Pyramid Scheme
Today we planned to go tour the pyramids, since most museums and other attractions in town are closed on Monday. We awoke to a torrential downpour outside our room, which was amplified by the plastic roof over the terrace area. I checked the weather and the forecast wasn't good, but it wasn't any better for Tuesday or Wednesday. I think rain showers, thunderstorms, and heavy thunderstorms are all approximations of the weather here, since it is rainy in flashes and then clears, and has no relation to the forecast.
So we decided to go ahead with our plans.
We had an early and quick breakfast at the hotel, which was full of mostly Mexican business people in suits. We think they could probably tell we weren't locals.
Next we got to the point where the Tour bus picks up. There is a branch of the police called the Tourist Police, who are supposed to help tourists find their way around and assist with arrangements. One stopped us as we arrived at the pick up point, and tried very aggressively to get us to hire a friend of his to take us to the ruins. He was insistent that the company we were going to use was inferior to his friend in his 1990 sedan, and that we would have much better value with him.
Having read of some other people's unhappy experiences with this type of arrangement and also about the rampant corruption here, we stuck to our plan and bought tickets from the company's vendor. A few minutes later the bus arrived and we were on our way.
The weather got gradually better as we headed east and north. We stopped twice to pick up other tourists at other locations, including the Zocalo we were at yesterday. It was quieter today, even with the Tech exhibition going on.
Finally the sun came out, and we departed for the tour.
Most of the other riders were Mexican. This is different from historic tours we have taken in the US, where almost everyone else is a foreign tourist. These people seemed very eager to see the sites and find out about their history and heritage.
The guide talked over the bus speakers, pointing out the things we were passing. She spoke in Spanish for a long while, then translated what she had said into English. It was humorous how much longer the Spanish narration took, since there were about 75% Spanish speakers on the bus.
We passed the palace of Fine Arts we had visited yesterday. Today there were very long lines of very dressed up people waiting to enter.
I think it was a new exhibition opening today that drew them. I think it was a new exhibition opening today that drew them.
Next we went to the Shrine of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, the most important Catholic shrine and church in Mexico and the most visited Catholic location in the whole world (even more than Rome). The narrator told a complicated story about the place and its history. If you are interested you can read about it here:
As we left we picked up a few souvenirs at one of the many shops along the street there. They have a very complicated system to purchase items. You bring the item to a counter, where a clerk writes up your item and gives you 2 receipts. Then you get in another line and pay the cashier. She stamps your receipts, and you go back to the first counter, and hand that clerk the receipts. She stamps one of them, and then you finally get your item and a receipt you can leave with. Seems like a lot of work for a $.75 sale, but I guess it discourages the clerks from theft or graft.
Next it was on to the pyramids!
The route goes through some very poor neighborhoods (barrios) and also through a very interesting area called the Puebla.
Houses here are built on the sides of steep hills, and look a lot like Indian pueblos from centuries ago. Most of these have rain water tanks on the roof and TV antennas. There don't appear to be any driving roads to them; only foot paths between the multi-colored and crowded houses.
Eventually we got to the outskirts of Mexico City, where farms of corn, beans, and cactus stretched ahead of us. There are also mines for tungsten and obsidian.
We got on a toll road and finally the pyramids came into view. We pulled into a parking area and were assigned an English speaking guide, who led us through parts of the old city that lies beneath the pyramids. He explained a lot of the history and purpose of the whole complex, which includes 13 different pyramids, each a temple to one of the ancient gods.
Finally we were turned loose to explore. Sarah and Sam ascended the platform where sacrifice rituals were performed for thousands of years. No blood was spilled today.
We had about 90 minutes to see and climb, so we opted to go right for the tallest pyramid, the Temple of the Sun. We passed dozens of vendors as we walked the "Avenue" connecting it with the Temple of the Moon at the opposite end of the plaza. They had all kinds of hand crafts and pyramid related items for sale at very reasonable prices.
We got to the bottom of the steps for the Sun Temple (there are 248 of them) and began our climb. The air is very thi in Mexico City, and this area is even higher up, so we had to pause and catch our breath a few times. Finally we got to the last set of steps and reached the very top. There are great views of the whole plaza and all the ruins, as well as some others built outside the main area.
On top of the pyramid is a piece of limestone. Supposedly if you touch it for a few seconds, you release all your bad energy and replace it with positive energy. Sam and Sarah and I all tried it so there should be no harsh words ever again!
A short time later, the rain finally caught up with us, so there was a mass stampede back down the pyramid. We got a little damp, but it felt good after all that exertion. It stopped again as we headed back to our bus, where we dried off and rested a bit before the return trip.
The next stop was at a buffet restaurant serving "Comidas Tipicales" of the Aztecs. A few of the dishes were undoubtedly "typical", and it was all very good, wholesome, and filling, but it was odd to see Aztec pozole soup next to crab salad and mango jello. They had a very good Mariachi band playing the whole time, and some Aztec dancers performed while we were eating as well.
We left the restaurant and a short drive later were brought into a place that makes and sells silver jewelry and obsidian figurines (obsidian is harvested from the old rivers of molten material found under the volcanoes around Mexico City). This place was mostly a tourist trap, but it was interesting to learn about the different kinds of obsidian, and how silver is smelted and made into delicate jewelry.
Our return trip took us through some huge open-air marketplaces, and past miles and miles of shops and neighborhoods. The City is bigger than New York, and spread out much farther. And there are a whole lot more police!
It was a fascinating day.
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