Mexico City, part one

I wanted to write this blog while things are still fresh in my mind. I am going to post it in two parts otherwise it will be too long to read. This will probably be the last 2 parter blog I post since we're going to slowly be making our way back home to B.C. and covering old familiar ground. We've decided to leave the copper canyon for another time, Stan is tired of driving and wants to go home. I'm okay with that. We've had a very good trip,amassed quite a few
great memories along the way, should hold us till the next time.
To say that Mexico city is huge would be a bit of an understatement, it's sprawling, up hillsides, along the main and secondary highways and it will keep sprawling into its very indefinite future.
Almost 25 million people call it home, that's the core center and the outlying areas combined.
We started seeing the outskirts about one hour before we actually got to one of the main bus stations, there are four of them. Once there we still had to take a taxi to our hotel which took another good 40 minutes, traffic was apparently "lighter" than usual this being Saturday.
You prepay at a main kiosque according to the distance you will cover and then you just find the taxi, no fuss no muss. It's a good system.
Our hotel is very modern sort of European style. The rooms are streamlined, modern decor and modern washroom. We could be in Paris but in a bigger room, Paris rooms are tiny.
On Sunday we booked a tour to the Basilica de Guadeloupe and the ancient Aztec ruins of Teotihuacan. We were in a little van with a guide (all in Spanish of course) and 4 young people from Argentina and a retired Mexican engineer from Oaxaca. It can get very tiring listening and speaking in another language for an entire day but we managed very well. The Basilica was incredible in that because it was Sunday there was a service in full swing and so many faithfuls. Mexico is probably one of the most Catholic nations in the world and for the most part they are extremely devout, they practice their faith with a lot of fervor. There were so many people it was hard to walk. The main basilica is the biggest church in Latin America it can hold 40,000 people! Wow, they don't fool around. The old Basilica was slowly sinking under the weight of the worshipers hence the need to build a new one. It was built in honour of the vision had by an indigenous Christian convert named Juan Diego. History tells that the image of the virgin of Guadeloupe was emblazoned on his cloak. The Virgin de Guadeloupe is revered above all others and many pilgrims visit her shrine certain days of the year. Even if you're not religious it's still inspiring to witness the strength of their belief. The other great thing about this Virgin is that she's brown and therefore has a special place in the hearts of the indigenous people of Mexico.
Teotihuacan is an archeological zone about 50kms. outside of the centro. It sits in a valley with mountain range offshoots surrounding it. It's very dry, almost austere and it's difficult to imagine that it once represented what was possibly the biggest city of Mexico's pre-hispanic Empire. I won't describe it in great details, you can always look it up online if you're interested in having a look at it. It's very impressive. The city is laid out in a grid pattern, we climbed one of the first minor pyramids in the complex known as the Citadel but the much bigger pyramids loom large in the distance. The Pyramid of the Moon is smaller than the Pyramid of the Sun which is the world's third largest pyramid at 70m. high. I don't think the pictures we took will do it justice, it's hard to visualize just how high that is. It's also 222m.long at its base and needless to say I didn't climb it. Stan climbed the Pyramid of the Moon but didn't risk the bigger one. We let the young Argentinians have a go at it. We both had very sore thigh
muscles, the next day, from all the climbing we did.
In addition we also visited a workshop where they showed us the various uses for the Agave plant, truly a magical plant. The blue agave is what they make tequila from but there are many different varieties and one in particular which can be put to many uses giving water, fiber, glue, paper. It's an astonishing plant, I took some pictures hope they work out. It's very similar to an aloe vera plant but thicker. It was a very long day. We left at 9 and didn't get back till 5, we squeezed in "lunch" around 3 o'clock. Interacting in Spanish for the whole day also takes its toll,we're not as fluent as we would like to be but everybody assumes we are.
I forgot to write about our first impressions of the city on Saturday. We got out on the street and noticed throngs and throngs of people, what would have conceivably been labeled a demonstration in a Canadian city but in Mexico city was just business as usual on a Saturday.
It was a bit overwhelming. We've both been to great capitals but never one as crowded as this one. Paris and Rome feel relatively "empty" compared to this. The noise is pretty deafening and constant, it's like a buzz in the back of your head which can vary in intensity but never completely goes away. One of the most bizarre sounds you'll hear, if you visit, is that of the organ grinder. Apparently the Italians brought that musical instrument at the turn of the century and they still play those same old instruments. Organ grinding is, believe it or not, a profession of sorts here. There's the guy who does the grinding and the person, male or female who waves the cap hat for donations. Yes they both wear a "uniform" of sorts but the cap is an indispensable part. You hear that sound everywhere in the old colonial section of the city. If you don't like that sound don't bother coming here it will drive you insane, it's a miracle it hasn't driven those who do it insane but maybe it has.
The main zocalo is phenomenally big, the beating heart of the old city. We ended up there gawking and marveling at how huge it actually is after having seen it as the stage for so many demonstrations on television. There was a market of "artesenia" set up on one side of the cathedral and many scantily clad a la Aztec type warriors and shamans. One such shaman was busy doing a "cleansing ceremony" involving many traditional and medicinal herbs. He would light the herbs and pass the smoke over the person while doing an incantation. We actually had that done in Cuzco, Peru and in this case many people were willing to line up to feel the herbs' beneficial cleansing effects. Not sure it worked in our case but at least it didn't "hurt much".
I'm going to finish part one here. I didn't want to describe in great details, I'm not writing a
traditional travelogue. I'm more interested in trying to capture in words the feel of a place, not sure I'm succeeding. Will do part two tomorrow. Thanks for reading.