Photos from Craig's Trip to Mexico in May 2006

We watched the sunset each day, taking too many pictures to post full size:

Here we are watching the sunset the next day from the balcony of the condo we rented (in La Palapa):

Here I am in Mexico City - I went on Saturday, a day before Cliff, and he got me connected with his friend Marco Antonio who lives there, and Marco was a great tour guide. We managed to communicate with my limited Spanish and his more limited English - so it was a good challenge! I love the modern architecture of the city, including the yellow "Caballito" (horse).

Here's Marco in front of the monument to the Revolution - the shell of the destroyed courthouse, because the revolution is ongoing, according to Marco.

And here I am in front of old and new buildings in the center of the city, across from the Alameda:

Nearby, we went to the Palacio de Bellas Artes, with its beautiful art deco style, integrated with Aztec elements (such as the heads at the top corners of this photo). It also had many fantastic murals, including the Diego Rivera mural that Rockefeller comissioned for Rockefeller plaza, then rejected due to its socialist content.

Then we walked to the Zocalo, passing by some beautiful old buildings on the way. In the Zocalo was a concert for the unification of Latin America, with many socialist themes (made me realize how repressed socialism is in the U.S.)

Just opposite the Zocalo is the cathedral, which included a few Aztec elements, such as the snakes and skulls around the cross:

We walked around more into the evening:

That night we went to Plaza de Garibaldi, which was FULL of Mariachi and other bands playing music. Then we went to a couple of nearby gay bars where people were dancing to Latin music. There we ran into Marco's old roommate and a couple of his friends, which made for a fun group. I particularly hit it off with Miguel Angel, and we ended up singing Gloria Estefan's "Mi Tierra" together from the audience as a drag queen lipsynched it. Here I am in the morning in front of the Monument to Mothers, which was right by Hotel Sevilla, where I stayed, and here's a picture with Miguel:

Cliff arrived that morning (Sunday), and he, Marco, Miguel, and I spent the day together exploring some more. Miguel and I explored the Templo Mayor (old Aztec temple center of Tenochtitlan):

We rejoined Cliff and Marco in the Zocalo. There had been a political demonstration that day, related to police brutality. Many of the marchers camped overnight in parks and in the Zocolo.

That night we went back to the Palacio de Bellas Artes for a performance of the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, which was very impressive. It was great to see Mexicans in traditional Mexican costumes, sombreros and all, dancing with pride and respect - a needed contrast from the common American party jokes with sombreros (common in PV, too.) Then we went dancing with Marco and Miguel that night. In the morning, Cliff and I spent the day (Monday) at the ruins of Teotihuacan, an hour north of Mexico City. This city was at its peak around 500 A.D. with over 100,000 residents.

Here's a series of shots taken from the Temple of the Sun, showing the length of the city:

Here's Cliff in the doorway of an ancient room:

That night we met up with Marco and Miguel again, for hot chocolate, dinner, and dancing. In the morning (Tuesday), Cliff and I had breakfast in the Sanborns (Mexican chain restaurant) in the beautiful Casa de los Azulejos (House of Tiles). That's where I found this beautiful ceiling:

Then we went to the Palacio Nacional, which had been closed before. It had many impressive Diego Rivera murals depicting Mexican history. I was struck by the substantial inclusion of Aztec history:

Then it came time to fly home. I hope to return to Mexico City with Geoff and Serafina in a few years. I really enjoyed it.