I always try to get walking tours booked when we first arrive to get the lay of the land.
I have become a bit of a History Geek, so, I like to learn about the history of places we visit.
And we like to get a bit of an understanding of what makes the city tick now.
Unfortunately, I am linguistically challenged and only learn a few rudimentary words.
Which embarrassingly, I generally quickly forget.
This post will be a nice simple one of some street scenes from the city.
We were totally oblivious to what was going on outside, until
our AirBnb landlady sent us a message and suggested that we stay in.
Then we realized, there was absolute silence outside.
The streets were empty. Zero cars and zero pedestrians. It was eerily silent.
Tlaquepaque was founded in the 16th century during the early colonial period of New Spain.
Its name comes from Nahuatl and roughly means “place above clay land,” reflecting the area’s rich soil for pottery and ceramics.
It is famous for its artisans, galleries, and traditional
Mexican culture.
Today, Tlaquepaque has been amalgamated as a suburb of Guadalajara.
It is a hub for handicrafts, including glass, textiles, and painted ceramics.
Every country has what I term, its local “hooch”, or adult alcoholic
beverage of choice.
It is always based on what can be produced locally.
The town of Tequila is famous as the birthplace of the liquor spirit tequila, which is made from the local blue agave plant.
Tequila, the town, is designated a Pueblo Mágico (“Magic Town”.)
This is a recognition given by the Mexican government to places with cultural and historical richness.
We had to go check out the town, and the liquor... for purely educational purposes.
José Clemente Orozco was one of Mexico’s most
important muralists and a central figure in the Mexican Mural Movement.
As a teenager, a fireworks accident was severe enough that his hand had to be amputated, and he went on to build his career painting with one hand.
He lived through the Mexican Revolution, and, unlike some contemporaries, Orozco did not romanticize the revolution.
His murals often
show violence, suffering, and the human cost of political upheaval.
His style is dramatic, with strong lines, intense expressions, and bold contrasts.
(One of the downsides to being retired, is being “old”.)
So we figured while we were in the “neighbourhood” we’d pop
down to Guadalajara, Mexico.
Guadalajara was founded in 1542.
The Spanish colonial city
Its name comes from the Nahuatl word Coyohuacan, which means “place of coyotes.”
The name likely refers to the presence of coyotes in the area during pre-Hispanic times.
Food stands also seem to be a great place to find people.
Both places work well for people watching and taking photos.
In no particular order, random photos of people in Mexico City.
Aztec legend says the Mexica people were guided by their god Huitzilopochtli to settle where they saw an eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake.
Their journey lasted many years looking for this vision.
Then, in 1325 AD on an island in Lake Texcoco they found an eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake.
This spot became the foundation of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán, the heart of their powerful empire.
Tenochtitlán's major temple, the Templo Major, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is often referred to as the “City of the Gods”.
Teotihuacan contains massive pyramids with a complex urban layout and a rich cultural history.
It dates back to approximately 100 BC and peaked between 200 AD and 600AD
It was the most influential civilization of per-Columbian Mesoamerica in Mexico.
It is one of the most significant archaeological sites and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
With a population of more than 21 million people, it’s one of the largest urban areas in the world.
With such a large population, a sprawling urban layout, and steep, hilly neighborhoods, getting around can be a real challenge.
That’s where the city's cable cars come in.
Izamal is a small town in the Yucatán Peninsula, known as the "City of Hills."
Back in the day, between 750 and 1200 AD, it was a major religious and political center of the thriving Mayan civilization.
As a Maya city it was dedicated to the worship of Itzamná, the Mayan god of creation, and Kinich Kakmó, the sun god.
Nowadays, it is also called the "Yellow City" for its yellow-painted buildings.
Uxmal, in the heart of the Yucatán Peninsula, was an ancient Maya city.
Founded around 600 AD, Uxmal thrived during a time when the Maya civilization was at its height.
The city served as a hub of commerce, religion and governance.
The city likely had a population of around 20,000 people at its peak.
The city’s intricate carvings, grand structures, and spiritual symbolism show the Maya's deep connection to astronomy and nature.
Uxmal is one of the best-preserved Maya cities and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is lined with large mansions from the late 19th and early 20th century.
The mansions are a legacy of the economic boom fueled by the henequén industry.
During the henequén boom, known locally as the era of “Green Gold,” Mérida became one of the wealthiest cities in Mexico.
The henequén barons chose to display their wealth through their homes.
One of the staples of Mérida’s cuisine is corn, which was also a staple of the Mayan diet for centuries.
Corn tortillas accompany nearly every meal.
We started our class by shopping in the local market for fresh local ingredients.
Every Sunday the city’s central square has a tradition of entertainment and market stalls.
On the main stage traditional jarana dancers in embroidered huipiles perform to live music.
Mercado Lucas de Gálvez was established in 1887 in Merida’s historic centre.
It is the city's main market.
It is enormous and covers 45,000 sqm (over 484,000 sq ft) with more than 2,000 vendors.
It isn’t a tourist market but it’s a working market for the locals to shop for their daily items.
The maze of narrow walkways are lined with small stalls selling fresh produce, meat, seafood, spices, textiles, traditional clothing, handmade hammocks, pottery, and everyday household items.
According to the Mayan creation story, the gods first tried to make humans from mud and wood, but those attempts failed.
Finally, the gods created the first humans from a paste of yellow and white corn.
The Mayans had a god of corn called Hun Hunahpu.
They performed rituals to the god at various stages of corn growth.
The Mayans considered corn a key part of their identity and corn gave food and life to their communities.
Corn tortillas are a a huge part of Yucatán’s culinary and cultural heritage dating back to the traditions of the ancient Mayan.
With a population of over 1.5million people it is the cultural and financial capital of the area.
It is also one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the Americas with a unique combination of Mayan, Spanish and Caribbean cultures.
Originally the city was called T’ho and was the center of the Mayan's world in the Yucatan region.
Monumento a la Patria is a tribute to the rich history and culture of Mexico.
Through the power of Facebook I found an animal shelter in San Miguel that needs volunteers to help with dog walking.
I figured as a destination for our morning walk we could walk to the shelter. Just to check it out.
The shelter was a 30 minute walk, downhill, from our Airbnb.
The long and the short of it, our last week in San Miguel we were walking shelter dogs every morning.
Those daily walks gave us so much pleasure and were "The Highlight of the Day".
