Set over 2400m up in its shallow mountain bowl and crammed with over
20 million people (from fewer than five million in 1960), MEXICO CITY is
one of the world's most densely populated urban areas, said to receive a
thousand immigrants each day from the rest of the country. At times
frustrating, the longer you spend there the more rewarding it can become,
with unstructured wandering throwing up all sorts of surprises, and in a
few days you can get around the main sights and soak up a good deal of
the vibrant atmosphere. Despite a certain seediness found amidst the
elegance of the new quarters and the genteel decay of the older parts of
the city, the capital is nowhere near as intimidating as you might
expect. Nonetheless, you may still prefer to take in the city a couple
of days at a time, taking off in between to the smaller neighbouring
colonial cities to recharge. You'll also find the city easier still if
you acclimatize to the country first - if at all possible try not to
spend too long here when you first arrive.
As you fly in or arrive by bus over the mountains, you'll catch glimpses
of Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl, the volcanoes which every visitor used
to admire, and which Sybille Bedford, author of a book on Mexico in the
early 1950s, described as "Japanese-contoured shapes of pastel blue and
porcelain snow, and thin formal curls of smoke afloat in a limpid sky".
These days, "Popo" is more often perceived as a threat, with the
international press depicting its recent activity as a major menace to
the capital. In reality, the volcano is 65km away, and though dust may
temporarily close the airport during major outpourings, the city is
highly unlikely to get smothered. The volcanoes are now rarely visible
from the centre, courtesy of the city's pollution, which compensates by
diffracting the light and producing wonderful golden sunsets
Best of Mexico city :
Museo Nacional de Antropología
The Museo Nacional de Antropología is not just the finest museum in
Mexico, but ranks among the greatest in the world. All the pre-Columbian
cultures are covered here, represented by some of their finest
artifacts.
Xochimilco
Hire a boat and tour the Xochimilco canals, which offer a glimpse of
Mexico's marshy, pre-Columbian topography - and there's no need to pack
a lunch as everything from tacos to a live mariachi band can be bought
or hired from passing canoes.
El Zócalo
The vast public space of El Zócalo is the centre of the nation's
religious and political life and is bordered by some of Mexico's
best-known sights, such as the Aztec Templo Mayor, the Cathedral and the
Presidential Palace.
Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño
Set amid peaceful and beautifully tended grounds, the Museo Dolores
Olmedo Patiño holds a huge collection of works by both Diego Rivera and
Frida Kahlo.
Plaza Garibaldi
Every evening the Plaza Garibaldi, surrounded by raucous bars and
restaurants, fills with competing mariachi bands who'll play for anyone
who's willing to pay.
Palacio de las Belles Artes
The Palacio de las Bellas Artes is a grandiloquent, white-marble Art
Nouveau structure hosting prestigious productions of opera, ballet and
the famous Ballet Folklórico.
Teotihuacán
The largest pre-Hispanic site in the country, Teotihuacán is dominated
by Pirámide del Sol.
Museo Robert Brady
A beautiful home in Cuernavaca set in a sixteenth-century former
convent, Museo Robert Brady houses the private collection of the
Iowa-born artist.
The Great Pyramid of Cholula
Mexico's most massive pyramid ruin, Cholula was at the time of the
Conquest a vast city of some four hundred temples.
La Merced
Mexico City's largest and most vibrant market has almost anything you
could conceive of finding in a Mexican market (and much more).
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