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Bellas Artes
Mexico City, D.F We arrived in Mexico City on February 26 and checked into our condo at Puerta Alameda, our home for a month. The condo is located in a great location, next to Parque Alameda (on Sundays they close the roads all the way day to Chapultepec Park for bikers, joggers and walkers....it's great!), Bellas Artes, the Zocalo where the Palacio National, built in 1562, is located (equivalent of the White House). I took a tour of the Palacio and saw the Diego Rivera murals painted between 1929 and 1935 which depict Mexican civilization from the Aztecs to the postrevolutionary period. Also on the Zocola is the Catedral Metropolitana, started in 1573.
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Bellas Artes
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La Catedral Nacional
There's always plenty of people and activity to watch and enjoy!
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me and the Grim Reaper
I visited one of Diego Rivera's famous works, Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda, painted in 1947. In the 15m long mural, he painted many of the figures who walked in the city from colonial times onward; Cortes, Juarez, Diaz, Madero, etc. All are grouped around a Catrina (skeleton). Rivera painted himself as a small child, and Frida Kahlo (the love of his life).
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Renowned Mexico artist Frida Kahlo lived and died in the "Blue House" in Coyacan, which is now a museum. Built by her Hungarian father, the house is full of mementos and personal belongings that evoke her relationship with Diego Rivera and the leftist intellectual circle they entertained (including Lenin).
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We took a walk down Paseo de Reforma to Chapultepec Park (the Castillo - castle- was begun in 1785) to visit the lovely neighborhood of Condesa. The jacaranda trees are in bloom; they are beautiful.
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El Castillo at Chapultepec Park
Check out this picture of soldiers in training and girls strolling in the park!
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Mexico has bicycle stands everywhere for people to use (paid in advance and a card issued) - eco bici - which helps with transportation. The metro subway is also an easy way to travel around town and very economical - 3 pesos, or about 30 cents a ride.
We went to the Saturday market in San Angel, a beautiful historic neighborhood in southwest Mexico City. There were lots of artists, great restaurants and lovely homes.
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We visited the upscale area of Polanco, where there are many fine stores and restaurants and enjoyed window shopping and a delicious lunch.
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We love, love, love Mexico City!