Mexican Travels

In October 2019 we travelled to Mexico, Guatemala and Belize.

MEXICO CITY

I can’t imagine that there is ever a quiet time to visit Mexico City, but it was definitely buzzing when we were there at the end of October, with the Day of the Dead festivities well under way. We had just missed the annual Parade of Alebrijes – colourful, fantastical and nightmarish creatures from Mexican folklore – but the giant papier mâché models were on display all along the Paseo de la Reforma, the main road through the centre. We loved these vividly painted works of art, which had withstood the weather pretty well despite the recent rain.

On Saturday night the historic centre was thronging with people of all ages, some dressed up and more than happy to pose for photographs. The image of La Catrina – a tall female skeleton wearing elegant clothes – has become an icon of the Day of the Dead celebrations.

The historical centre is full of interesting things to see, such as the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Palacio de Bellas Artes (built in the Art Nouveau style, with a matching underground entrance next to it that looks as though it’s been transplanted from Paris) and the Palacio Nacional, which contains works by the famous muralist Diego Rivera. Sadly, the palace was closed when we were there, but one of his most famous murals, Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park, is displayed in the Diego Rivera Museum, which overlooks the Alameda Park. In fact, this enormous mural is the only exhibit in the museum. He’s now as famous for being married to Frida Kahlo as he is for his murals, but his work is quite wonderful and this mural contains an iconic portrayal of La Catrina. The Ciudadela Market is just a few blocks away.

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FRIDA KAHLO MUSEUM

Diego Rivera is all very well, but Frida Kahlo’s house was the place I most wanted to see in Mexico City. I’d seen the film ‘Frida’ with Salma Hayek and marvelled at the Frida exhibition at the V&A Museum in London, so I was really looking forward to seeing her house for myself. La Casa Azul (the Blue House) is in Coyoácan, a leafy, cobbled, bohemian area of Mexico City, full of brightly painted colonial buildings. It was in this house that Frida was born, lived much of her adult life and died when she was only 47. Her injuries meant that she was often confined to her bed, which is still there, complete with the mirror above it that enabled her to paint self-portraits. Every room is vibrant with colour and packed with paintings by Frida and her husband, Diego Rivera, as well as their large collection of folk art. Her vivid personality dominates the house, but so do reminders of the constant pain that she experienced, with her wheelchair, crutches and prosthetic leg all pathetically on display. The lovely, shady courtyard garden has brightly painted blue walls, which form a striking backdrop to the collection of exotic plants.

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XOCHIMILCO

The last thing you might expect to see in Mexico City is canals, but travel south to Xochimilco and you can enjoy a boat trip like no other. The boats are gondola-like, but you are in Mexico, so instead of being black, they are painted eye-searing colours. And there’s nothing serene about these canals. There are food boats selling tacos, drinks boats making sure that you don’t go thirsty and even boats bearing mariachi bands, who will board your boat to give you a private performance. It’s canal life, Mexican style.

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TEOTIHUACAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

You cannot visit Mexico City without going to see the pyramids at Teotihuacan, which is about 30 miles away. The site dates back to 400BC, but very little is known about the people who built the city or the lives they led. The main buildings are strung along the Avenue of the Dead and we climbed both the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun. Because they were there.

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OAXACA

The opportunity to experience the Day of the Dead celebrations in Oaxaca was the thing I was most looking forward to and I wasn’t disappointed. The city was transformed and its streets full of parades, bands, dancers and countless people in costume with their faces painted like skeletons. Far from being scary, the whole scene was joyful and uplifting. Even the graveyard seemed alive with candles, flowers and music. Oaxaca is a lovely colonial town, with cobbled streets, brightly coloured buildings, gorgeous churches, attractive squares and delicious food, but (ironically) it takes on a completely new life during the Day of the Dead and we threw ourselves into it with great enthusiasm.

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MONTE ALBAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

The Monte Alban archaeological site is not far from Oaxaca and is truly impressive. The site, once home to Zapotecs and later Mixtecs, contains great plazas with ruins of pyramids, tombs, passageways and altars. The rainy season had just ended and the whole area was lush and green. With the mountains as a backdrop, the site was truly beautiful. I’ve never been to Machu Pichu, but I imagine that this is like a scaled-down version. And much less busy.

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TULE

We left Oaxaca (with regret) to head southeast towards the Chiapas Sierra Madre. On the way we stopped in the village of Tule to see a 2,000-year-old Montezuma Cypress tree. Anything to break up a long journey! Tule was very pretty, though.

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SUMIDERO CANYON

One of the most beautiful sights in the state of Chiapas is the spectacular Sumidero Canyon. The Grijalva River cuts through the canyon, with cliffs towering up to 1,000 meters either side, and so we took a boat trip to get the full experience. We made frequent stops to enjoy the spider monkeys playing in the trees and crocodiles basking in the shallows. At one point we came to a floating island of plastic bottles – it seems that nowhere is immune.

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SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS

Our next destination was another pretty but remote colonial city, San Cristobal de las Casas, located high in the Chiapas mountains. The area is home to many indigenous people – it’s hard to believe, but there are 63 indigenous languages spoken in Mexico, with 350 dialects. There’s a wonderful market in San Cristobal where local people sell traditional art, crafts, clothing and food.

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PALENQUE

Yet another archaeological site was next on the itinerary, this time the jungle ruins of Palenque. On the way, we visited the Agua Azul to admire the series of waterfalls tumbling over the limestone rocks and took the opportunity for a swim beneath the falls. The Mayan site of Palenque dates back nearly 2,000 years, but wasn’t re-discovered until 1952. It is a stunning site and still looks as though the jungle would quickly reclaim it if the caretakers weren’t vigilant. We then visited Cascada Misol Ha, a waterfall that plunges over the side of a cliff to hit the boulders below. It’s very beautiful and also the first waterfall I have ever walked behind.

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YAXCHILAN MAYAN SITE

The final stop in Mexico was a unique and wonderful experience. We headed to Frontera Corozal, an isolated spot in the rain forest on the Usumacinta River, which separates Mexico from Guatemala. A 30-minute boat trip took us to the remote archaeological site of Yaxchilan. Although there were a few people there when we arrived, they left quite soon and we had the site to ourselves. It was deep in the jungle, with only the howler monkeys for company. We caught only fleeting glimpses of them, but could hear their noise constantly. The remoteness of the site, the jungle slowly reclaiming many of the structures and the howler monkey chorus made it an eerie, unearthly sort of place. We spent the night in a simple lodge in the jungle in Frontera Corozal, falling asleep to the cries of the howler monkeys. More restful than it sounds!

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GUATEMALA

We then crossed the river to enter Guatemala. Here we stayed on a beautiful island on Lake Peten Itza called Flores, which I imagine is very like the Caribbean. Although I don’t know, never having been to a proper Caribbean Island. It had a lovely island feel, with colourful buildings, delicious food, large cocktails and friendly people. It struck me as the kind of place that would appeal to westerners looking for a more laid-back sort of life, and we definitely met a few.

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TIKAL MAYAN SITE AND BELIZE

The last big attraction was the Mayan site of Tikal. This ancient city surrounded by rain forest was settled in 600 BC and rediscovered in 1848. The site is enormous and you could spend several days visiting the temples, pyramids and ruins dotted about. We spent a whole day there and it was spectacular, but if I’m honest, we were just about done at this point. Our quota of Mayan ruins had been fully met. The final afternoon was spent in San Ignacio in Belize, where we visited an iguana sanctuary. They were very impressive in a prehistoric sort of way and a change from ruins.

The following day we drove from San Ignacio to Belize City Airport for our flight to Miami. But that’s another story…