muralists—Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueros—all have significant works here. The mural "El Hombre, Contralor del Universo" (Man, Controller of the Universe) is a copy of the mural in New York's Rockefeller Center that was destroyed by Rockefeller because Rivera included an image of Lenin in it. We are curious to see it since my husband once worked at Rockefeller Center.
We catch the Ballet Folklorico, the national dance company, at the auditorium at the Bellas Artes. It is an exuberant display of music, costumes and dances from all over the country.
There is a tiny Chinatown, any hankering for Chinese food can be satisfied at Hong King, on Dolores. We head to the nearby Churreria El Moro for a taste of Spain with churros (deep- fried dough sticks sprinkled with sugar) that we dip in cups of thick, hot chocolate.
The Bosque de Chapultepec offers a needed respite from the crowds and bustle of the city. The six columns of the Monumento a los Niños Heroes honors the boy martyrs who wrapped themselves in Mexican flags and hurled themselves to their deaths rather than surrender to the American army. On weekends, the park, technically a woods, is full of families relaxing.
On the grounds are the Castillo, where the Emperor Maximillian and Empress Carlota made their main residence in 1864. There is a zoo and the Museo de Arte Moderna and the Museo Anthropologic.
The Museo Anthropologic houses staggering collection of artifacts from pre-Hispanic Mexico. It is impossible to go through in just one visit. My favorite rooms are the Sala Mexica, which features the huge, circular sun calendar carved from stone, and the Sala Maya, with the mask of the rain god, Chac. Crossing the Bosque is one of the city's grand boulevards, the Paseo de la Reforma.
A stroll down Paseo de la Reforma and it all clicks: the resemblance to Madrid, the grand avenues stemming out from plazas. Here, monuments are to Independence and the last Aztec emperor, Cuauhtémoc.
In December, pelegrinos (pilgrims) come from across the country by the busload for prayers at the Basilica de Guadalupe. An Indian convert saw a vision of the Virgin in the 16th century. Her image hangs in a modern church, with the pilgrims ferried past the Virgin on a moving walkway. Around the church, stands sell every imaginable souvenir of the Virgin, from keychains and mirrors to miniature sculptures and elaborate altars.
At nightstands by subway stops, vendors makes fresh tortas (sandwiches with beef, ham or pork, avocado, cheese and jalapeno peppers). On cool evenings, get warm with mugs of atole, a hot chocolate drink thickened by masa (corn meal).
We head to Plaza Garibaldi for an old-fashioned night of entertainment. Pay for your own private serenade from a mariachi band, guitarists, violinists, trumpeters and singers in full regalia of sparkling outfits and sombreros. Top off the evening with a steaming bowl of pozole, a stew of hominy and vegetables and a mug of hot chocolate from one of the taquierias that surround the Plaza. You just might run into the bands.
Just outside the city lies Teotihuacán, the pyramids to the sun and the moon. Two symmetrical pyramids give intrepid climbers of all ages-from three-year-olds to their grandparents who walk ahead of us-glorious views of the ancient city. The Pyramide del Sol is the world's third largest, and Teotihuacán remains an important pilgrimage site.
With the heat and altitude, climb slowly.
At the end of our trip, I am left with my own sueños of Mexico: a quiet sunset on a deserted beach, the cheery owner of the loncheria, the awesome views of Teotihuacán and the vivid Rivera murals. Ah, Mexico.