There is a tingling sensation creeping up my stomach when the plane jumps off the runway and takes off. In this fraction of a second, between here and there, present and future, between dreams and reality, lies my happy space. And it is strange, as I have a fear of heights, but here, I feel free.
Cuidad de Mexico, one of the oldest and largest cities in the Americas is a place full of contradictions. Colonial architecture sits alongside Art Deco homes and modern high-rises. Folklore markets and Beverly Hills style boutiques. Taco stands next to eclectic, high-end culinary cuisine. Armed National Guard. City traffic. Green parks. Murals. Graffiti. Police. Mezcal. Sewer. ART. On top of all of that, it is so densely populated, it is quite a challenge to get anywhere. Perhaps what is so fascinating about this place is how it all blends together in an overwhelming cacophony of colors, sounds and smells.
Why am I not sleeping? It is two o'clock in the morning and I can't chase the thoughts out of my head. I am stuck in a perpetual dead end. I am dehydrated. My heart is pumping. I am eyeing my sleeping pills - should I or should I not? Mexico City is one of the highest cities in the world at 7350' elevation. It is not surprising that I develop altitude sickness. Upon arrival, we immediately dove into the culinary scene which comes with ... a serious selection of cocktails. So, I avoided the first piece of advice for preventing altitude sickness and I had a few drinks. Who wouldn't? Now, I have to pay the price.
The sky is a grey dull color just before the rain starts on the Zocalo - Mexico City’s main square. In order to avoid the rain, we escape to a nearby twelfth floor restaurant overlooking the magnificent main Cathedral - currently under repair. Down below, a crowd of locals fill the air with palpable excitement. Red Christmas trees, piñatas, Santas on bicycles and men dressed as the Grinch all celebrating the festivities. Prior to the colonial period, the square was the main ceremonial center in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. Today, we are greeted by the sound of trumpets playing in the street mixed with an ethnic group performing an ancient, purification ceremony.
Teotihuacan
Our day starts so early I can barely keep my eyes open. It is freaking cold. I wear every piece of clothing in my possession. Apparently, it is unusually cold for Mexico City - just our luck. We are collected in a van for our ride to the ruins of Teotihuacan, This is the largest and most important city of pre-Aztec civilization, one of the first cities of the Western Hemisphere. The city was established around 100 BCE and was mysteriously burned and abandoned in the seventh century. Four hundred years after that, it was rediscovered by the Aztecs who gave it the name of Teotihuacan, “The place where the gods were created”.
An unbroken blanket of fog surrounds us with no visibility whatsoever as we slowly depart the safety of our van and head toward the first pyramid. Our guide jokes and says, “If you look hard enough over there, you might see the volcano” but we could't see a meter ahead. Artifacts found in the city suggest that Teotihuacan was a wealthy metropolis in its prime. They had a monopoly on fine obsidian, used for tools like spears and dart heads. One step at a time, we climb the many uneven, narrow steps to the pyramid of the Sun. Coming back, loaded with anxiety, I don’t look down as I am sure I am going to fall.
We continued our tour to explore the underworld in the mystical caves which were discovered accidentally after a heavy rainstorm in 2013. The following morning, when the anthropologists arrived to the site, they found an open sinkhole at the foot of the Temple of the Plumed Serpent. In a nearby underground tunnel excavated by the Teotihuacans 2000 years ago, we are treated to a surprise lunch of quesadillas and sopes with the magical taste of a local mezcal.
Frida Kahlo & Casa Azul.
I wasn't ready for the profound emotional impact that the Frida Kahlo exhibit would have on me. Familiar with her self portraits, which are over-merchandised around the world and impressed with her surrealistic art, I was excited to have a broader look at her work along with the objects she grew up with. Disabled by polio and in constant chronic pain she continued to work even when she was bedridden. The colorful, ethnic clothes she designed both to cover her deformed short leg but also to capture the essence to the Mexican worker became a fashionable style copied by others. Her tumultuous marriage to fellow Mexican artist Diego Rivera was full of passions but included deep resentments and pain. Her many extramarital affairs, most notably her secret love affair with Trotsky, is a part of who she was, a true individual thinker. Standing there, grasping the enormity of her life's work, her talent, her sheer determination - I am in such awe.
So much art.
Art in general is everywhere. There's the Anthropology museum which one can wander around for days on end with it's Piedra Del Sol, the enormous stone circle that was crafted by the Aztecs. The display of bones of nine individuals that were victims of sacrifice - eerie. But given the choice of having your heart ripped out of your chest to appease the Gods or being handcuffed to die of hunger...hmm, which one would you choose? The curvy, sexy architecture of Museo Soumaya with its large collection of sculptures by Auguste Rodin. Palacio de Bellas Artes - a gorgeous Art Deco building - is famous for its murals by Diego Rivera, Frederico Silva and Jose Clemente Orozco. The Aztec temple, Templo Mayor which was destroyed after the Spanish conquest. The Jumex Museum of Modern Art, The iconic Grand hotel with the Tiffany style stained glass window. All in all, A cultural explosion.
Then comes the food.
A trip to Mexico City is not complete without tasting the incredible food the city has to offer. I eat my way through the food in well known restaurants ( if I could get a reservation ) and some fabulous local cuisine. I eat three times a day. I had the best of cocktails. I had an ethnic Mezcal tasting followed by a lecture on the magical aspects of it and how to drink it without getting a hangover. The thought of the food with its layers of complex spices, depth of flavors, fresh herbs and citrus dressings still makes my mouth water. Throughout our visit, I didn’t have one bad meal. Food is engraved into the blood stream of the city, it is a part of what this city is all about. I came to Mexico City for its culture, the history and the art but what I remember the most is the food.
Photography courtesy of Jason Mcbride, Zoe McBride and Irit Raz-McBride
Credits:
Created with images by eddymayorgagli - "zacatecas mexico architecture"