Xochimilco

We didn’t have anything planned for the morning so while folks rested or worked, I Uber-ed to the National Museum of Anthropology. Apparently it’s the largest and most visited museum in Mexico and within nearby Chapultepec Park. It contains anthropological and archaeological artifacts - some replicas and some authentic.

But the most famous is the Aztec Stone of the Sun which is below. Since I arrived near opening, I was able to take a photo without any crowds. It apparently weighs over 54,000 lbs:



And so you believe that I was there and didn’t download from Wikipedia, here’s a selfie:



It was drizzling today, so it was cloudy but here’s the front of the museum:



When you enter, there’s what they call an umbrella that is the center of the courtyard, surrounded by the many rooms representing different indigenous cultures and eras. It was fun to see the water drip through this “umbrella”:



The second room I went to was about Teotihuacan and it was a real nice connection to see more artifacts or read more about what we saw a few days before. Here’s a reproduction of the Temple of the Feathered Serpent that we climbed in Teotihuacan:



Also the Statue of Chalchiuhtlicue, Aztec goddess of water and represents fertility that we saw near the complex entrance:



Here’s the Disk of Mictlāntēcutli who is the Aztec god of death and the underworld. They found it in the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan:



We learned about ball games and how they are played on hips from Lalo and when seeing the Rivera murals at the National Palace. Here are some ball game goals from Chichen Itza which I would love to visit. Lalo mentioned though roads to Chichen Itza have been problematic as it’s controlled by the mafia:



Here’s the Aztec goddess who gave birth to the moon and stars and the god of sun:



Also famous here is the statue of Xōchipilli, known as the “flower prince” who is the god of art, games, dance, and…flowers:



In front of the room with the Aztec Sun Stone, is a jaguar-shaped cuauhxicalli meaning "eagle gourd bowl". This is a stone vessel used for sacrifices and holding human hearts:



Per Wikipedia, the Olmec colossal heads are stone representations of human heads sculpted from large basalt boulders. Here are our “big” heads:



There were several tomb reconstructions, but apparently this is the most famous - here’s the mausoleum of the Palenque ruler, K’inich Janaab Pakal:



And like the Saturday Night Live funny video said, there were “bowls, bowls, and more bowls”:



The big activity of the day was to go Xochimilco which is in the southern part of the city known for their canals and artificial islands called chinampas. Mexico City was actually developed over several lakes and hence why some buildings are sinking. Trajineras are gondola-style boats used to navigate and are party boats not only for tourists, but locals. It’s funny to think that this World Heritage site has karaoke singers and tequila shots!





Our boat is owned by Pako Tours which we booked through Viator, but many folks negotiate at the dock for better prices. However, I wanted to minimize carrying cash and the haggling as it’s not in the best neighborhood:



Here, Kris is showing his rowing skills - we already knew he was a good runner from yesterday:



Immediately, Gustavo and Brandee, our guides poured us a local tequila called Azul and Corona and La Victoria beers. Azul went down smooth and can only be purchased in Xochimilco. We also snacked on taquitos with chicken and hibiscus:







Floating food and vendors abounded selling corn or elote, candied apples, micheladas, and beers:







You can also hire various musicians, but we wanted a mariachi band. I enjoyed the vocals and it harkens back to when my grandparents were serenaded by mariachi singers in Los Angeles when I was 5. They sang us Guantanamera, Bésame Mucho, and Cielito Lindo, the Mexican folk song that famously goes “ Ay, ay, ay, ay, Canta y no llores…”:



What’s also famous here is the axolotl, which is a local amphibian. It can regenerate its limbs and was used for medicine, food, and ceremonies in the Aztec empire. They are threatened by their limited habitat and the introduction of non-native tilapia, but we got to see them when we stopped into this “riverboat zoo”:



There were more animals such as a bearded dragon:



And a chameleon… so essentially all of Rachel’s former pets:



And several snakes:



This owl was watching us the whole time as we exclaimed at the tanks full of snakes and animals:



Before we left, our boat guide Julio (or sometimes called Julia by Brandee) insisted I hold this python and after asking me several times, I obliged:





I had also brought a wireless speaker, so we bopped to Britney, BTS, and Bon Jovi to name a few… and the girls definitely had a lot of fun on the boat:





One of the islands is called the Isla de las Muñecas, or the Island of the Dolls. According to legend, a doll was found and hung after a young girl had died from drowning. The doll was presumed to be hers and both were found by a loner named Santana Barrera. After he died, visitors also hung dolls:







Some final group shots from our fun experience - we even got to meet Pako on the bridge:







Then we returned to our respective JW’s and rendezvous-ed at Quintonil for a supremely unique tasting menu. Here’s the front of the restaurant:



Although we hadn’t really started the meal, an alarm went off and we all presumed it was a smoke or fire alarm. But it was an earthquake alarm! Some photos below of other establishments emptied on to the road as well as our kitchen staff waiting outside. Our Californian travel mates were way more comfortable with this as we waited for an earthquake tremor that never came to pass:





The centerpiece of the meal was this unique taco experience - sea bass with grasshoppers, ants, and ant larvae…there’s a reason why they don’t give you the menu upfront for this very local and elevated Pre-Hispanic cuisine:



Some of the insects that sacrificed themselves for our meal:



And our tasting menu obligatory collage:



The menu…



We then had a night cap at SoHo House where we returned and enjoyed our last night all together. No photos are permitted, but we had fun at the Photo Booth before we said our goodbyes.

Thank you all for contributing to an amazing trip and I really enjoyed the time together, the food, and all the good vibes. Hasta La Proxíma or until next time! I’d be delighted to plan another trip and will make sure the hotels are synced!