The surprising allure of Mexico City

You know sometimes you go to a place, not quite sure what to expect but willing to give it a go anyway?

You get there and you’re quietly impressed. It all functions just a little bit more easily than you thought it might, the people are that bit friendlier than you expected. Not that you had any real expectations, at least, you didn’t think you did. But now that you’re there, you kind of realise, maybe you did.

I turned up in Mexico to host a tour with  Two’s a Crowd.

The tour was sandwiched between a South American tour – think Peru, Bolivia and Galapagos Islands – and Cuba.

Mexico was up against some amazing experiences, Machu Picchu, the Amazon jungle and of course the Galapagos and then, well, you know, CUBA. How could it possibly compete?

But here’s the thing about Mexico. Somehow it quietly gets under your skin. And when I say quietly, I actually mean high volume.

Our guide warned me at the start of our tour that the country seems to be on steroids, everything is over the top, he said. From the music to the colours and the street odours and the food spices, everything is hyped up. 

“I think Mexicans are afraid of being bored, or worried that life might be dull,” he’d said.

“So we amp everything up.”

But the thing with Mexico is that it’s anything but dull.

And at the centre of it all, is Mexico City. There’s a saying, “if it happens in Mexico, it happens in Mexico City”. 

The city is a beautiful mix of modern architecture and rich colonial history. Mexico City was founded by the Aztecs in 1325, the Spanish and Aztec influence is still evident throughout Mexico.

But in the capital, the historical monuments and palaces sit side by side with new state of the art skyscrapers – most of which have been built to resist the earthquakes the city is susceptible to.

Our tour starts with a visit through one of the most popular museums – the Anthropological Museum.

Our guide walks us through a history of the Zapotec, Mayan and Aztec cultures. It’s an impressive history, but the thing about this museum is that it’s all so beautifully designed.

And it’s no wonder. Mexico City is serious about its culture. There are more museums in Mexico City than just about any other city in the world – 150, apparently. 

We take a drive down Paseo de la Reforma stopping at the Independence Monument, past the Diana – Goddess of Hunting monument, and through the botanic gardens. 

If you have the time, it’s worth stopping to wander through the gardens, there is plenty to see and do, from open air art spaces to the hanging gardens.

The following day we are up ready for our first Mexican ruins tour. We don’t have to go far. Teotihuacan is just an hour’s drive from the city centre. 

We walk up the sun temple and the moon temple, getting a commanding view of what must have once been a remarkable city in its own right.

Our guide points out the sacrificial stone – where a community member was sacrificed to the weather Gods each year in what was said to be a great honour and then view the remaining paint examples to see how the city would have looked. In a word, vibrant.

As soon as we have some spare time, an afternoon to wander through the city centre, we head straight for one of the Hop On Hop Off stops, select a tour route and sit in open air luxury learning more about the city centre and seeing the sites from up high, just be careful – some of the power lines here hang low, very low.

On our last night in the city our guide takes us to Plaza Garibaldi to see a Mariachi band. We’re not disappointed, particularly when the band strikes up La Bamba and we all hum along to the one tune we know.

Fast Facts

We travelled here in June 2017

We were in Mexico City for three nights.

Was it long enough? There is so much to see in Mexico City – aside from all those museums, I’d stay a longer – how long have you got?

Highlights: Everything!  The Mariachi band, the architecture, the ruins…

This was part of a tour I hosted with Australian based tour company  Two’s a Crowd.

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