Tour guide Sergio Garcia and
mariachis in Plaza Garibaldi
Meanwhile, back in Mexico City ...
Sandwiched around the monarch-and-mountain-towns main
course was some very tasty Mexico City touring. Saturday
was our first full day of exploration, and the morning took us
to the Angel of Independence monument, to the city’s most
famous bullfighting stadium and to the San Angel arts and
crafts market in bustling San Jacinto Plaza.
Next we headed to the one of the Mexico City’s oldest
areas, Coyoacán, to see the Museum of Frida Kahlo. The
attraction, also known as Casa Azul (the Blue House), is
where Kahlo lived for 25 years with her husband and fellow
artist Diego Rivera. In addition to housing paintings and pho-
tographs of the influential artists, the complex includes hun-
dreds of personal effects representing their lives together.
There also was plenty of local color to be had at the neigh-
borhood’s epicenter, Plaza Hildago, where residents and
tourists mingled seamlessly on a sunny Saturday. Hacienda
de Cortes, our lunch stop, served up one of my favorite com-
binations—chile rellenos and margaritas—with a side of his-
tory; the famous Spanish explorer had lived on the grounds
during the early 16th century.
When we returned to Mexico City from the mountains
three days later, we focused our efforts on the many histori-
cal attractions in the Zócalo area of downtown. We toured
the amazing Templo Mayor, which is an Aztec ruins site that
dates back to the 1300s. We also
saw Constitution Square, the iconic
giant Mexican flag, the National
Palace and the Metropolitan
Cathedral, which is the largest
basilica in the Americas.
One of my favorite memories of
the trip came after our tour and
lunch at the Museum of Tequila
and Mezcal. There was a group
of mariachis tuning up in Plaza
Templo Mayor
Garibaldi, and, as we walked through, our guide Sergio
huddled with them. Throughout the trip, he’d shown signs of
being able to sing, but now it was showtime.
We were treated to a three-song set that featured his pow-
erful vocals, as well as the musicianship of his impromptu
bandmates. The enthusiasm with which he sang was capti-
vating, and it mirrored the passion he’d displayed throughout
the trip as he showed us his native country.
While I felt we got some good snapshots of Mexico during
the tour, I left thinking there was a lot more to explore. And,
based on what I experienced throughout the trip, I’d love to
take a closer look at more of Mexico as part of another one of
A Closer Look Tours’ other well-crafted small-group journeys.
For more information on Phoenix-based A Closer Look
Tours, contact Colin Caparros at ccaparros@acloserlooktours.
com or go to acloserlooktours.com.
To see additional photos from the Monarch Butterflies of
Mexico tour, go to tinyurl.com/y7shhdbq.
NTAonline.com
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