Mexico City

I had some plans of continuing my trip to Querétaro after San Miguel de Allende but as I could not stand more churches, more colonial buildings and more collectivos (small jam-packed vw-vans bumping around on uneven cobblestone streets), I went straight down to Mexico City to encounter skyscrapers, people, places of power and a convenient metro system.

Mexico city is known as the largest hispanic metropolis and also often referred to in relation to crime and danger. Indeed, Mexico city is a large metropolis and with a population of 19 million in the metropolis area, it alone equals the combined population of Norway, Sweden and Finland.

That Mexico city should be dangerous is however somewhat exagerrated. In 2004, Mexico City had only 84 car thefts, 55 muggings and 4 express kidnappings per day. Considering a population of 19 million, one could remain in the city for 147 years and 5 months and it should still be more likely to not be a victim of any of the mentioned crimes.

One would be surprised how safe it feels to walk the streets and ride on the public transport systems. With normal precaucions one can also greatly reduce the risk for being a victim of pickpockets and petty crime.

Mexico City is a bustling creature that never sleeps and its citizens enjoy the the highest cost of living in the whole country. Here are ample choices for entertainment and endless number of food stalls, street vendors and music-makers. One could easily spend months exploring all its museums, plazas, murals, palaces, architecture and parks.

Here is a Mexico City experience in pictures:

5th of May is a regional holiday in Mexico and in most cities nationwide, there are monuments or streets referring to this important date in the history. On the 5th of May 1962, general Ignacio Zaragoza defeated French troops outside the city of Puebla. For a nation that almost lacks any kind of military success (not as bad as Poland though), this event is celebrated amongst Mexicans every year. What everyone seems to have forgot is however that the reinforced French came back one year later, took Puebla and controlled the city for several years.


In the middle of the main square in the historic centre, called the "Zócalo", there is an enourmous Mexican flag. Big flags are not totally uncommon in this country and being a guy with great taste and fantastic sense of design and layout, I always want to throw up when I see something like this. I have asked myself why mexican flags always have to be in such disproportion to their pole and it is seriously indelicate. Back home the length of a flag should be around 1/4 of the length of the pole to look good. Vulgar taste, that is what it is. Yacks!



The cathedral on the east side of the Zócalo is a beauty and well worth a visit. It was built on top of an Aztec temple complex and since construction, it has therefore been sinking unevenly, creating various cracks in the structure. Amongst other things, it features an altar with a black Christ figure. Legend says it obtained its colour by miraculously absorbing a dose of poison through its feet.




Dressed in khaki uniforms, they stand on street corners, in front of theaters and museums, at busy junctions and at any other place they fancy. They represent an evil force who with their creepy harmonic instruments (manufactured in Berlin in late 19th century) pollute the environment with the most obscure, the most horrific, the most indescribable and ghastly melodies ever composed. Unfortunately I lack the ability to describe the sound better. And they still want you to throw a peso in the hat. Yeah, right! (I reckon that the only reason this old man is able to stand so close is that he is probably deaf)


Palacio Bellas Artes is a theatre and concert hall, which also hosts an art centre that contains some important murals. The construction of the building started in 1905 under an italian architect but the revolution intervened and the interior was not completed until 1930s, by an architect who favoured a more modern style.
The art centre contains Rivera's famous "The Man at the Crossroads", which was commissioned for the Rockefeller Center in New York. The Rockefellers did however not appreciate its anti-capitalist themes and had the original destroyed. Later Rivera re-created it here.


The fantastic Museum of Antropology in Mexico City may actually be the most stunning museum I have ever visited. It contains an impressive collection of artefacts from different indigenous cultures and everything is brilliantly displayed and explained. In the background is the famous Aztec "sun stone". It was recovered under the Zócalo and was long believed to be a representation of the Aztec calendar. However, nowadays archeologists believe it was used as a sacrifical altar.



At these canals ("floating gardens of Xochimilco") the indigenous people used to grow their food. The gardens were created by piling up mud and vegetation in the shallow water of the lake Xochimilco. Much of the lake was transformed into canals and today around 180km of these waterways remain. Tourists and citizens enjoy this place as a weekend-getaway and on Sundays the canals are crowded with traditional boats containing all from foods, drinks, music bands etc.