I cannot believe I’ve arrived in Mexico already, and am essentially on the home straight. It’s hard to believe I’ve been away for 5 months now, but with so much more to see in my remaining 4 months, I know the time will unfortunately fly by.
Guadalajara, Jalisco
My first stop in this huge country – Mexico has a larger land mass than all of south east Asia combined – was the beautiful capital city of the Jalisco state, Guadalajara, located around the western central Highlands. This sprawling city’s heart is in the Centro Histórico, and over time Guadalajara has contributed considerably to what is commonly associated with mexican culture today; tequila, mariachi music, broad-rimmed sombreros to name a few. A tour around the Centro Histórico summarised Guadalajara’s pivotal role in the fight for Mexican Independence, as a statue one of their leaders, Miguel Hidalgo, stands proud in the central plaza. I am yet to visit a city that does not have a ‘calle de Hidalgo’ – throughout the whole country, cities have named roads/streets after this revolutionary man, fighting for freedom from the Spanish government.
After a day exploring the city and local markets, it was time to visit the homeland of the national drink – Tequila. After a tour of a local distillery it was time to go into the fields and sample a number of different tequilas, from the standard ‘blanco’ to the 10yr old barrel aged ‘rosa’ which has a much more pleasant and sweeter taste. I felt truly immersed in the culture here; so we drank our generous samples of tequila, in agave fields, in bright sunshine, whilst being serenaded by a mariachi band. It was wonderful.
The town of Tequila itself is also beautiful, with huge casa’s lining small cobbled streets, all leading to the central plaza where the local market was in full swing, numerous mariachi bands we competing for people’s attention, and traditional performers wowed the crowd by swinging upside down from large wooden poles.
Mexico City, D.F.
The tranquility of Guadalajara was replaced by the hustle and bustle of Mexico City, where experience with the London underground set me in good stead for the metro system here. However, considering it cost me the equivalent of 25p every time I used the metro (regardless of my destination), I’d like to suggest that TFL rethinks it’s extortionate £2.30!
Days of history followed, with many museums, cathedrals and places visited to learn more about the fascinating pre-Hispanic cultures of Mexico.
Catedral Metropolitana
Inside the Catedral
Ruins at the Temple Mayo museum
I would also highly recommend a visit to the Teotihuacán pyramids, set amid what used to be Mesoamericas greatest city. Climbing up the two main pyramids, Pirámide del Sol and Pirámide de la Luna gave spectacular views of the ancient city’s grid plan and the architectural achievements of the people at the time.
My nights here week spent experiencing alternative sides of Mexican culture, including going to a Lucia Libre wrestling show, and dancing the night away in a salsa bar. It is so refreshing to go out, dance all night in a bar where everyone is happy and having fun, but little to no alcohol is involved. Latin culture is just infectious!
Oaxaca
The third city I visited this week was Oaxaca (pronounced Wahaka) and I fell in love. Again I was based around the Centro Histórico, where small cobbled streets lead to the Zolaco, and brightly coloured buildings line the streets. Amazing markets are everywhere and the enticing smells from the food sections are hard to ignore.
Set in a flat plan surrounded by mountains, Oaxaca has many pre-Hispanic sites to explore, including the famous Monte Albàn, an ancient city built high up in the mountains.
Monte Albàn
View of Oaxaca city from Monte Albàn
I went on a typical tourist trip out to some of the indigenous areas of Oaxaca, including Mitlan (thought to be occupied after Monte Albàn was abandoned), and Hierve El Agua.
Mitlan temples
Hierve El Agua
As the only English speaker on my tour, my very basic Spangench (Spanish-English-French hybrid language I’ve made up) was put to the test. Comprehension is coming along nicely, considering I’ve been learning Spanish for 6 days, but habit takes over when I try to speak and consequently panic, so the odd French word slips in, confusing matters further. The plan is to find a Spanish school/home stay in Guatemala to really help ,you speaking – until then, DuoLingo it is!
After a very busy but lovely first week in a country I’m quickly falling in love with, I left Oaxaca to head over to San Cristobal de Las Casas. It’s here that I’ll pick up from next time.
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Peak into my passport 