My name is Marion Vermazen. I am a traveler, hiker, reader, Sun alumnus, computer geek, YouTuber, Spanish and French language student, knitter, weaver and genealogist.
When the Spanish conquered Mexico they demolished the Templo Mayor, a massive temple pyramid. The enormous complex was first built around 1325 and was about 200 feet tall. The Templo Mayor site was buried under the cathedral and the Spanish city. In 1978 buildings were demolished and escavations started.
The Templo Mayor Museum displays the amazing things found at the site and what has been learned about the culture.
Duke entering the museumSome of the excavationsInside the museumMassive carving from the siteA closer view
Next we went to the Ministry of Education building. in the early twentieth century. The former secretary of public education, José Vasconcelos commissioned artists to cover the walls of the building. There are many many Diego Rivera murals covering the walls.
Diego Rivera MuralsAnother Diego Rivera Mural
For dinner we went to a highly rated Basque Seafood restaurant, El Danubio. It was excellent.
My giant prawns al diabloDuke’s mixed seafood grill
We could see the Zocalo and the Cathedral from our table at breakfast this morning
The Cathedral from breakfast
Today we visited the Museo de Franz Mayer. The museum houses the collection of Fran’s Mayer, a German born financier. It isn’t a big museum but there were three exhibits that made it special.
First was a temporary exhibit done in collaboration with the Getty museum, exploring different narratives of the conquest of Mexico. Most documents paint the conquistadors as heroic but there are other contemporaneous documents that were critical of the conquest. Examples of both were displayed.
A 1534 map of Tenochtitlan by Herman CortésA book from 1514 about the Cruelties of the Mexican conquest
I loved the Franz Mayer library.
The library
In a small adjacent room they had a special scanner and a woman who was scanning an old book.
Scanning old books
There was also an exhibit about the trade between the Philippines and Mexico between 1565 and 1815. It was something I knew nothing about. It was fascinating.
The slide says “Between 1565 and 1815, the longest and most enduring trade route in history took place: it crossed the Pacific Ocean and connected the kingdom of New Spain [today Mexico] with the Philippine Islands. Both territories belonged to the Hispanic Empire.”More of the Franz Mayer collection
Next we went to the Museo de Estanquillo. The exhibit was about clothing and style through the years in Mexico
It has been interesting to a big team of people set up a stage and chairs in the Zocalo outside our window. Apparently it is for some kind of big awards ceremony which we think will be tomorrow. We figured that there are about 20,000 chairs.
We ate dinner at a restaurant at the top of the Gran Hotel.
This morning we enjoyed a marvelous breakfast buffet in the rooftop restaurant at our hotel.
Breakfast spotBreakfast buffet
After breakfast we walked to the Palácio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts). We looked through the art exhibits and took an architecture and history tour. The construction of the building was interrupted by the Mexican revolution (1910-1920). As a result the architecture of the exterior is classical and the interior is beautiful Art Deco.
Palácio de Belles ArtesInterior of Belles ArtesScale model of the building
Next we visited the nearby Artisanal Market. It was fun to browse. We bought a few souvenirs.
Picking out napkins in the market
For dinner we went to Café De Tacuba. We had the best meal of the trip. They serve authentic Mexican regional food. It was excellent. And a wonderful quintet sang us a love song!
Dinner at Café De TacubaWe shared a mixed grillThe singers serenading another couple
Today we checked out of our hotel in Polanco and moved to a hotel in the historic Center. Our room wasn’t ready when we arrived so we went out for a walk.
We went into the cathedral and watched part of a mass.We walked around the ruins of the Templo Mayor. It was first built around 1325 and then destroyed by the Spanish to build the cathedral.
Then we had lunch at our hotel. Snacks (sandwiches, beer, wine, etc.) are included in the price of our room.
Lunch
We were able to get into our room by 2:00. We have a fantastic view of the Zócalo with the cathedral on the north side and the Palácio Nacional on the east side. Behind the Palácio Nacional we can see the Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuarl volcanoes. When Duke lived in Mexico City in 1981-2 he says he never saw the volcanoes because the smog was so bad.
The view of the Zocalo from our room.The cathedral and zocalo from our room as the sun was going down Volcanoes in the distance
We ate dinner at a rooftop restaurant not far from our hotel.
On Sundays, Reforma, the wide avenue that crosses central Mexico City, is closed to car traffic. So, Sunday morning we walked along a traffic free Reforma enjoying the people, the sites and the weather.
We stopped briefly at the Tamayo museum of contemporary art.
Inside the TamayoWalking along ReformaFountain of Diana the Hunter
We passed the Sheraton where we stayed on our first trip to Mexico City together back in 2011. Back then, the American embassy was next door to the Sheraton. Recently the embassy has been moved several miles away.
That’s the Sheraton on the left. The short building to the right is the former embassy.
When we were here on a Sunday morning back in 2011 the Mexico City Marathon was going on.
A picture from near the same spot in 2011. The former embassy is in the background.
After about three miles we stopped, had coffee, and caught an Uber back to the hotel..
Coffee and tres leches cake
For dinner we went to another restaurant Duke booked before the trip, Taboo.
We shared the salad.We also shared the catch of the dayInside Taboo
Marion's Blog 