Built in the 16th century by the Spanish on the ruins of Tenochtitlan, the old Aztec capital, Mexico City is home to five ancient Aztec temples. The Aztecs ruled from 1325 to 1521 and built upon the foundations of earlier civilizations as early as 200 B.C. Relive your 5th grade history class and transport yourself back many centuries to the intricacies of this fascinating culture.
Cow Tip #1: Get blessed by costumed Aztec warriors in El Zocalo after your visit to Templo Mayor for a spiritual uplift
Cow Tip #2: Consider an aerial view of the Teotihuacan pyramids of the Sun and Moon on a hot air balloon!
Cow Tip #3: Read Aztec by Gary Jennings to gain a better understanding of intriguing traditions and rituals
Hire a colorful punt, or trajinera, at the famed floating gardens of Xochimilco dating back to Aztec times. Pass other boats carrying mariachi musicians or marimba bands, taco and beer vendors and absorb the festive atmosphere. In Mexico, every day is a fiesta! Arriba!
Cow Tip #1: The canals are particularly popular on the weekends and during public holidays, when many Mexican families and tourists rent boats complete with musicians and food. What a great way to celebrate a birthday or special occasion. Feliz compleanos!
Cow Tip #2: Although Xochimilco is located within Mexico City, it is almost 30km south of the city center. Complete your excursion with a visit to nearby Museo Frida Kahlo, the Blue House she shared with Diego Rivera, and Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), a UNESCO world heritage site with murals covering University buildings
While you will be serenaded by music and dance on every street corner of Mexico City, no show puts the festivity and color of Mexico together better than Ballet Folklorico. This theatrical masterpiece artistically summarizes Mexican history through sound and movement. A must see!
Cow Tip #1: Performances are limited to Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings so plan accordingly
Cow Tip #2: Tickets are available at Bellas Artes - a beautiful palace that serves as the city’s premier stage. Check out murals by Diego Rivera and other Mexican artists as well as the Tiffany stained glass curtain that line the palace walls - wow!
Cow Tip #3: Although you may have purchased your tickets at Bellas Artes, be sure to check where the performance will actually be staged
Forget Tex-Mex, Mexican cuisine offers its own savory flavors minus the nachos and margaritas. From street food to cantinas to fine dining, your palette will not be disappointed. Here are our favorites:
Street Food: Tostadas El Bajio on Bolivar 56 in El Zocalo - delicious but unmentionable meats mom would not be pleased about
Cantina: Dos Naciones on Bolivar 58A in El Zocalo – all you can eat delicacies for the cost of three beverages!
Dinner Show: Foclore on Hamburgo 87 in Zona Rosa - menu is mediocre but entertainment is fantastic
Fine Dining: Izote on Masaryk 513 in Chapultepec - as if the food wasn’t enough of a treat, we met the celebrity chef Patricia Quintana!
Drink: Spice up your Dos Equis, Sol, and Corona with chili and convert your cerveza into a michelada - una mas, por favor!
Cow Tip #1: Happily avoid tap water and you will stay clear of Montezuma’s revenge.
Cow Tip #2: Open Table is handy for fine dining reservations up to one month in advance. Reservations are recommended
The herd’s main motivation to graze in Mexico City was the butterfly migration in nearby Michoacan. However, it turns out there is plenty to see and do in Mexico City itself. Our five-day itinerary was as follows:
2/12 Thursday - flight, check-in to hotel
2/13 Friday - Biosphere Reserve Butterfly Sanctuary, Lucha Libre
2/14 Saturday - City Tour, Zocalo Square, Templo Mayor, Bellas Artes, Izote
2/15 Sunday - Ballet Folklorico, Xochimilico canals, Museo Frida Kahlo, UNAM
2/16 Monday - Teotihuacan pyramids, check-out of hotel, flight
Mexico City is by far one of the herd’s favorite destinations. Rich with food, culture, history and adventure - there is something for everyone to enjoy!
Cow Tip #1: Most attractions are closed on Monday so plan your visit accordingly
Cow Tip #2: Stay in the Zocalo, one of the largest squares in the world, where there is always something going on. During our stay we were a part of Besame Mucho - Mexico City’s successful attempt to gain the Guinness Book of World Records title for most couples kissing at the same time followed by a free concert by Vincente Fernandez, Mexico’s biggest ranchera star
Cow Tip #3: Rent a car - it really helped us to understand city planning and gave us flexibility with day trips to city outskirts. Roads are easy to navigate with GPS and infrastructure is impressive. FYI - traffic laws are similar to USA and you’ll adapt soon enough that a red light is really a glorified stop sign
Cow Tip #4: There are plenty of ways to get to know the city - city tour bus, walking around, even metro-hopping. We opted for the Segway tour and glided through Mexico City’s colorful and historic neighborhoods on beloved Ginger
Cow Tip #5: Take a piece of Mexico home with you. Government sponsored FONART operates three stores in Mexico City (and another one at the airport!) offering quality handicrafts made by Mexican artists from throughout the country
Luche Libre, “free fighting”, is the longest running professional wrestling league in the world for a reason. Thousands of rowdy fans gather regularly at Arena Mexico to cheer their favorite luchador in this action-packed display of drama, athletics, comedy and gymnastics with a hint of wrestling. Lucha Libre is WWF on steroids!
Cow Tip #1: Book your tickets on www.ticketmaster.com.mx and pick them up at the box office to avoid unnecessary scams
Cow Tip #2: Regular matches are scheduled on Friday, Tuesday and Sunday evenings so plan accordingly if you would like to be a part of the action
Cow Tip #3: Leave your camera and video behind. Security is tight at the entrance, but somehow we managed to sneak in a video camera
Cow Tip #4: Purchase your favorite luchador’s mask after the fight and reenact the drama when you go back to your hotel!
The main event of our visit to Mexico City was to experience the Monarch Butterfly migration in the nearby state of Michoacan. After a three hour drive from Mexico City, we arrived at Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca, to observe one of nature’s miracles most difficult to explain.
We hiked for over an hour into the reserve’s pine forest until we saw our first Monarch. We joked whether we would see 10 to 20 butterflies, 100 to 200 butterflies, 1000 to 2000 butterflies, ten thousand to twenty thousand butterflies… we were pleased to see millions!
The Aztecs believed that the Monarch butterfly symbolized the soul: fertility, rebirth, regeneration, happiness and joy. We felt the same mysticism when we encountered their aura at this wintering site. Although the Monarchs return to Canada in spring, during the winter season you can admire this elusive species in the masses from November to March in Michoacan.
Cow Tip #1: The Biosphere contains eight of the twelve butterfly sanctuaries in the region. The wintering site of the Monarchs can vary slightly from year to year but locals surely know where to go. We went to Sierra Chincua sanctuary near Tlalpujahua and we were not disappointed
Cow Tip #2: Driving from Mexico is simple along Highway 15 towards Morelia Cuoto. Don’t forget your pesos - the toll road is a bit pricey but well worth it for the scenic and safe drive through Mexico’s interior. Plan to arrive at the reserve by 9am
Cow Tip #3: Although it’s possible to hire a Spanish-speaking guide at the sanctuary, we opted not to. Trails are windy and unmarked and Hanzel and Gretel-ing it may not be so effective where horses abound. Just follow the Monarchs!
Cow Tip #4: While the Monarchs journey south for the winter, the population peaks in February when mating multiplies before their flight back North
Happy New Year!
While we reflect on the past year and set resolutions for the next year, keep in mind lessons from the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. The Dalai Lama’s Instructions for Life teaches us, “Once a year, go some place you’ve never been before.” While His Holiness may not have intended His advice to be taken literally, I often refer to it when I create my travel resolutions for the New Year.
In fact, with utmost respect, I would like to extend His teaching to “Once a year, go some place you’ve never been before AND some place you’ve been before”. This combination of old and new will surely keep your travels fresh and memorable for years to come.
My travel resolutions for 2009 are as follows:
Old
1) San Antonio, Texas in January for the marriage of two of my favorite people
2) Atlanta, Georgia in February to visit the aquarium with the only manta ray in captivity in the USA
3) India for the summer to visit family and study Mathematics in exile
4) Houston, Texas for Thanksgiving to spend my favorite holiday with my family
New
1) Mexico City, Mexico in February to observe a wintering site of the Monarch butterfly migration
2) Switzerland for Spring Break to ski in the famous Swiss Alps and visit the birthplace of my beau
3) Cocos Islands, Costa Rica in May to SCUBA dive in the Pacific Ocean with large marine life
4) Iceland en route to India to experience the midnight sun during the summer solstice
Now that I have created my travel resolutions for the year, I’m set on keeping them. Stay tuned for travel planning and shared experiences to come. Let me know if you have any cow tips or care to join the herd on any of these adventures!
