Mexico City, Distrito Federal

Mexico City is in the Distrito Federal, which is pretty much like the District of Columbia in the US.  Wikipedia describes it as follows:  "Mexico City is also known as the Federal District (Distrito Federal), a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states in particular. Instead, it belongs to the federation."  I wrote a little yesterday about the city ("Mexico City is a bustling, busy, dirty city, either the third or sixth largest urban agglomeration in the world, after Tokyo, Delhi, Sao Paolo, and Mumbai", but wanted to say a bit more.

The postcard above shows the National Palace and the Plaza de la Constitucion, often referred to as "Zocalo", which has come to mean center of town in many cities in Mexico. 

It is from the balcony above the central doorway (directly below large Mexican flat in the postcard) that the president of Mexico leads "el grito".  Wikipedia describes it well:  Above the central doorway, facing the Zócalo, is the main balcony where just before 11pm on September 15, the president of Mexico gives the Grito de Dolores, in a ceremony to commemorate Mexican Independence.   What Wikipedia doesn't say is that "el grito" is made up of the president yelling "Viva", and the throngs of people (the Zocalo is filled to capacity, with up to half a million people attending) responding "Mexico".  The Taco Bell commercials featuring the chihuahua from several years ago had a spot that had the chihuahua leading "el grito".  It was not received particularly well by Mexican-Americans.  It is also commonly thought in the US that Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) is Mexican indendence day, when in fact it is September 15.  Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican' army's  victory over the French in 1862.

Another interesting bit of information about the National Palace is that the site has been "a palace for the ruling class of Mexico since the Aztec empire, and much of the current palace's building materials are from the original one that belonged to Moctezuma II.   According to legend, the gods had advised the Aztecs that the place where they should establish their city was to be identified when they saw an eagle, perched on a prickly pear tree, devouring a serpent. They saw this mythical eagle on a marshy lake that is now the zócalo or main plaza in Mexico City.

Teotihuacan, Mexico

Teotihuacan, in the state of Mexico in the country of Mexico, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the most visited places in all of Mexico.  My family and I spent Good Friday here in 1998.

We had arrived in Mexico City the night before, on our way to a spring vacation in the Yucatan.  Mexico City is a bustling, busy, dirty city, either the third or sixth largest urban agglomeration in the world, after Tokyo, Delhi, Sao Paolo, and Mumbai, and when we arrived in the late afternoon it was packed with cars and people.  However, when we awoke Friday morning, everything felt eerily quiet. We looked out the hotel room window and saw a city that was almost completely empty - of people, of cars, of busses, everything.  It was unbelievable.  Who would think a city could shut down and all the people disappear overnight like that? But of course!  Good Friday in a predominantly Catholic Country. [Side note:  Speaking of Good Friday in a predominantly Catholic country, I read in the paper today that this coming Good Friday (next Friday), the pubs in Ireland will be open for the first time ever on a Good Friday, due to a giant rugby tournament, and the influx of thousands of thirsty rugby players and fans.  This struck me as being pretty funny.]

Sometimes you just get lucky.  We hired a driver to take us out to Teotihuacan, and when we arrived, saw throngs of people climbing the stairs of the Pyramid of the Sun.  We joined in, happening to reach the top of the pyramid at high noon.  There must have been a hundred people or more on top of the pyramid (it's really big), and every one of them had their hands raised over their heads and their faces turned to the sun, paying homage on Good Friday, I suppose.  "When in Rome," as they say, so the kids and I joined  in.  It felt tribal and spiritual and mystical, all at once, and we were a bit giddy afterwards.

If you get a chance, click on the link to the wiki on Teotihuacan.  The site is huge, with two pyramids (besides the Pyramid of the Sun, seen in the postcard on the left, is the Pyramid of the Moon, which can be seen in the far distance on postcards on the right) and a main boulevard called "Avenue of the Dead".  There's lot that isn't known about the place including who the people were who lived here, in a city estimated to have a population of up to 250,000 inhabitants at its peak.

Finally, it's Postcard Friendship Friday, with multiple postcard bloggers participating.  Check it out!

Museo de Antropologia, Mexico City

Have you ever been to the Museo de Antropologia in Mexico City?  It is an incredible place.  Here are two postcards  sent from there, one sent from the first time I was in Mexico City and just beginning my travels through Latin America, and the other sent when I took my kids to Mexico City 20 years later.

The first postcard reminded me that when I left to travel in Latin America, my family put up a large map of Latin American in the breakfast room.  When they received a postcard from me, they would put pins in every place I mentioned on the postcard, thus the listing:  Puebla, Cholula, Merida, Cuernavaca, Uxmal.  Through these pins, they were able to track my travels.

The second postcard was from a trip to Mexico with the kids.  Even though we were on our way to Akumal, on the beach in the Yucatan, I wanted them to know that Mexico isn't just beaches.  I think they got the message.