“I feel absolutely no threat or fear in Mexico City.” – Michael Nyman, English composer

It never fails … whenever flying into MEX, Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, feelings of déjà vu inevitably wash over me. The jitters I first experienced as a frightened and excited twelve-year-old boy back in 1970 come rushing back; bringing sharp memories of when my mother put me on an airplane by myself to seek a brighter future outside of Cuba.

It took great strength, faith and sacrifice on her part; gambling with sending me away to what she deep down knew would be a better way of life than the one that awaited me in Cuba. A day doesn’t go by that I do not give THANKS to my mother for her brave act.

With that said … Bienvenido to one of the world’s great, thriving capital cities, just a short hour’s flight from Guadalajara. As the plane descends, looking out the windows, viewing the high-altitude megalopolis ringed by volcanoes, the jacaranda trees are all abloom and enveloping the city in lavender. We’re here to enjoy a long, cultural weekend of activities; meeting up with my cousin Alex and his wife, Sharri, spending a day together, too.  

After quickly settling into our Polanco area hotel, off we go to the colonial mansion of the bon vivant scholar, Guillermo Tovar de Teresa (1956-2013). He was a Mexican historian, bibliographer, philanthropist, cultural promoter, chronicler of Mexico City, and art collector (paintings, literature and ancient books). An early death at 57 was sadly caused by internal hemorrhage.

Walking this residential street, you wouldn’t know of the treasure trove found within those elegant walls. Here, the exquisite and richly appointed rooms are chockablock filled with religious and 18^th century landscape paintings, sculptures, tapestries, and furniture. All the rooms face a long corridor with a view of a wildly overgrown, secret jungle garden planted in the middle of this sprawling city. A pleasant start in exploring the city’s hidden riches.

El Palacio de Hierro, Mexico’s upscale department store chain, happened to be nearby and convenient for some quick retail therapy. Shopping bags now in hand, we were starving and walked over to our dinner reservations …

The highly-rated seafood restaurant, Contramar, in the trendy Roma Norte neighborhood, provided us with a stellar start to our gustatory adventures in the city (a note: gustar in Spanish means to like or taste). It was buzzing when we arrived and gladly sat outside for the best people watching. Prior menu research tipped us in ordering: a platter of Baja oysters, tasting of the briny sea, grilled octopus tostadas and the house specialty – a whole, split and deboned snapper, grilled to absolute perfection, each side bathed in either a red or green sauce, and served with pickled onions and creamed black beans. It was worth the plane ride in itself. 

Sharri and David, avid Frida Kahlo fans, made the must pilgrimage to La Casa Azul, aka Museo Frida Kahlo, located in the Colonia del Carmen neighborhood of Coyoacán. It’s her childhood home, painted a bright, vivid blue***, and turned into an homage to the great artist. Online ticket booking provided us with the day’s first admittance. As luck would have it, we were first in line through the big wooden doors; making a pleasurable experience leisurely strolling through the home without the normal, packed crowds (a Covid requirement).           *** Bristol Ultramarine Blue

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David and Sharri floated in awe as they walked the nearly empty exhibition rooms, delighting in all things Frida Kahlo. Although I’ve visited a few times in the past, my eyes always strike upon something that I’ve missed before, a small detail here or there; this time it was Frida’s wooden easel, a gift from the Rockefellers! 

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“Viva la Vida,” Watermelons, painted just days before her death in 1954, features her final poignant message, “Long live life.”

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Sharri’s food research led us to a local institution just a few blocks walk from Frida’s. Café El Jarocho (since 1953), is a traditional coffee stand, in addition to having a lengthy food menu. We sat on street benches lining the sidewalk and devoured our tortas, with some fine people and dog watching. Humongous coconut donuts caught our eyes, too. David bought a souvenir bag of their Cuban coffee to enjoy at home.

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From there, a seemingly long taxi drive took us to Xochimilco, traveling through the maze of southern Mexico City.

Here, the past and present converge with its famous ancient canals. It evokes a time when the great city of Tenochtitlán stood among its waters, and is the last living link to the great Aztec civilization. In the Náhuatl language of the Aztecs, Xochimilco means Garden of Flowers. 500 years ago, it was the agricultural hub for the city of 235,000 inhabitants.

The islands of Xochimilco are known as the Floating Flower Gardens, being home to the largest floral markets of the city. If we were locals, we’d be stopping along and buying flowers and plants to bring home. Instead, a leisurely cruise through the canals awaited us. Both locals and tourists alike descend upon these waters to float along in a colorful “trajinera,” the famous gondola-like boats that you see in all the Mexico City advertising imagery.

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 Déjà vu moments fondly return again with the boat ride, bringing back vivid memories of when my cousin Alex and I first visited 40+ years ago with his parents and the Mexican family that were hosting us. As then, this trip was pure enjoyment; spending time with loved ones as we lazily glided amidst the flotilla of trajineras. For Sharri and David, well, it was a great photographic opportunity with the lively, showy scene playing out all around us.

The atmosphere is festive and stimulating with food, drink and music as the vendors, artisans and mariachi bands flow by in boats, offering up their wares and services. Enjoy a couple of hours like we did or spend the day and watch the world pass you by without any effort. It’s a fun and very relaxing way to de-stress from city living.

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All this fresh air created a voracious appetite and Agua y Sal easily satisfied it. It’s “Latin American cuisine from the sea,” an excellent seafood restaurant just steps away from our hotel. During my working days in Mexico, I ate there frequently (at least twice weekly during my stays). This popular, neighborhood eatery serves up the freshest meals: Thai inspired mussels, in a creamy coconut curry sauce, tomato “ceviche” salad, dry fideo noodle soup topped with grilled shrimp and a platter of tender fried calamari. Sweet dreams to follow!

La Casa de los Azulejos, “The House of Tiles,” was our breakfast choice to start off our weekend. Not particularly known for its food, but oh what a spectacular building inside and out! It sits within the grand architectural, colonial zone that encompasses the Centro Histórico. It’s an 18th-century Baroque palace, built by the Counts of the Orizaba Valley. The building has a unique, European facade, covered on three sides by stunning blue and white tiles from Puebla state.

The palace stayed in private hands until near the end of the 1800s; afterwards, changing hands several times, before being bought by the Sanborn brothers. They expanded their soda fountain/drugstore business into Sanborns, one of the most recognized restaurant and retail chains (125 stores) in Mexico (owned by multi-billionaire, Carlos Slim), and found in most large cities. The House today serves as their flagship restaurant, and you can dine and shop within this magnificent architectural gem.

Inside, the main courtyard contains a fountain crowned with mosaics and surrounded by highly decorated columns; a stained-glass roof was added in the 20th century, flooding the ornate interior with natural light. There are two magnificent murals within the palace. The first is a peacock done by the Romanian painter, Pacologue, created in 1919.

 The grand stairway features the other monumental fresco, “Omniscience,” one of the earliest by the famed Mexican muralist, José Clemente Orozco, painted in 1925. It’s a symbolic figure of Grace presiding over two masculine images with their feminine counterparts; perhaps a statement about female fertility.

Finally, a grand piano sits amidst the grandeur and a pianist, a la Nordstroms, plays, with the sound carrying throughout the ornate premises. Waitresses, in their winged uniforms, channeling the Flying Nun, provide further color to the overall dining experience.

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Outside, a long, pedestrian-only street is lined with “AMLO” supporters (Mexico’s president), linked hand-in-hand, protesting the upcoming re-call referendum (April 10^th); leading us to the beating heart of Mexico, El Zócalo.

The Zócalo is the common name of the main square. Its formal name is Plaza de la Constitution. Prior to the colonial period, it was the main ceremonial center of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán and is the main venue for both national celebrations and protests.

During our stroll about, we encountered all sorts of activities … from the “healing smoke” of faux Aztec shamans, costumed characters, dancing exhibitions, and parades of families; all interspersed with vendors galore. My thoughts were where are these throngs of people all heading to? Streets siphoned off from the Plaza in every direction, tempting one to follow along and discover something new.

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico. It was built in sections from 1573 to 1813 and is situated atop the former Aztec sacred precinct next to the Templo Mayor. According to Aztec legend and mythology, the site was considered the center of the universe and was the main temple of the Mexica people.

After the destruction of Tenochtitlán, the Templo Mayor, like most of the rest of the city, was taken apart and redeveloped into new structures of the Spanish colonial city. Over centuries, the Temple’s exact location was forgotten. By the 20th century, scholars had a good idea where to search for it.

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The push to fully excavate the area didn’t come until the 1970s, when workers for the electric company were digging, and just over two meters down, the diggers struck a pre-Hispanic monolith. This stone turned out to be a huge disk of over 3.25 meters (10.7 feet) in diameter, 30 centimeters (11.8 inches) thick and weighing 8.5 metric tons. The relief on the stone was later determined to be Coyolxauhqui, Huitzilopochtli’s sister, and was dated to the end of the 15th century. Huitzilopochtli was the deity of war, sun, human sacrifice and the patron of Tenochtitlán.

Sadly, in order to continue excavations, 13 buildings had to be demolished. However, more than 7,000 objects were found, mostly offerings including effigies, clay pots, skeletons of turtles, frogs, crocodiles, and fish; Also: coral, some gold, Mixtec figurines, ceramic urns, masks from what is now Guerrero state, copper rattles, and decorated skulls and knives of obsidian and flint. These artifacts are now housed in the fascinating Templo Mayor Museum, adjoining the ancient site.

With our fill of church and culture, it was time for a much-needed break; hopping into one of the many pedi-cabs that are available for an hour’s, hair-raising tour of the Centro Histórico. Ours was commandeered by a fearless driver, Blanca. She swiftly showed us all the major sites, including the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the elaborate Main Post Office, the National Museum of Art, Alameda Park (once a private park for the city elites) and a quick drive by the Barrio Chino, or as she quickly pointed out, a place you come to buy crap!

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The Palacio Postal is a building that one must stop in for a short visit. Its architectural style is highly eclectic, with the building being classified as a mixture of Art Nouveau, Spanish Renaissance Revival, Spanish Rococo style, Elizabethan Gothic, and Venetian Gothic Revival. In addition, this glorious mutt of a building also has Moorish, Neoclassical, Baroque and Art Deco elements.  Everywhere you look are striking design elements with a mix of materials from Europe and Mexico.

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But I was in total awe of the post office’s stairway that’s characterized by two separate ramps coming together to form a landing. They also seem to cross on the second landing above, after which each move off in their own direction. All of it lighted from the roof canopy, with reflections below in the marble floors and columns … they seemed like they just floated down. David picked up his favorite souvenir from the trip – a newly minted sheet set of Mexican butterflies for $2.50 and had it quickly framed upon returning home.

Across from the Post Office, is the old Communications and Public Works Palace, a stately building from the early 20^th century. This majestic and imposing building now houses the National Museum of Art. It preserves and exhibits great Mexican works of art produced between the second half of the 1500s (when the Spaniards arrived) and 1954. The museum provides a great survey of the breadth of a great Latin civilization throughout the centuries collected under one roof.

As in every city, we search out great food, and again we found some just a few blocks from our hotel at Fratelli La Bufala. Italian! Like any great city, Mexico City is awash with the best of the world’s cuisines. We devoured delicious Arancini, Minestrone soup and shared dishes of Pasta Cacio e Pepe and a Margherita Pizza. Our outdoor patio was candlelit, covered with greenery and serenaded by a charming, young Mexican busker singing Italian love songs!

The Soumaya Museum crowns the top of the Plaza Carso of the Nuevo Polanco area; a 20-minute walk from our hotel. A Sunday morning stroll through the wealthy enclave revealed many small cafes and restaurants, just beginning to come alive with sleepy Mexicans needing their cup o’joe. Lots of pooches, too.

The Museo Soumaya is a private museum in Mexico City and a non-profit cultural institution with two museum buildings in the city. It’s named after Soumaya Domit, who died in 1999, and was the wife of the museum’s founder, Carlos Slim, the richest man in all Latin America. Free attendance makes it the most visited art museum in the country. We lined up with the early birds to make the 10:30 opening.

The building is striking and photographs well from any angle with its curvaceous exterior. The free-style architecture has been described as “dazzling,” “a trapezoid in motion,” “a shiny silver cloud-like structure reminiscent of a Rodin sculpture,” and “the world’s flashiest museum.” It was designed by the maverick young architect, Fernando Romero. I guess it didn’t hurt getting the commission by being married to one of Carlos’s daughters! To my eyes it looks like a shining, silver twisted honeycomb. Up close, it’s fascinating construction.

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It has over 66,000 works from six centuries of art, including sculptures from Pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica, and extensive 18th and 20th century Mexican art. It’s called one of the most complete collections of its kind, with an impressive array of works by European old masters and the new: Auguste Rodin, Salvador Dalí, and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. Each floor surprises with its unique collection. There’s a whole room filled with early communication devices, apropos of the CEO of Telmex, Carlos Slim.

One of the museum’s special attractions is the entire 6th floor (top floor), devoted to the largest collection of casts of sculptures by Auguste Rodin outside France, and the world’s largest private collection of his art. It has a tremendous wow factor upon reaching via a ramp up from the floor below and your first view of the almost 400 works of Rodin art just takes your breath away. There’s a scattering of other European artwork filling in between the Rodins in the large, circular space.

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Our final night’s meal was an informal selection of creatively conceived, take-out Tapas bought and sinful desserts at the Mercado Roma, a collection of small artisans’ food stands … shared back in our hotel room while we watched “The Slap” heard ‘round the world in the Mexican broadcast of the Oscars; presented en Español. We were “fortunate” to hear the tirade without censor.

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Take a map of Mexico City, pinpoint an area and just go-go-GO! It’s bound to be jam-packed with sites to be seen and savored. It’s a vibrant and exciting city that you can peel away like an onion, and with each visit find a new layer.

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