Here’s the story of my first trip to Mexico City.
Work. Work occasionally brings me to some fun places (which has led to some wacky ‘adventures’) and this time around, it brought me to Mexico. Thanks to the unpredictable world of marketing research and focus group scheduling, the Chinese team who works with me on the same client realized that they were short-handed for some upcoming research. Given that you’re ‘from that area’ would you, Julie, mind going to Mexico to oversee some research? And don’t you speak Spanish?
Hmmmm, no, I don’t speak Spanish, but frankly, after suffering through a year of Mandarin education, all languages feel easier. And I surely speak more Spanish than anyone else on my team. Cervesa, gato, me llamo Julie, amigo, taco, tequila, no hay problema.
Highlights in Mexico City
Anyway, given the opportunity to go back to my area of the world, I eagerly scoured the internet for the critical things to do and see in Mexico City. I wasn’t too aggressive, knowing that with the inevitable jet lag and long work days, my energy and free time would be limited. I chose a few key attractions to visit, and also, sadly, chose a few to skip this time around.
The fun experiences I had over five days in Mexico City could be considered the quick hits of the city, places that even people with the most limited time can certainly fit in somewhere.
La Merced (Central Market): Mexico City’s main market is one of the biggest markets in the world, with over 2,000 businesses spread over 800+ acres. It is easily accessible by metro, and the beauty of markets in my opinion, is that you can have a quick visit or, if time allows (or you love food photography), you can slowly wander for hours. The central market smells like guacamole. It is heaven. It’s also incredibly easy to get lost, a fact that I rolled my eyes at until I found myself in a sea of tomatoes. In the market, I had a late breakfast of caldos de gallina (a kind of rich chicken soup with all the toppings), and got lost some more. I saw several English-language tour groups in the market which I would have joined if I had the time, but gazing upon avocados is easily accomplished alone as well.
La Condesa: This funky neighborhood routinely comes up on lists of what to do in Mexico City. With a free morning, I took to the streets to look around. Now, much of the fun stuff in La Condesa centers around eating and drinking and at 10am on a Tuesday it wasn’t really on my agenda. Instead, I enjoyed the quiet tree-lined streets, interesting architectural details and scoping out all the restaurants I’d certainly love to come back to. I did duck into a coffee shop for a café con leche, which was filled with the kind of laptop-typing-massive-headphone-wearing hipsters I expected.
National Museum of Anthropology (Museo Nacional de Antropologia): Of all the museums in Mexico City, and there are a lot, this one consistently hovers at the top of most tourists’ lists. I was working in the area, so a quick visit around opening time made a lot of sense for my schedule. It is a beautiful space, with indoor and outdoor exhibits and plenty of area in the central outdoor courtyard for a rest. I will say that anthropology is not a huge area of interest for me (Drew would like me to note that it was his major in college), and my knowledge of the Mayans is really limited. I did recently read a great book about the ancient Mosquito people who lived a little south in today’s Honduras, but that group wasn’t covered at all. Suffice it to say, I’d say yes, definitely check out this museum if the topic piques your interest, but there are also plenty of museums to pick from if time is short. Another option nearby is the Modern Art Museum (Museo de Arte Moderno) but for some reason it wasn’t open at the posted time when I walked by, and I couldn’t come back later to check it out.
Zocalo – The Zocalo is the common name for the historic center square of Mexico City. It has been a gathering place since Aztec times, and it’s one of the largest city squares in the world. On the day I visited, most of the square was actually closed off, as a temporary stage was being constructed. I was able to duck into the Cathedral for part of a mass (it was Sunday morning), and I spent some time wandering around drinking milky coffee and eating churros. If you arrive at the right time each day, you can witness the raising and lowering of a massive Mexican flag. One side of the square is the National Palace, another building worth visiting. In the ancient city blocks surround the Zocalo, there are also plenty of other small churches and interesting buildings to keep you busy for a few hours.
Before I leave you, I want to fess up to the two big misses I had in Mexico City, places that I really wanted to visit but just couldn’t make it happen.
Not that I’m the world’s best tourist by any means (just take a look at our recent trip to Beijing for some evidence), but even I felt the sting of being in the proximity of Aztec ruins and not getting out there to explore.
- Museo Frida Kahlo. Yes, I skipped it. I didn’t venture into the Coyoacan neighborhood at all, which I’ve heard is a real highlight of the city. With the museum’s rather limited hours I just couldn’t swing it this time around. Located within the house where the artist was born and died, the museum’s size would actually be perfect for those who don’t have a ton of time.
- Mayan and Aztec ruins. Ugh for a second time. Mexico City is near some of the region’s most impressive pre-Columbian sites and most tourists make a point to spend one day exploring the ruins. The most famous of all is Teotihuacan, the largest site excavated in Mesoamerica, from around AD 600. No big deal. The Aztec pyramid of Tenayuca is also nearby, and the Tollan ruins aren’t much further away. I love exploring ruins and pretending I’m James Bond or Lara Croft, so missing out on a day of exploring outside the city was a major miss.
That confession off my chest, I really did feel close to home in Mexico City, and my terrible Spanish made the city navigable, and tacos every day softens the most serious jet lag. Next time, with my travel partner in tow, we’ll dig in deep and stay for a while.
