Guanajuato

It has been a busy time for us since we last wrote, although we are trying to pace ourselves, knowing that there will be no way that we can cover even a few of the sights and activities that Mexico City has to offer.

At the end of last week, we visited the Anthropology Museum of Mexico City—or at least part of it.  Incredibly well designed and executed, it is almost impossible to see and absorb in one day. There have been advanced civilizations in Meso-America for more than three thousand years, and the museum has treasures from all of them: including the Olmecs, Toltecs, Mayans, and Aztecs.  On our first visit to the museum, we just got an overview and promised ourselves to go back.  Anyone’s visit to MC needs to include this fabulous center.

A statue of a Mayan god, nearly 1000 years old.

We were reminded that while Europe was suffering through the middle ages when London and Paris were little more than large towns with mud streets and open sewers, the Mexican cities of Teotihuacan, Tenochtitlan, and Chichen Itza were thriving religious, political, and cultural centers with monumental stone buildings, paved streets, and running water—very advanced cultures.

Over the weekend, Erin joined us for a four-hour bus trip to the colonial Mexican city of Guanajuato.  Mexico has a great network of luxury, first class buses connecting all of the major cities in the country.  Your trip usually includes a very comfortable, reclining seat, a bag lunch or snack, and continuous videos.  It makes traveling in Mexico easy and hassle free.

We arrived in Guanajuato early on Saturday morning, unfortunately along with many thousands of other visitors.  We were aware that one of Mexico’s, indeed Latin America’s, largest cultural festivals occurs in Guanajuato every October, but we didn’t realize the numbers of people the Cervantino Festival attracts.  Although we enjoyed some of the music and were able to get tickets to what was one of the best ballet performances that we have ever seen (performed by the Beijing Dance Theater), the crowds really did detract from our enjoyment of Guanajuato.

In addition to the ballet, highlights for all three of us included whiling away much of the afternoon (and avoiding the crowds) in a sidewalk cafe, drinking cold Chaladas (lime juice and beer served over ice in salt rimmed glass) in the Parque Juarez, listening to strolling mariachi bands.  We also toured Diego Rivera’s boyhood home that houses some of his fascinating artwork.

Our favorite band

Erin and Larry posing with Frida and Diego

Sue and Erin with Chaladas

Erin returned to MC on Sunday afternoon, leaving us to enjoy a 500-foot funicular ride up to a park, providing a fantastic panoramic view of the town—again out of the teeming crowds in the streets.

Guanajuato from above

Before we left Monday, we walked through a park across from our hotel.  An incredible dancer was leading a Zumba exercise class, which went on for over an hour.  We will try to include a video we took of a portion of it—hope it works so you can see what happens in a Mexican park early in the morning.