Teotihuacan

Visited this vast site some 35 kilometres from the city via the plaza of 3 cultures, showing aztec,

colonial, Franciscan monastery

and modern architecture. It was also the site of student rioters being killed in 1968.

On the way out of the city we were passed by this van, street food  I think it's called!

In the car park of the site we clubbed together to see the men do the following one of them playing a pipe!

 They spin round 13 times which is to do with the Aztex calendar and as their are 4 of them it makes 52 which is not their weeks but the number of years in a century but I suspect something has got lost in translation.


Teotihuacan is an extraordinary area and it is difficult to understand how the whole place was originally conceived. There are 13 temples in all and I did climb the hightest one but the following few pictures hardly do it justice

 

I climbed this one which is the biggest and the pictures show me at the bottom and the top

The picture above shows just how steep some of it was, my toes just showing at the bottom looking down a flight of stairs.

Leaving the site for a late lunch we then headed for the shrine of St Mary at Guadaloupe which is apparently the most revered place in catholic Mexico as it houses a piece of cloth with a depiction of the virgin herself given to the Bishop in the area at the time so that he would build her a church. Personally it looks like a painting to me but...... 

 What was more interesting was that the buildings are sinking in different directions and walking round the old church is somewhat disorientating.

A new modern church very similar in layout to Liverpool Catholic Cathedral holds the piece of cloth and was built when the current Pope came to beatify the chap who collected flowers (on my birthday) as a sign to the Bishop that his visions were real.

So I know where to come to celebrate my birthday with a real fiesta!

Chihuahua and Mexico City

Chihuahua and Mexico City

Chihuahua is a large city and had time to explore a little before having to go to airport to catch the plane. Went to the city hall where there are huge murals round a central courtyard depicting the history of the city. It turns out that many towns and cities have them,famously in Mexico city itself.

This is a picture of pastor hilgado who is credited with starting the Mexican Independence fight with his cry of Viva Mexico from his pulpit being executed in Chihuahua.

 

The cathedral has the distinction of having 2 altars built one in front of the other, what was originally a large church became the cathedral and it was decided that it needed a grander altar and so a new one with posh marble was built in front. From what I could see I preferred the earlier one, no accounting for taste I suppose.

Its most famous inhabitant was 'Pancho' Villa who had a grand house in the city which was turned into a museum on the death of his widow in the 80's (I think) certainly relatively recently. It has lots of momentos plus the car in which he was assasinated complete with bullet holes.

Another very classy (grey leather seats) flight back to Mexico and reasonably trouble free taxi ride to the hotel on the main square which I now know is called a zocalo in all places large enough to have a square! Had a little wander but ate in the hotel which was pleasant and not too expensive. Had to ring someone to find out what time the tour started, not impressed with the organisation skills of Bales/Native Trails other travellers also had problems so a number of complaints will be made I expect.

However friendly group of people from all over England and in one case Scotland plus a couple from Bulgaria who speak good enough english and in the case of the wife a few other languages as well. Luigi is our guide and unfortunately his english is not good enough for the speed he speaks at and he is very fond of his history in great detail so it is difficult to keep listening and everything takes longer than necessary.

We did get to see part of the cathedral

 it being Sunday bits were closed for Mass, so we looked at the place where the President stands to commemorate Independence on 15th September each year and rings the bell at 11.00 o'clock  precisely, along with bells in every other town in the country lots of frieworks etc follow.



 and then at extreme length the murals in the city hall by Diego Riviera 

husband of Freda Kahlo, which show the complete history of the various struggles through history of the peoples of Mexico and the types of produce and it's uses.The following shows the eagle (god) who found the right place in a lake(!) to build Mexico City, the serpent is also important but it was all rather to much by then!

,

We then went to a suburb called Xochimilco which is an area of waterways and islands just to confirm the lake is still there underneath the city) where brightly coloured boats are punted along

 and we had lunch along the way. Mariachi bands

 would serenade for a small fee and there were other boats selling plants and trinkets etc. 

Eventually we got to the main museum housed in a lovely modern building with the history of the various peoples/tribes who have occupied the various parts of the country. Their abilities to calculate and build are astounding, this is the Sun Stone found near where my hotel now is, showing theAztec knowledge

but they also were a very cruel race and methods of torturing and killing people seem particularly gruesome, this is a sacrificial stone, nice drainage channel. 

They also had carvings to hold the hearts taken out probably when the person was still alive

this fluteis made from a human bone

 

 but as ever there is always a slightly brighter side especially for the ladies, probably make some of my followers feel a tad inadequate!

 

Copper Canyon

Railway station some 15 mins drive outside the town and the train was late so fair amount of hanging around but eventually it arrived and the porter showed me to my seat.

 A very slow journey ensued, fairly dreary scenery to begin with and train used by locals as well as tourists. However gradually we rolled through more majestic scenery a little bit like the trans-alpine in New Zealand but make-up of mountains different and no glacial action here.

Most homes are small and many fairly delapidated, the indigenous population struggle to survive with rather thin animals and scrubby fields.

The journey was somewhat enlivened by two machine gun toting guards for what purpose I'm not sure!

Finally arrived in El Divisidero at about 3pm having boarded at 8.40am or so about half an hour late. Path from station lined by stalls selling baskets,jewellery, t-shirts etc. nothing very exciting but felt sorry for the people who work hard with little prospect of return by what I could see. Path very uneven and with quite a few steps not geared to roller suitcase.

Checked in only person who did so and then struggled to room more steps and no porter! However the view from the room more or less made up for it.

Part of the deal with the hotel meant that I have two guided walks and the first set off at 4pm to see some caves in the walls of the canyon which house wild and human animals.

 Some were in fairly inaccessible places and with thousands of feet drop not my favourite activity but I have some pictures to prove I did it.

Supper in the bar as only person staying real mexican food and beer. Barmaid hoping to go to New Zealand to work and had visited the North Island last year like Marian on my trip last year. Very cold in the evening and layering up to keep warm not helped by the wind although out of it and in the sun quite pleasant. Second trip started at 9am the next day heading along the the top of the canyon for some distance, the picture below shows the hotel in the middle from only part of the way.

We passed a number of lookout stops including one which has a rock which moves and no I decided it was too windy to test, well that's my excuse but no one else doing it either so.....

Eventually reached the new attraction of a cable car across part of the canyon and took a ride which gets you much nearer the bottom. It is amazing how many people live in quite lonely places where reaching anyone else must take hours and no motorised transport can get there.

 More views but nothing else allowed 20mins and returned where could see the ladder ways that some of the cliff dwellers use.

Walking through a forest area noticed a striking red barked tree which apparently has some medicinal purpose in the treatment of diabetes.

Unfortunately the rest of the trees were fairly uninteresting and as the wind was getting up glad to be back by lunchtime. Went for a walk myself in the afternoon and found a spot to take a photo of the train that I shall catch tomorrow. Still no more guests I wonder why they keep open in what is clearly low season for the area.

Journey downrather less interesting landscape, passed through a town called Creel, with a hotel which sums the place up.

lengthy journey starting at just before 3pm and ending at 9.30 in Chihuahua, more of which later.

Travels in Mexico

Well here I am once again exploring a part of the world I haven't visited before. Long journey via Houston flying over two of the great lakes, and I even managed a picture.

Tried to get one of Mexico city as it seemed huge just a mass of lights as we came in to land but rather shaky and the next one looked like a Jackson Pollock so fine art photography here I come!

Spent night in airport hotel as early flight north toward the Copper Canyon, small plane only seating 50 and had  a good view of the two local volcanoes

but had to detour because of bad weather so pleased to eventually land safely in Los Mochlis from where I travelled by car to El Fuerte. Weather quite warm so had a pleasant look round the town established by the Spanish with a fort (fuerte) for protection against the indigenous indians which now houses the museum and has some lovely bouganvilia outside

not to mention cactii

and views of the river Fuerte famed for it's black bass fish

Overnight in hotel which is a converted large house where allegedly Zorro lived as a child. Waiter did a pretty good impression but only have the statue.

Today was Valentines Day which is taken pretty seriously here, and a young couple were being serenaded over lunch in one of the courtyards which rather puts a box of chocolates in the shade! Aah.