harrisontravels: March 2011

over president's day weekend, i decided to leave the frigid 20 degree F weather of new york for somewhere a little warmer... what better location than mexico city, DF! the cultural and historical heart of aztec-spanish-mexican culture. a 5 hour plane ride (and three chapters into Peter Hessler's River Town) later, i landed in the city.

view from the hilton

first meal- iced coffee, steak (asada?) and rice. the avacado was a nice touch, and would be seen in nearly every meal. luckily i love avacado and guac...

palacio de bellas artes- museum/ opera house/ theater. great works of diego rivera inside. and beautiful from the exterior of course

aztec ruins in the middle of the city! when unearthed, a couple blocks of the city were torn down for further excavation

interior of la catedral. the biggest in the americas. and slowly sinking into the ground i might add

palacio nacional by plaza de la constitucion- third largest square in the world

fried plantains, mole (chicken in an unsweetened chocolate sauce), and more guac!

amazing view from the hotel at night

bascilia gaudalupe- holiest sight for catholics in latin america, and most visited too

interior of the new basilica guadalupe. designed so there is no need for air conditioning- cool air is drawn in from the base and rises through the top

selling volcanic stone to us- many were carved into turtles, masks, etc and decorated with gold leaf or aztec jade

TEOTIHUACAN! an hour out of the city, compeltely worth the trip!!

massive pyramids... completely out of breath when i reached the top of the first flight of stairs. (there were a half dozen or so more sets of stairs to go)