The population of Mexico City is 22 million people. That is the population of Australia. It is surrounded by mountains so there is a lot of pollution. There are many cars which contribute to traffic problems and smog. Many people work in the city but only sleep in dormitories about an hour from the city.
Mexico City started in middle of the lake. An Aztec chief had a vision that they were to build a city where an eagle carried a snake in his mouth and landed on a cactus. That is the emblem on the flag of Mexico. There were floating cities and was referred to as the Mexican Venice. Agricultural plots were accessed by canoes.
Earthquakes are expected due to the geology as it was a former marshland and reservoirs are collapsing. Also, Mexico City is close to the Ring of Fire. There have been two major earthquakes on September 19. Two volcanos are activite. For earthquakes they have a warning system which lasts about 45 seconds. One time there was a drill in the morning and a real earthquake in the afternoon.
Our hotel is next to the Bosque de Chapultepec which is a large park in Mexico City. It is called the lungs of Mexico City. It is more than twice the size of Central Park. We saw several adults and children taking bullfighting lessons.
The last battle in the Mexican-American War took place at the castle that is located in the park. The Americans landed at Veracruz and advanced to Mexico City where high school students defended their position in the castle. We Americans aren’t well versed about the Mexican-American war but the Mexicans are.
Within the park is the Anthropology Museum. The displays were very well done. The top floor highlighted the many indigenous people.
In Mexico, there are 68 distinct languages, not dialects. Many have no common origins.
Corn is a staple in Mexico.
Milpa traditional agroecosysten has been identified by UNESCO as a sustainable year-round farming system. Corn requires lots of nitrogen. So then squash and pumpkin are planted in this poor soil and produce large leaves that lead to humus. Next, beans are planted because they use nutrients to fix the nitrogen. Peanuts and peppers can be used. No fertilizers or pesticides are needed.
All ecosystem life zones can be found in Mexico except for tundra. There are 12 mega diverse countries of which Mexico is one. These account for 70% of the world’s diversity. There are 10,000 species of plants.
The solar disc is very famous. People mistakenly think that it is a calendar.
We learned that a sedentary lifestyle began when humans moved away from being hunter-gatherers. And we thought that was a modern concept? Maybe back in that day, a parent complained that their kids weren’t getting enough exercise and shoved a basket in their hand and told them to get some berries!!
We had lunch at this restaurant that is run by girls called Las Hijas de la Tostada.
Quinceañera is the celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday, marking her passage from girlhood to womanhood. It is both a religious and a social event that it originated in the admixture of Spanish culture (including Roman Catholicism) with that of the indigenous peoples the Spaniards colonized.
The celebration begins with a mass attended by the girl and her family and godparents followed by a reception to which friends and relatives are invited.
Symbolic actions may include the presentation of a doll to a younger sister, to show that the celebrant is giving up her childhood, and the placement of heeled shoes on her feet, to indicate that she is ready for womanhood.
The quince observance originally signified that the girl was prepared for marriage, but today the celebration is more likely to signal the beginning of formal dating.
The Torre Reforma Building consists of two large concrete walls, the absence of intermediate columns, the cultural preservation of the old mansion located on its facade and the high degree of resistance to seismic movement. It is a famous for its efficiency in design, technology, structure and sustainability LEED Platinum®. It is one of the most innovative buildings in the history of world-class architecture.
If you see a taco shop called El Caminero (it is a chain of stores), try the tacos….they were my favorite! Your writing and photos are awesome…thank you for sharing (I use to work with Rob and now am retired)