Mexico city and all its beauty
Travel to Mexico city, Mexico for a rich cultural experience. You can choose to relax in many of Resorts in Mexico or decide to explore several amazing art museums, architectural treasures and cultural sites while on your Trip to Mexico. I travelled to Mexico city for 4 days during Thanksgiving break and enjoyed every moment of it. I have laid down a plan for you, to help you plan to Mexico City Trip and make the most of it. The Mexico country has a rich cultural history and we felt very safe as tourists, exploring the city. Mexico City has a very warm weather, so I would suggest you pack a summer wardrobe, a light jacket, comfortable sneakers or open sandals (If you get very hot), sunglasses and sunscreen. We visited Mexico in October/November and I can assure you, there were time we were melting because of the heat. Mexico city hotels are very similar to the ones in the US, so expect a similar stay experience. Mexico city boasts of some world class restaurants at prices way cheaper then the US for a similar meal. An unforgettable Mexico City restaurant experience was eating at El Balcón del Zócalo, a wonderful restaurant in the Mexican city center with the most amazing views and food of course.
(I was not paid for any recommendations, there are no affiliated link here. I am honestly sharing my travel experiences that I truly enjoyed)
Here is everything to do and see in and around Mexico city including the mysterious Pyramids of Teotihuacan (Mexico Pyramids), architectural city centre, cinnamon and chocolate filled churrerias, Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul, canals of Xochimilco and more. Our Mexico vacation was amazing and I would definitely love to go back and explore the city more, probably go during the "Day of the Dead" Parade.
Mexico City abbreviated as CDMX, is the capital city of Mexico and the most populous city in North America. Mexico City is one of the most important cultural and financial centers in the world. It is located in the Valley of Mexico (Valle de México), a large valley in the high plateaus in the center of Mexico. It is the largest Spanish-speaking city in the world. Mexico's capital is both the oldest capital city in the Americas and one of two founded by indigenous people, the other being Quito, Ecuador. The city was originally built on an island of Lake Texcoco by the Aztecs in 1325 as Tenochtitlan, which was almost completely destroyed in the 1521 siege of Tenochtitlan and subsequently redesigned and rebuilt in accordance with the Spanish urban standards. In 1524, the municipality of Mexico City was established, known as México Tenochtitlán, and as of 1585, it was officially known as Ciudad de México (Mexico City). Mexico City was the political, administrative, and financial center of a major part of the Spanish colonial empire. After independence from Spain was achieved, the federal district was created in 1824.
My husband, toddler, and I took a short 2.5 hour flight from Dallas, Texas to Mexico City. We got a beautiful hotel in the city center close to a lot of action at a decent price, one of the best churreria was at a walking distance from the hotel.
As soon as we landed, we checked in and headed to the gorgeous Frida Kahlo's home and also Frida Kahlo Museum - Casa Azul where the world famous artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Riviera lived and entertained some very incredible people. Although she was disabled by polio as a child, Kahlo had been a promising student headed for medical school until she suffered a bus accident at the age of eighteen, which caused her lifelong pain and medical problems. During her recovery she returned to her childhood hobby of art with the idea of becoming an artist. Kahlo's interests in politics and art led her to join the Mexican Communist Party in 1927, through which she met fellow Mexican artist Diego Rivera. The couple married in 1929, and spent the late 1920s and early 1930s traveling in Mexico and the United States together. During this time, she developed her artistic style, drawing her main inspiration from Mexican folk culture, and painted mostly small self-portraits which mixed elements from pre-Columbian and Catholic beliefs. Her paintings raised the interest of Surrealist artist André Breton, who arranged for Kahlo's first solo exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York in 1938; the exhibition was a success, and was followed by another in Paris in 1939. While the French exhibition was less successful, the Louvre purchased a painting from Kahlo, The Frame, making her the first Mexican artist to be featured in their collection. Throughout the 1940s Kahlo participated in exhibitions in Mexico and the United States, and also worked as an art teacher. She taught at the Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado "La Esmeralda" and was a founding member of the Seminario de Cultura Mexicana. Kahlo's always-fragile health began to decline in the same decade. She had her first solo exhibition in Mexico in 1953, shortly before her death in 1954 at the age of 47. Frida Kahlo's work as an artist remained relatively unknown until the late 1970s, when her work was rediscovered by art historians and political activists. By the early 1990s, she had become not only a recognized figure in art history, but also regarded as an icon for Chicanos, the feminism movement and the LGBTQ+ movement. Frida Kahlo's work has been celebrated internationally as emblematic of Mexican national and indigenous traditions and by feminists for what is seen as its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form.
Diego Riviera was a celebrated Mexican painter and also Frida Kahlo's husband.
Mexico city has several attractions and museums but the attraction of Frida Kahlo's home the most for us.
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, she employed a naïve folk art style to explore questions of identity, post colonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society. Her paintings often had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy. In addition to belonging to the post-revolutionary Mexicayotl movement, which sought to define a Mexican identity, Kahlo has been described as a surrealist or magical realist. Her house La Casa Azul (Blue House) or Frida Kahlo Home has become a museum that displays many of her works.
Casa Azul has so much character, and it is so inspiring. I highly recommend everyone should visit it and do watch Frida Kahlo movie by Salma Hayek called Frida before visiting for maximum impact. No words are enough to describe the life of these painters, who lived by their own rules and ideologies. They simply refused to let anything come between them and the passion they had for art.
The very first thing you notice about the Casa is the strong electric blue its painted in. Everything is full of color, life and meaning. The bright colors, abundant texture is matched by the open architecture. Spend a day here to feel at peace with your creative side. For fashion designers, established or upcoming The casa azul also has a dedicated space on a Couture Fashion Exhibition. Must see again.
On Day 2, we took a day trip to the marvelous Teotihuacan Pyramids. Teotihuacan is a vast Mexican archaeological complex northeast of Mexico City. Running down the middle of the site, which was once a flourishing pre-Columbian city, is the Avenue of the Dead. It links the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun, the latter two with panoramic views from their summits. Artifacts in the Museum of Teotihuacan Culture, on-site, include pottery and bones.
Teotihuacan began as a religious center in the Mexican Highlands around the first century CE. It became the largest and most populated center in the pre-Columbian Americas. Teotihuacan was home to multi-floor apartment compounds built to accommodate the large population. The term Teotihuacan (or Teotihuacano) is also used for the whole civilization and cultural complex associated with the site.
The pyramids are a must see.
They are magnificent to say the least, as part of the trip you can also hike up all the pyramids, Pyramid of Sun makes for an adrenaline pumping hike with 360 degree views of the whole area. For a more elevated experience try the hot air balloon early morning flight to float above the pyramids in adventurous style. enjoyed walking through these marvelous structures and then
After finishing our Mexican Aztec Pyramid adventure we were very hungry and ate lunch at the amazing Groto restaurant. This restaurant is a must see, its easily walkable from the pyramids. It is a big underground cave, beautifully lit with candles, colorful furniture and delicious food. The cave restaurant adds a ton of fun to the day of adventure.
After lunch we ubered back to Mexico City, and in the evening we went to the craft heaven by visiting the local crafts market in the downtown of Mexico City. They were a treat in themselves. Beautiful local crafts in color and pattern heaven, filling me with inspirational ideas for a lifetime.
Day 3 was dedicated to the gorgeous Chapultepec Castle. We did a formal tour of the castle and it was so stunning to say the least. Chapultepec Castle (Spanish: Castillo de Chapultepec) is located on top of Chapultepec Hill in the Chapultepec park. The name Chapultepec stems from the Nahuatl word chapoltepēc which means "at the grasshopper's hill". The castle has such unparalleled views and terraces that historian James F. Elton wrote that they can't "be surpassed in beauty in any part of the world".
There are some grande staircases, gorgeous paintings, breathtakingly intricate colorful stain glass walls ( I would like to say windows but they are so big walls sound more appropriate) and the roof top is a piece of art. The president of Mexico used to live there and Elton John has held a concert on the rooftop.
On our day 4 we visited the amazing Xochimilco (Mexico City, Floating gardens). Xochimilco is best known for its canals, which are left from what was an extensive lake and canal system that connected most of the settlements of the Valley of Mexico. These canals, along with artificial islands called chinampas, attract tourists and other city residents to ride on colorful gondola-like boats called “trajineras” around the 170 km (110 mi) of canals. We rented a colorful Trajineras for a ride around the beautiful gardens.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Sandhya Garg is a Project Runway designer. She studied and specialized in women's fashion at London College of Fashion, UK and has worked at Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Liberty London, Alice Temperley to name a few.
She has her own successful resort dresses, special occasion dresses, wedding guest looks, swim coverups label.
While on Project Runway Season 13, she won 2 challenges and was fortunate to show her collection at Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. The brand has been featured in Marie Claire US, Ftv.com, Elle Magazine, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Vogue online to name a few.
She designs limited edition high end printed spring dresses and swim coverups. Beautiful prints are inspired from around the world to be worn during travel, resort stay or cruise holidays.