Day 1 Mexico
I must be getting old... I never used to get jetlag but after being in transit for 25 hours en route from Singapore to Mexico for my global conference, I completely crashed and slept for 12 hours straight. I was so zonked, I had meant to wake up for dinner but I just slept thru the alarm.Might have also been due to the fact that after arriving, I practically went straight from the airport to the Pyramids of Teotihuacan with Akshay - the BM for Ariel India. It was a nice leisurely 1 hour drive from the city and our guide, Rodolfo, kept up a steady chatter about the city's history the whole time.
We passed thru the Avenue de Reforma, the "Champs Elysee of Mexico" - no kidding, it was supposedly designed by the French. I had expected Mexico City to be more like Manila but it was surprisingly super clean - the roads were wide and there was so much green!
Anyway, I digress - the Pyramids were incredible especially if you consider how the Indians built these without tools in the 1st c. AD! Much of it has been reconstructed but if you imagine how hundreds of these pyramids dotted the Mexican landscape pre-Spanish colonialization - it's pretty awe-inspiring.
The 3 main structures are:
1) the Citadel, known for the intricate reliefs and sculptures of Quetzalcoatl (the Feathered Serpent),
2) the Pyramid of the Moon at the end of the Avenue of the Dead and,
3) the towering Pyramid of the Sun with about 300+ steep steps which I climbed to the top of (groan - that's the view from the top).
We also passed by the Monastery of Acolman - a quiet Augustinian monastery built in the 16th century. Nothing much to see inside but it's a nice side trip on the way back to town.
Last stop is a must-see even for non-Catholics - the Virgin of Guadalupe - in my knowledge, the only depiction of the Virgin with dark skin. Legend has it that after the Spaniards came, they had a hard time converting the Indians, until the Virgin appeared on San Juan Diego's (the Indian saint) shirt as proof. The Virgin's image has been tested for authenticity and apparently, has been found not to be made of any kind of paint (proof of its divine nature).
And Mexico's been Catholic ever since.
posted by moan @ 7:29 AM
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