Riding from the airport, so many colorful murals along the highway caught my eye. My hotel was near the city center. As I walked the city streets, I felt like I was back in Guatemala, where I had lived for three years a couple of decades ago. The street scenes were so similar, framed by tropical trees and plants, colored by warm hues.
I’ve been to a few beach spots on the west coast of Mexico and Baja, and have seen the ruins of ancient Maya and Inca civilizations in Central America and Peru, but have always wanted to visit the ruins in Mexico. Not a country I feel comfortable traveling in alone, I signed up for a two-week tour in January with a group I’ve used a few times before. They offer small group tours, with pleasant choices of hotels, not at all luxury, and they support worthwhile nonprofits that can be visited on their routes. The first day’s schedule was a tour of the city or, alternately, a visit to the Teotehuacán architectural site, an ancient city on my list, not to be missed! So I came a day early to have the city to myself.
Arriving in the evening, I found a taco restaurant and ordered a quesadilla, trying out my rusty Spanish. The waiter brought tiny bowls of sauces. “¿Qué es lo más o menos picante?” As they would do in many eateries, he kindly placed them in order of least to most spicy.
Planning ahead, I had trolled the Frida Kahlo Museum website daily over a month in advance to get the first tickets of the day that Tuesday. Checking out transportation, I stopped at a Metro station at night to pick up a transit card for the equivalent of $1 U.S. I took a taxi from the hotel in the morning though. I had been warned about the traffic, and if you were over fifteen minutes late, you could be turned away.
“No hay nada más eterno que el instante” – Frida Kahlo
There is nothing more eternal than the moment
The museum told the story of her early polio, her difficult life after the accident, and her relationship with Diego Rivera. Many photos, not as many paintings. Her braces were on display, including a painted one, with a photo of her painting it. Most moving was the death mask on her small twin bed. I usually don’t take photos inside museums and churches, but I just fell in love with Frida’s kitchen, picturing her and Diego cooking together.
A bus and Metro ride brought me to Zocaló, also called El Plaza de la Constitutión, Constitution Square, the vast open city center, lined with stately buildings. The cathedral chimed twelve times in welcome as I emerged from the Metro.
When I stopped to take a photo of the president dolls at a vendor’s booth, two Mexican women stopped to laugh with me and chat a while. I followed them, off the beaten tourist path, down a shopping street with great street art.
The city of Tenochtitlan was the preeminent political center in the basin of Mexico, the valley between mountains and volcanoes, at the site of today’s Mexico City, an altitude of 7,349 ft (2,240 meters). An estimated 150 to 200 thousand people, the Mexicas, often called Aztecs by foreigners, lived there. Templo Mayor, the Great Temple, built sometime after 1325 CE, was one of the main temples. It was surrounded by a serpent wall. Irrigation channels and canals criss-crossed the city, provided water, and fed agricultural fields. It was destroyed by the Spanish in 1521, and rediscovered in the 1970s, now a Unesco World Heritage site.
Mexico City has a population of over 22 million people; the crowded streets were busy! Walking west from Zocaló toward Alameda Park, I was disappointed to see that Casa de los Azulejos, the House of Tiles was closed.
The Diego Rivera Mural Museum houses a 51 foot (15.67 meters) long mural painted in 1947, titled Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Central, originally in Hotel del Prado. In 1985, a 8.1 scale earthquake shook Mexico City and badly damaged the hotel. The museum was built the following year to save the mural. I couldn’t resist a few photos. The mural represents a wide span of history, full of famous figures, and many stories to tell.
I would have liked to visit the National Museum of Anthropology, home to the famous jade mask of Pakal, found in Chiapas, but ran out of time. This would be the only stop in Mexico where I prioritized favorite Mexican artists. There were many visits to archaeological sites to come.
Street scenes
Mexico: Mexico City, Teotehuacán, Tlahuac, Puebla, Cholula, Oaxaca, Monte Alban, Crossing Oaxaca, Sumidero Canyon, San Cristobal, Chamula, Agua Azul, Palenque, Campeche, Mérida, Uxmal, Chichen Itzá, Playa del Carmen
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Ruth Rosenfeld 
Ruth – as always, you capture the essence of every place you visit. I have been to Mexico City and have enjoyed its history, culture and beauty. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks so much, Carol! I always appreciate your comments.
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A magnificent city. Thanks for the beautiful tour!
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You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed it, Neil.
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Many, many thanks Ruth for that amazing tour by photos of Mexico City. Your beautiful capture of the city and the people is remarkable.
J. Paul Blake
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Many, many thanks Ruth for that amazing tour by photos of Mexico City. Your beautiful capture of the city and the people is remarkable.
J. Paul Blake
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Thanks so much, Paul, for taking the time to leave a message. This blog is a labor of love. Glad you are enjoying it.
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I’ve only dipped my toes into Mexico, despite living in California (and a short drive away). I’ve only checked out its western, coastal towns, so I have to venture more inland into Mexico City some day. Looks absolutely colorful and vibrant, and I appreciate you sharing your adventures there!
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A bit farther for me, but definitely worth the journey. Put it on your list, Rebecca!
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Enjoy your travels – it’s really cold here! Hugs, B.
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Thanks, Barbara! I took this trip in January, and fortunately missed a big chill here in Colorado.
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Hey Ruth, I thoroughly enjoyed your vivid portrayal of Mexico City. Your descriptions of the colorful murals, bustling streets, and the nostalgic connection to your time in Guatemala truly brought the city to life. Your visit to the Frida Kahlo Museum, especially the glimpse into her kitchen, was particularly captivating. This is surely a bucket list thing for both Sladja and I.
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It is a vibrant city! So glad you enjoyed this post, Leighton.
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Beautiful photos. I especially love all the street art – so much character and soul! Thank you!
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Thanks so much for your visit and kind comment!
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Good call on arriving a day early so you can explore more of Mexico City. I love all the street art and murals. So much colour and character. The Frida Kahlo Museum also looks really interesting.
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I could have spent more time there, but I packed in as much as I could in one day. Glad you enjoyed this one. I am always attracted by street art!
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This takes me back! I enjoyed these reminders of the places I loved on our visit last year, especially the Frida Kahlo home 🙂 And I’m looking forward to seeing Teotehuacán again, through your eyes. A shame you didn’t get to the Museum of Anthropology, which I thought was amazing, but you seem to have seen more of the city itself than we managed. There are always tough decisions when travelling aren’t there, about what to see and what to skip?
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Since I knew I would be immersed in archaeological sites and museums around the country later in the trip, that influenced my decisions in this city. It is always a difficult choice!
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It looks so vibrant!
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It’s a pretty exciting city. Love the warm tropical colors.
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I saw Rivera’s Detroit Industry Murals last fall on a trip with my brothers. The more you looked at the scenes and figures the more you saw. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a work of art on such a large scale before. I would’ve enjoyed the House of Tiles a well, judging from the exterior. And the serpentine wall from the Aztec civilization strikes me as an influence from the Far East, even though that can’t be the case.
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I was amazed at the detail and stories in the Rivera mural. There were descriptions identifying the people and giving some background. He was brilliant! And quite possibly the ancestors of those early civilizations came across the Bering Strait or in boats across the Pacific from Asia!
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What an incredible city, I would absolutely love to visit one day. The altar on the street corner is really striking, and I love all the colourful murals everywhere 🙂
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I was really taken with the skeleton altar! There was art everywhere.
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I love your photos (as always!) of Mexico City. Thank you for bringing back my fond memories of Mexico City and I can’t wait to read about the rest of your trip.
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Thank you and thanks for following! Glad these brought back good memories.
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Thank you for your reflections and the photos of Mexico City. They bring back fond memories of my own visit of many years ago.
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Glad to know this sparked some memories. It was the start of a great trip.
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What a lovely tour of Mexico City! I enjoyed the dahs of history, the art, the architecture, and everything in between. I’m looking forward to hearing about that rest of your trip!
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Thanks so much for coming along, Diana!
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I love the street art, it’s always giving a distinct appearance to a city! I played with the idea to visit Mexico City this spring, but then we got distracted😍 Thank you for the tour!
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I’m always drawn to street art, whether commissioned or grown out of an artist’s need to express themselves. Mexico City is worth the visit!
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Wonderful photos, the street art looks incredible. The Frida Kahlo house / museum also looks really interesting. Definitely a city on my wishlist to visit, looking forward to reading what else you got up to in Mexico! 🙂
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Thanks so much, Jason! It was a fascinating city; I could have used another day there. More to come…
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