2025 marks the 700 year anniversary of Mexico - Tenochtitlan and I was there last month to help celebrate it. The commemoration included historical reenactments, art installations and a video mapping presentation, "Memoria Luminosa", that would play twice a night and be projected on to the Metropolitan Cathedral in the Zocalo. The same church that was built by Spanish Colonizers right on the sacred precinct near the Mexica’s Templo Mayor and just like others had been built in other parts of Mexico, and Central and South America.
As I stood there, in the Plaza de la Constitución, watching the Memoria Luminosa video mapping program one night, I thought of my Grandfathers, both of whom were born in the United States in the 1920’s and both of whom were proud of their Mexican heritage and Indigenous ancestry. I don’t know If either of them had ever visited Mexico City and stood where I was standing now but I knew they’d be proud that I was. While watching the program, it began to rain, as it usually does during the evenings in Mexico City’s rainy season. Some people left but most stayed to watch and take in the history lesson. Melanie wasn't budging and I tried to hold out as long as I could but luckily for me our hotel room was steps away and I could try again the next night so that's what we did.
While there, looking around, I saw indigenous faces everywhere. In the crowd enjoying the show and also those belonging to the vendors making their sales that evening. Indigenous features on the same people the colonizers tried to destroy and couldn’t.
Large temporary sculptures, replications of artifacts found of Mexica Dieties, Coatlicue, Coyolxauhqui, Tlaltecuhtli lined the Zocalo on display and were the backdrop of many photos and selfies taken. I enjoyed a couple of morning walks here and found it interesting to watch visitors and even military personnel get their photos taken with them. I watched vendors set up their puestos (stalls) and tour guides collect their groups for day trips to other nearby cities and historical sites. This celebration was meant to honor Mexico - Tenochtitlan’s pre Hispanic indigenous heritage and I believe it did just that. You could see the pride on people’s faces.
This was our second visit to Mexico City. On our first trip, last Summer,we were able to experience just about everything we had placed on our “to-do” list. We visited the pyramids of Teotihuacan, the trajineras at the Xochimilco canals and we got to see the piedra del sol, the Mexica Sun Stone, up close, in person, at the Museum of Anthropology. On our first trip we visited Frida Kahlo’s “Casa Azul” in Coyoacan where Frida lived and worked most of her life. On this trip we had a new “to-do” list and a little more time to explore the Coyoacan neighborhood, including their plaza, their food and Frida's husband, Diego Rivera’s, Museo Anahuacalli, where you can find an extensive collection of pre Hispanic artifacts. I highly recommended both museums and you can gain entry to both with your Casa Azul tickets.
We made sure to try some street tacos and taco shops but we were also interested in experiencing an Omakase dinner at Kyo Sushi where we’d leave the menu up to the chef. Course after course of Japanese Black Salmon, Mackerel, Tuna and more were prepared with such care and artistry. This was another unforgettable experience/memory we brought back from Mexico City.
After our dinner we walked about a mile to the Tokyo Music Bar, a spot we enjoyed visiting last year. At 8:30pm we were surprised how lively the neighborhood was. Locals and tourists alike were all out, buying and selling their wares and enjoying the fresh night air. We were still acclimating to the higher elevation so that walk became a workout but it was still nice out.
Mexico City and Mexico in general, I believe, gets a bad rap. People are quick to say “It’s not safe there.” and dismiss it but that wasn’t my experience and I feel there’s a lot to miss out on with that thinking. I’m sure, just like any big city, there are some areas that are safer than others and it helps to be vigilant but I had such an amazing time on both trips and I can’t wait to go back. Even though we were able to do much of what we wanted to we keep finding more things to add to our list. We’ll be back. Maybe to celebrate the 701st anniversary.
G
