Hola, CDMX!
- jill
- Jan 14, 2022
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 16, 2022
19 December 2021
After a rough night, I made it to the Miami airport--Uber was much cheaper this morning! Security took about 45 minutes and waiting for Starbucks took another 30 minutes...so I strolled up to my gate about 10 minutes before boarding time.
Flight was much more normal today...taking off on time. I got into Mexico City at 945 am and went through customs/immigration thinking I was ahead of the game because I filled out the official form online before I got there and had it ready to go. I get up to the immigration agent who tells me they no longer accept the internet form (then why is it on the official website?). He hands me a paper form and I go fill it out and get back in line. This time, he tells me I didn't fill out the bottom section (difficult to know since it is all in Spanish). I go fill that part out and get BACK in line again. FINALLY they let me in :-)
I find an ATM and get some pesos (winds up being all I need for the entire trip) and then head to the Telcel store in the airport to get a Mexican SIM card for my phone--only $6 for 15 days of data. I call Uber, and the driver knows more English than I know Spanish!
My driver tells me some good places to go, and says he knows Atlanta--"the home of Coca-Cola!"--and he also knows that we are the only state whose metro goes to the airport, lol.
I make it to my Airbnb by around 1130 or so (my Uber driver tells me "be careful" as he drives away) and luckily I'm able to check in early so I can get organized and ready for the rest of my day. Had some trouble figuring out the TV but finally got it working and got unpacked.
Made my way to the closest Metro station--about a 5 min walk-- and got a Metro card and added some credits to it--very cheap here (about 25 cents per ride). I headed from there to a taco place I had read about that was supposed to have the best tacos de canasta (basket tacos--tacos literally sold out of a basket) which are flat.
On my way there, I passed the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) which is an amazing building. I also passed the House of Blue Tiles (exactly what it sounds like...although I later learn there used to be several of them on this street) and a hidden outdoor courtyard area that featured an exhibition by Dali/Rodin--a bunch of sculptures just out in the open!
I made my way to Los Especiales and waited in a long line for my food--5 tacos, guac, pickled carrots/jalapenos and drink for $2.50--but worth it. Really good, but I couldn't even finish them! I tore a hole in the guac bag and put that on the tacos, but the pickled veg was pretty spicy so I just ate some of the carrots. I got one chicharron adobe (fried pork rinds/sauce), two mashed potato, and two refried bean. Took my tacos to the Zocalo (the main square) and sat to enjoy.
The Zocalo was filled with people, Christmas decorations, and a large Christmas fair with rides, a stage, and special souvenirs. My tour started at the Metropolitan Catedral, right on the square. I'm a bit early, so I headed inside and see an incredible place. I can feel the floor sloping as I walk, and later find out that because CDMX was built on water, all the buildings are slowly sinking into the ground.
The tour began here in the Zocalo. It was originally for a large statue, but the statue was never finished. It is the biggest square in America and officially known as Constitution Square. It stands on the site of what used to be Aztec temples and there were a bunch of sacrifices made here. Facing the Catedral, the National Palace is on the right. The President of Mexico lives here since 2018 and it was the first building built when the Spanish arrived--construction began in 1522. It is considered the most important building in CDMX. The Supreme Court building is at the far right end of the building and the Governor's Building is also on this square.
Then we turn to the Metropolitan Catedral--one of the most beautiful churches I've ever seen. It was built during the Spanish Inquisition (begun in 1544) and it took about 270 years to complete. It is currently sinking into the ground at the rate of about 1-11/2 cm per year. Earthquakes don't help.
Just off the Zocalo are the Templo Mayor ruins--what is left of the Aztec temples. The stones from here (mostly made of volcanic rock) were used to build the Catedral later. They keep uncovering new ruins and so their Metro doesn't move in very straight lines. The Aztec sun sculpture that was discovered here can be seen at the Anthropological Museum (where I'm heading in a couple of days).
We don't actually go there, but our guide points further down the street we are on to show us where the neighborhood of Tepito is. I had read about it--the most dangerous (and one of the oldest) neighborhood in town. The guide says that if you go there during the day, there is an incredible market and as long as you don't act like a tourist (taking a bunch of photos, etc), you will be fine...but don't go there at night! I decide not to chance it!
We also learn that CDMX is the most "connected" city in America, winning awards for it. They have free wi-fi EVERYWHERE on the streets.
Next we pass another super old church, made from the volcanic rock from the ruins as well.
This is Santo Domingo Square and the Inquisition Building (built between 16th and 18th centuries). We learn that the main things Mexico had pre-Spanish were corn, beans, avocado, and chilis (which is what most of their food contains, even today). Crickets were their main protein until the Spanish arrived, bringing meat. Mexico became a major trading point between Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Next up we learn that cinema really got its start here in CDMX in the Americas, originally with the Lumiere's cameras--Edison didn't want them in the United States (for obvious reasons) so they came here instead. Cinema Rio was a famous theatre, but later became famous for being a porn theatre (still today).
A much more mainstream building is the Teatro de la Ciudad--the main theatre built in 1918--still used for cultural events.
The Camara de Diputado is their Congress building. In CDMX, abortion, gay marriage/adoption are all legal. They are currently working on legalizing marijuana.
We made our way to Estatua Ecuestre de Carlos IV, which more often goes by the name El Antiguo Caballito (the old little horse) in Plaza Manuel Tolsa (named for the artist who sculpted this statue). It was carved from a solid piece of metal and weighs 7 tons!
Then we pass another old theatre--Teatro Fru Fru, opened in 1899. It was quite famous once, then became a cabaret with midnight shows...but it is shut down now. They used it a few years ago in a James Bond movie.
A lot of the most beautiful buildings in CDMX are there thanks to a controversial former president--Porfirio Diaz, who was the president from 1875-1910. He wasn't very kind to the poor, and many resented him for spending so much money on all these buildings when there were so many living in poverty.
But he's largely responsible for the Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Secretary of Communication and Public Works building, which is now a museum. Each one is based on some sort of European architecture--Italian, French, etc. He even had marble, etc. shipped in from those countries to build them. They are beautiful--but they have a semi-dark origin story.
Diaz was also responsible for the best-looking post office I've ever seen, opened in 1907!
The tallest building in CDMX is called Torre Latinoamericana and is right across the street from the Palacio de Bellas Artes--you can go to the top and there is an observation deck with great views of the city. It is also the only building in the city built so strongly to withstand earthquakes that it is still completely intact after several large ones.
We now stand next to the Palacio de Bellas Artes, which I can't stop taking photos of . They have a beautiful theatre inside that features performances of orchestra, ballet, traditional dance and opera throughout the year. It also houses a museum and a giant Diego Rivera mural.
We wind up where I was earlier--the House of Blue Tiles (18th century palace which now has a Sanborn's inside--a restaurant/department store) and the Church of San Francisco.
The tour was great, but my back is killing me (already)! I was going to head to the outdoor cafe on top of Sears to take photos, but the line was too long, so I just went to the floor below which had huge windows and took photos there.
I picked up some supplies at 7-Eleven and headed back to the Airbnb to get a good night's sleep--it's been a long one!
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