City In Mexico » Mexico City

Exploring the Mexico City area, Teotihuacan, Part 2

admin — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:23:25 +0000

Next stop on your tour is the Avenue of the Dead. It is the main axis of the city. It stretches to the north from the Citadel all the way to the Temple of the Moon. You will see the “Edificios Superpuestos”, where excavations have unearthed living quarters below the present level, which were filled in with rubble in order to build the second stage. On either side of the Avenue of the Dead are residential palace compounds (probably occupied by noble families). Each is a square, 200 feet on a side, and is surrounded by a wall. The pedestrian would have seen only the high walls facing the streets, pierced by inconspicuous doors.
Then we come to the famous Pyramid of the Sun. It is one of ancient Mexico’s largest structures, with nearly 200 feet of heights and 700 feet wide. It was constructed in two phases. The first construction stage, around 100 A.D., brought the pyramid to nearly the size it is today. The second round of construction resulted in its completed size, making it the third largest pyramid in the world behind the Great Pyramid of Cholula and The Great Pyramid. The Pyramid was built on top of a cave which was discovered in 1970. This cave is over 100 yards long and ends in the shape of a four-leaf clover, with four chambers. According to many beliefs, in ancient Mexico, the caves actually were passageways to the underworld. If you can plan your visit to Teotihuacan, try to come there on the days of the fall and spring equinox. Then Teotihuacan is crowded with people who are dressed in white and climb to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun. On the top they are receiving the special energy of the site. If 250 stairs is not much for you, you should definitely climb up and at least enjoy in the magnificent view.
When you get enough of the Pyramid of the Sun, move on to the Quetzalpapalotl Palace. It is situated on the way to the Pyramid of the Moon. It is assumed that this was the residence of Teotihuacan’s ruler. Next you will see the Patio of the Quetzalpapalotl Palace. The name Quetzalpapalotl is Nahuatl for the “Quetzal butterfly” and it was applied to this building because of carved images like this one which appear on the columns surrounding the courtyard shown above. Some of these images are thought to represent the quetzal bird, which was revered by pre-European peoples living throughout Central America. Some of the images show a creature which is a combination of the quetzal and a butterfly, hence the name. The pillars that surround it are made of stone blocks carved with images of birds. Some of them are shown in profile and others are facing forward. Going on you will come to the Patio of the Jaguars. It is placed behind the Quetzalpapalotl Palace and it is a rectangular patio surrounded by rooms with jaguar murals. The jaguars that are pictured here are holding conch shells in their mouths. The figure in the five-pointed stars above the jaguars is the rain and maize god Tlaloc, probably the most powerful god in ancient central America. From this palace you can enter the subterranean Temple of the Plumed Conch Shells which has murals of shells, perhaps outfitted as musical instruments, together with birds spouting water, painted in green, blue, yellow and red.

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Xochimilco

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:27:21 +0000

If you ever come to Mexico City, the visit to the Xochimilco would definitely be a highlight of your trip. Half a century ago this was an agricultural hub, a metropolis of 235,000 inhabitants and today it consists of canals and gardens, which is all that is left of the lake on which Mexico City was built. The name Xochimilco means ‘garden of flowers’ and here you can ride colourful boats along the canals while a mariachi band serenades you and there are always plenty of vendors with food and drink, souvenirs and music. This activity is widely enjoyed by Mexicans, so it’s one of the more authentic tourist experiences available. As you travel you will see city life, restaurants, and greenhouses where flowers and plants are grown. Further beyond the city canals there is a wildlife preserve in which the original character of the chinampas may be seen. Xochimilco is divided into two main parts, traditional area and an echological park. This is a great place for bird watching since the canals and lagoons attract different birds. According to many guidebooks Xochimilco is known as the Venice of Mexico because they are so romantic. The best time for visiting Xochimilco is two weeks before the Easter when the annual Xochimilco Festival is held.

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The Great Temple aka Templo Mayor

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:38:12 +0000

Not far from the National Palace, the main temple of the Aztecs is situated known as Templo Mayor. In the previous century, electric company workers came across a large round stone depicting the Aztec moon goddess Coyolxauqui and that is how the excavation of the great temple began. All the items found on the site; interesting scale model of the city in the ancient times, ruins from the sidewalk, together with the stone sculpture of the moon goddess are displayed in the Templo Mayor. This temple is only a part of a larger sacred center of the famous city of Tenochititan that contained up to 78 buildings. This specific temple is believed to be dedicated to Tlaloc, the rain god, and Huitzilopochtli, the god of war. Like all the important buildings in the Mexico City, the Templo Mayor also went through several phases of construction and every phase made the building bigger. It is a large stone pyramid with the familiar wide staircases and temples seen throughout Mexico. Two snake heads guard the foot of the main staircase and appear elsewhere in the temple. Templo Mayor was a symbolic recreation of Coatepec, “the Hill of the Serpent,” a mythical sacred place. The Aztecs referred to Templo Mayor as Coatepec. By paying the admission fee you will have the opportunity to see all the artifacts found on the site and study it by yourselves.

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Palacio Nacional aka National Palace

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:35:42 +0000

On the East side of the Zocalo there is the government building that houses the federal treasure and national archives. This site has been a palace for the ruling class of Mexico since the Aztec empire, and much of the current palace’s building materials is from the original one that belonged to Moctezuma II and that is why many claim that it has been built on the grounds where Moctezuma’s palace had stood. Here, the main attraction is Diego Rivera’s murals. These murals, painted between 1929 and 1952, depict thousands of years of Mexican history, precisely from prehispanic times to the workers movement that took place in 1930s. The admission to the building is free so everyone could see these master pieces. The National Palace is very important during the Independence Day Celebration. In other words, on September 15th at midnight when the Mexican independence is celebrated, the president of Mexico appears at the central balcony, rings a bell and shouts: “Viva Mexico!” and the crowd gathered in the Zocalo respond: “Viva!” From the Palacio Nacional the best way to continue the Mexican City walking tour is to turn right on the exiting from the National Palace and cross the street to the petite plaza, called the Plaza del Seminarioand crossing the plaza you will come across an archaeological site known as the Templo Mayor.

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Zocalo – The Plaza de la Constitución

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:13:18 +0000

The Plaza de la Constitución, commonly called the Zocalo is the main square in the historic center of Mexico City. This square on the territory of 830 x 500 feet is the second largest square in the world, taking place just after the Moscow’s Red Square. It is bordered by the Cathedral, the National Palace, the Federal District buildings and the Old Portal de Mercaderes, the Nacional Monte de Piedad building, with the Templo Mayor site to the northeast, just outside of view. The Zocalo is thought to be the best staring point for everyone’s walking tour of the historical center. What is more, it is the heart of the city, an important gathering place that is especially used for festivals, demonstrations and variety of cultural events. The Zocalo has changed its appearance through history, that made him so special, and today it is a large, paved square with a huge Mexican flag in the center. The name of the square, the Zocalo actually means pedestal or stand. This alludes to the pedestal that was placed in the center of the square in order for a monument to be set up to commemorate Mexican independence in 1800s. However, the statue was never placed on the pedestal and people started to call the square the Zocalo. As a result, in many Mexican towns the main square is called the Zocalo.

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