Museums and Mezcal in Mexico

The Museo Nacional de Antropologia and Castillo de Chapultepec are in the neighborhood called Roma, about a 15 minute cab ride from my hotel in the zocalo. The museum is new- built in the 1960's. In the interior courtyard, a large stone fountain that seems to be raining onto the concrete rises up out of the center. The twelve halls (salas) that surround the courtyard have a wall of glass that faces into the courtyard. It's all very modern looking which creates a striking juxtaposition to the ancient artifacts inside the ground-floor rooms. On display are temples, stone carvings, a replica of Teotihuacan, and the famous sun stone (incorrectly called the "Aztec Calendar"). A surprising aspect of the museum is that when I wandered to the far side of each hall, there are doors that lead to outdoor exhibit spaces containing additional temples and carvings in a "natural" setting. All the spaces, indoors and out, were impeccably maintained- not a smudge on the glass, speck of dust on the floor, or weed in the garden.

Across from the museum is Bosque de Chapultepec, Mexico City's largest park. There are lakes, a zoo, broad avenues for strolling, and many, many vendors. It contains the current presidential residence as well as a former imperial palace called Castillo de Chapultepec. I walked through the avenue of vendors thinking it would lead directly to the castle. It did not. "Donde es el castillo?" I asked several times before I finally headed almost all the way back to the main entrance to find the castle. It's difficult to believe, but you can't easily spot the castle if you're just strolling along! A long uphill road leads to the top. Then, there are magnificent views of the city, as well as lavish furnishings inside the castle. While it's not as large as the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, it is more ornate. I would be happy to occupy Carlota's bedroom and adjoining bath!

For all of the above touring I was on my own, but by late afternoon my student Jay and his girlfriend arrived by car so we could head out together for Friday drinks and dinner. Our first stop was to a mezcalaria. Mezcal is made from the agave (or maguey) that is abundant in Mexico. It is like tequila, though a bit less refined and smokey to my taste. Often, a bottle of mezcal contains a worm. The mezcal is served in a shot glass along with a plate of orange slices sprinkled with chili powder. The idea is to take a sip of the mezcal and then eat an orange slice. Somehow, the orange with the chili soothes the taste of the mezcal. While Jay is a big fan of mezcal and seems to have a goal of sampling many of the possible varieties, I was happy to have a beer!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mezcal

http://www.mezcal.com/

D.F. Mexico, Day 1

During this adventure in Mexico, I was partly on my own and partly in the company of an old student and his girlfriend. The student is part of a family I have known for many years, and after a few conversations and emails, we worked out a plan. I arrived at Terminal Two at the airport in Mexico City midday on July 22. This terminal is modern and efficient, so I had a quick and smooth transition into this new country. From my student, I had detailed instructions on how to correctly arrange a cab so I would select one that was government regulated. All went well and within an hour I was in the lobby of the Holiday Inn Zocalo, in the middle of the historic district, the Plaza de la Constitucion.

Determined to get out before the rain, I walked across the square to see the Catedral Metropolitana with its huge gilded altar. It felt good to be out in the cool air after such hot weather in NJ! But, I was hungry and soon headed to the hotel's sixth floor outdoor terrace for pozole (corn soup) and quesadillas.

At 6:30 my student, Jay, met me for dinner. We walked a few blocks out of the heart of the historic district where traffic is horrendous and picked up a cab to get to the trendy neighborhood of Condessa. There we ate at his favorite restaurant, La Capital. Somewhere between lunch and dinner, my view of Mexican food completely changed. Again and again throughout the week, I would feel that someone had been holding out on me because Mexican food in Mexico is nothing like Mexican food that I have eaten in the United States.

http://www.opentable.com/la-capital

Pre-History/Pre-Mexico

Hola mi amigos!

I'm writing this post a week after returning from Mexico. I didn't blog when I was away, but did send a few emails about my activities. Now, time to "formalize" the writing.

This first entry is called "pre-history" and essentially refers to me because before I went to Mexico, I knew very little about the history of this country: there was a revolution; there are ruins; many people travel to the beach resorts on the coasts; there are drug cartels and killings; it's the homeland of Rivera and Kahlo, two artists of which I knew some biographical information. I don't speak Spanish and before I went to Mexico, I didn't love Mexican food. You might wonder why I went? Simple: it's long been on my list of travel destinations and a perfect opportunity arose.

To start: Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world, with a population close to 22 million people. In Mexico, there are 31 states and one federal district (Mexico City). Often in writing the city is referred to as D.F. (Distrito Federal). I read that the city itself is 30 times the size of Manhattan and the country three times the size of Texas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35749.htm