Mexico City doesn’t always appear on the list of the world’s greatest cities. People talk about Paris, London, New York, Tokyo, Sydney, but not always Mexico City, even though it is the largest Spanish- speaking city in the world. It’s high time this changes.
Our country’s capital has amazing art, architecture, history, nightlife and, let’s not forget, fabulous and inexpensive food. Where else can you see Diego Rivera murals for free, eat a giant pepper that has been stuffed with pomegranates, ride the subway for 25 cents, and watch three grown men in shiny masks jump on each other for fun and profit? Only in Ciudad de Mexico.
The Palacio de Bellas Artes is a stunning cultural center with an unmistakable golden-orange dome on the top. In the evening, you can find performances from anything from the Ballet Folkórico de México to a production of Lucia di Lammermoor. But if you are going to Bellas Artes in the morning, you are going for one thing only: to see the famous Mexican murals decorating its lovely art deco walls. Expect to spend about an hour inside taking in the fascinating architectural features and mindbending paintings.
Next, you can visit the Templo Mayor: the major religious site for the Aztecs who lived in Mexico City, known as Tenochtitlán before the Spanish arrived. They believed this place to be the center of the universe, and even though the Spanish covered over the Aztec ruins, they were rediscovered by accident in the 1970s and are now open for all to see.
Before you check out tales of child sacrifice and skeleton gods, you’re going to want a snack. In between the Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Templo Mayor, I recommend stopping at the Dulcería Celaya on Avenida Cinco de Mayo #39 and picking up gourmet sweet and candies.
Mexico City has amazing art, architecture, history, nightlife, and let’s not forget the fabulous and inexpensive food.
After taking a plunge into Mexico City’s history why not chow down at a historic restaurant? Hostería de Santo Domingo is the oldest restaurant in Mexico City, which must explain why they have a mummy above the door to greet you when you enter. Be sure to try the specialty of the house, the famous chile en nogada: a large poblano chile filled with ground meat, fruit, and spices, and topped with a walnut cream sauce and pomegranate seeds. I managed to make myself eat dessert and I ordered one of my favorites, arroz con leche, which is like a milkier version of rice pudding. I liked that it wasn’t too sweet and tasted of real cinnamon, but after the wonders of the jumbo chile en nogada that I ate for lunch, I’m not sure any dessert would have been that exciting.
I was dying to experience some of Mexico City’s nightlife, but I was a little reluctant to go out by myself, that’s why I was so pleased to find Urban Adventures Cantinas, Mariachi, and Lucha Libre tour. I could hit some bars, listen to some music, and see some men in silly costumes smack each other around, and all in the company of friendly strangers. Now it was time for the mariachi portion of the evening, so we headed for Plaza Garibaldi. This is the most famous square for listening to mariachi music in the city.
Our last stop was heading on the bus to see the Mexican wrestling, also known as lucha libre. This was maybe the craziest thing I have ever seen. The marquee match that evening was Máscara Dorada vs Mephisto. Máscara Dorada means “Golden Mask”, and I believe Mephisto is a reference to the devil figure, Mephistopheles, so I was assuming that Máscara Dorada was the “good guy” and Mephisto was meant to be the “bad guy”. After the match is over, your guide will either put you in a taxi, or take you back to your meeting point, whichever is closer to the hotel.
So, even if it’s for a quick lay-over or you have 24-hours to spare, you should definitely try Mexico. What would you do is you had one day in Mexico City? The options are simply endless in a city that’s always reinventing itself, with lively sights, vibrant city-life and options for either a cosmopolitan or a traditional Mexican night out.
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