sergé on the road: Kilometro Zero - My tour of Mexico City's Centro

Today was tour day, and I had Rodrigo show me around the historic center of town. The Spanish were here, and then they weren't, but some of their buildings remain. There is opulence and craftsmanship everywhere. Remnants of the original temple the Aztecs built when they moved to the area was uncovered maybe 50 years ago and restored as an outdoor museum of sorts. Walls built from the skulls of human sacrifces were also unearthed. There is just so much to see it's a bit overwhelming, especially to a person coming from a country that isn't even 300 years old.

I'm going to share some pictures

Palacio de Bellas Artes - Italian marble, Italian architect, Neoclassical facade. Art museum now, will go in later to see the Diego Rivera murals (and other things). The president at the time, Porfirio Diaz, wanted to have something opulent and European. Although Art Nouveau was considered passé by Mexican tastes (haven given way to art deco), Porfirio insisted "The heart wants what it wants" and built it his way.

This is the post office - still in operation, although only a part of it is used for that purpose. The marble is Mexican, but the metalwork is from Italy. Construction was around 1907 and it bears some resemblence to the federal courthouse (and post office) I worked in SF.

Here's an interesting building that was once a private residence of someone very wealthy. After a time it was purchased by the Sanborn family, prominent transplants. and now bears the name of the company they once owned. There is a reasonable and pedestrian restaurant on the first two floors, and other nooks have a bar, a pharmacy, a gift shop etc. There are a few of these types of demi-palaces that have been preserved and repurposed. This one reminds me of a Moroccan lesser palace - once that might serve as a restaurant today.

I apologize for not remembering the name of this cathedral. What I do remember is that the original complex was much larger and after the aformentioned president enacted some reforms, much of the complex was apportined and sold. What remains, however, is worth a look!

Touring is hard work. Stopped for tacos.

The historic center has a plaza which reminds me of the same in any European capital, except that it is much larger! Too large, if you ask me, but clearly they did not! Here's a look around:

So it seems that nobody knows exactly from where the Aztecs came from..or so says my guide. When they arrived at what is now Mexico City, the locals at first denied them permission to move there. After some promises to labor in agriculture for them, they were given a plot of seemingly unusable marshland. Those Aztecs were smart, though, and were able to build a temple there, later aligning with some neighboring powers and overthrowing their one-time hosts. As such, so was born Mexico City and perhaps Mexico itself. The Spanish demoloshed the temple, but some remnants were discovered and, after some excavation, we have some history to take in. Look for the snakes!