Gabi On The Go: South tour, Diego and grasshopper for dinner - Saturday

I went for a day adventure by myself today and took the regular bus.
Public transportation here have a designated area for women.

The destination was the Fuente de La Cibeles, where you can catch one of four routs of the double decker tourist buses. For 200 pesos, or CAN$14, I took the South route.

Fiente de Las Cibeles.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: The Cibeles fountain in Mexico City is an exact replica of the Cibeles fountain that is located in the Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid , Spain . It is located at the crossroads of Oaxaca, Durango, Medellín and El Oro streets, two blocks from the Insurgentes roundabout , in the Cuauhtémoc mayor 's office of Mexico City .

It was placed as a symbol of brotherhood between the Spanish and Mexican communities in 1980 and was remodeled in 2011 as part of a maintenance and remodeling program of the capital's government.

Florencia Avenue.

Monumento de La Independencia.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: The Independence Monument or Column of Independence is an honorary column that is located in Mexico City , in the roundabout located at the confluence of Paseo de la Avenida Reforma and Río Tíber and Florencia streets.

It was inaugurated in 1910 by the then president of Mexico, Porfirio Díaz , to commemorate the Centenary of the beginning of the independence war of that country . In later years it became a mausoleum for the greatest heroes of that war. It is one of the most emblematic monuments of the city and currently used as a cultural icon of Mexico City and a place of celebrations and national demonstrations.

Constructed as an honorary column topped with a statue of the Winged Victory holding a laurel wreath and a three-link broken chain , it rises on a stepped pedestal completed by different statues and allegorical inscriptions to the independence of Mexico .

Although this is a 25 million people city, the traffic flows slow, but with order.
The big avenues have exclusive lanes for buses...

... and bicycles. I would feel safe biking here, in these areas.

The Insurgentes is the biggest avenue in Latin America: almost 30 km long.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: Avenida de los Insurgentes (English: Avenue of the Insurgents), sometimes known simply as Insurgentes, is the longest avenue in Mexico City, with a length of 28.8 km (17.9 mi) on a north-south axis across the city. Insurgentes has its origins in what was during the early 20th century known as the Via del Centenario which ran from city centre to the southern suburbs.

The World Trade Centre Mexico City.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: The World Trade Center Mexico City, commonly known by its former name, Hotel de México, is a building complex located in the wealthy neighborhood of Colonia Nápoles in central Mexico City. Its most famous and recognizable feature is the 50-story, 207 metres (679 ft) high Torre WTC, the biggest building in the local area. It is the third tallest building in Mexico City when including antenna, and at its roof height, it stands 191 metres (627 ft).

The complex includes a convention center, cultural center, parking facilities, a multi-screen cinema, a revolving 45th-floor luxury restaurant, and a shopping center with Sears (originally opened as a JCPenney, the first location outside of the USA) as an anchor tenant. It will also include a 22-floor hotel, which is currently under construction.

Located on Avenida de los Insurgentes, the complex is served by the Polyforum station of the Metrobús Bus rapid transit system, located a few meters away. The station is named after the Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros, a part of the WTC complex.

The Blue Stadium.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes (English: “Sports City Stadium”; formerly Estadio Azul) is a 33,000-seat stadium located in Ciudad de los Deportes, Mexico City. This sports facility is used for association football matches and for American football as well. The Tazón México has been played at the stadium. It was the home of Mexican football club Cruz Azul until 2018, hence the previous nickname of Estadio Azul, and the Mexico national football team, especially in the early 1990s. In summer 2016, it was announced by Mexico City authorities that plans to demolish the stadium would begin at the end of the 2017-2018 Liga MX season. However, in July 2018, the demolition project was put on hold.

It is presently the home of Atlante F.C. The stadium was dubbed again with the nickname Estadio Azulgrana which it previously held during the 1980s and 1990s due to the fact that it was the home of Atlante F.C., whose club colors are blue and garnet.

The Plaza de Toros.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: The Plaza de Toros Monumental in Mexico City , officially Plaza México , is the largest bullring in the world. ¹ It was inaugurated on February 5, 1946.

It is located in the Ciudad de los Deportes neighborhood , next to the Estadio Azul . It has a capacity for 42,000 people (seated), but has reached more than 50,000 , being dedicated almost exclusively to popular concerts and bullfighting events. It has a ring of 43 m in diameter, and an alley of two. It is privately owned.

The bullfight season takes place in the bullring, with at least twelve bullfights on Sundays between November and January, and the bullfight season or small season, with a regulatory duration of twelve bullfights on Fridays and Sundays between September and January.

On June 10, 2022, the definitive suspension for bullfighting events was notified for the duration of a trial promoted by the Justicia Justa association for animal abuse in shows.

The parks are really incredible in Mexico City.

There are many big ones, but unfortunately I would need more time to explore then. Next trip.

Here is a nice list: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/best-parks-in-mexico-city

I get off the bus close to Frida Khalo's Museum in Coyoacan neighbourhood and took an UBER to the Diego's museum.

But before, I had lunch at this small and cozy family restaurant called Cochinita Country - Yuteca's authentic food.

Cochinita pibil

Platillo típico de la cocina de la península de Yucatán preparado con carne de cerdo condimentado con una mezcla de achiote y especias.

Typical dish of the cuisine of the Yucatan peninsula prepared with Pork seasoned with a mixture of achiote and spices.

What Is Achiote?

Achiote is a spice and coloring agent extracted from the seeds of the evergreen Bixa orellana shrub. After macerating in water, the pulp surrounding the seeds is made into cakes for further processing into dyes. The seeds are dried and used whole or ground as a culinary spice. Commercially, achiote is used to add yellow color to chorizo, butter and margarine, cheese, and smoked fish.

This was totally a surprise for me. Visiting the Anahuacalli Museum was not on my list, but since the ticket from the Frida Khalo's museum also gives you access to this one, I decided to include it in my route. And what a great decision!!!!

FROM WIKIPEDIA: The Diego Rivera Anahuacalli Museum is a museum and arts center in Mexico City, located in the San Pablo de Tepetlapa neighborhood of Coyoacán, 10 minutes by car from the Frida Kahlo Museum, as well as from the tourist neighborhood of this district.

The Anahuacalli (from the Nahuatl word, whose meaning is "house surrounded by water"), is a temple of the arts designed by the Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. This museum stands out for its extensive collection of pre-Columbian art, as well as for its Ecological Space that protects endemic flora and fauna. Rivera designed its architecture in order to safeguard his vast collection of pre-Hispanic pieces, while exhibiting the most beautiful works of this set in the museum's main building. Accordingly, a selection of 2,000 artworks, especially well executed and preserved, has been on display since the opening of the Anahuacalli to the public on September 18, 1964.

THE UNDERWORLD

The main floor is the underworld. There is no light coming in and everything is dark and cold.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: The extravagant architecture of the building is inspired by Mesoamerican structures, with a unique style of its kind that mixes Mayan and Toltec influences mainly, although Rivera himself defined it as an amalgamation of Aztec, Mayan and "Traditional Rivera" styles. The Anahuacalli Museum building is erected with carved volcanic stone, extracted from the same place where it stands. According to the words of the Tabasco museographer and poet Carlos Pellicer, who designed the museum's permanent exhibition at the express indication of Rivera himself, the Anahuacalli responds to the following description:

"It is a personal creation using pre-Hispanic elements, mainly from Toltec architecture and some of the Mayan: sloped walls, serpentine pilasters and rhomboid doors. The pyramidal crown accentuates the magnificent character of the building."

Every room has a mosaic on the ceiling.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: The flat ceilings on the ground floor and the upper floors are decorated with original mosaics by the great painter, which are elements that are integrated into the architecture.

The ground floor is occupied by Aztec and the Teotihuacan artworks. A beautiful group of stone sculptures, clay figurines -models of temples- and pottery utensils." Diego Rivera planned the Anahuacalli as a great stage for the development of diverse artistic expressions such as theater, dance, painting and music. These disciplines are immersed in an atmosphere whose architecture represents the search for the Mexican essence through its rich pre-Columbian past. At the same time, the Anahuacalli is integrated into the artistic, intellectual and educational events of contemporary times.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: Every year, in compliance with the will that Rivera expressed for the Anahuacalli, contemporary art exhibitions are presented on the premises. These proposals are carefully chosen, as they must alternate harmoniously with the museum's architecture, with the pre-Columbian art on display, with the nature that surrounds it, and with the foundational and evolving concept of Diego's Anahuacalli.

The Anahuacalli is a testimony to Rivera's generosity; he created a prodigious architectural work to display his collection of pre-Hispanic art with the people of Mexico and the world. Thanks to this museum, today, thousands of national and foreign visitors can delve into the creative universe that the muralist left housed in this unique place. Everyone who visits the site can enjoy its natural and architectural spaces, as well as the rich collection of Mesoamerican art bequeathed to Mexico, by Master Rivera.

The windows are tinted with the mineral Alabaster, which doesn't allowed the full light to come in.

This gives a sinister feeling, from the underworld.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: Alabaster , a word that comes from the Latin alabastrum, is a variety of calcium sulfate, aljez or gypsum stone (hydrated calcium sulfate) that occurs in a compact form, contrary to selenite , which is a fibrous variety. Its name comes from the ancient Greek αλάβαστρος ("alabastros"), which designated a vessel without handles, since alabaster was used to make perfume vessels without handles.

Alabaster, like aljez, or gypsum stone, is scratched with a fingernail ( Mohs hardness 1.5 to 2). Its crystalline system is monoclinic. This fine-grained variety of aljez is extracted from Spanish, English or Tuscany quarries . Alabaster is used as a decorative stone. Its softness allows it to be carved with very elaborate shapes. Soluble in water, cannot be used outdoors.

LIVING WORLD

Upstairs is the Living World, with much more light, and where Diego Riviera designed his studio.

He died before completion and never got a chance to use this place as a work place.

His studio was built with very high ceilings due to the scale of his art.
Here you can see his sketches that turned into huge murals around cities, in many countries.

These sketches were not made here, but his family permitted them to be on display where the artist envisioned to create his pieces.

He also designed big windows close to the celling, so people could visit the studio and observe him working from the Celestial World, above. In a way, he saw himself as a piece of art too, to be appreciate by his admirers.

One of his large scale murals sketches.

We can see a bit of colour now on the ceilings mosaics.

Light - still timid - coming in.

CELESTIAL WORLD

When you go up one more floor...

... you get into the Celestial World.

There is light, you feel free and peaceful.

There is a nice view of the city from here. It's quiet too.

These windows are not opened, but Diego wanted them to be a view of his working space in the lower level, in the Living World.

UNAM

I met up with David late afternoon and he took me to visit the UNAM, this gigantic and important University, in Mexico City.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: The National Autonomous University of Mexico (Spanish: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the biggest in terms of enrollment. A portion of UNAM's main campus in Mexico City, known as Ciudad Universitaria (University City), is a UNESCO World Heritage site that was designed by some of Mexico's best-known architects of the 20th century and hosted the 1968 Summer Olympic Games. Murals in the main campus were painted by some of the most recognized artists in Mexican history, such as Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros. With acceptance rates usually below 10%, UNAM is also known for its competitive admission process. All Mexican Nobel laureates are either alumni or faculty of UNAM.

The Olympic Stadium.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: The Estadio Olímpico Universitario (initially called Estadio de Ciudad Universitaria , and occasionally referred to as Estadio México 68 ) is a 1952 multi-purpose sports venue belonging to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), located in Mexico City by architects Augusto Pérez Palacios , Jorge Bravo and Raúl Salinas Moro. It is the second largest stadium in the country, after the Azteca Stadium , located in the same city; It has a capacity for 72,000 spectators. It was the main venue for the 1968 Olympic Games, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the athletics competitions .

It is the only one of the Olympic stadiums located in an area declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity ( Ciudad Universitaria de la UNAM ). It was called by Frank Lloyd Wright the "most important building in modern America" .

A convocation was happening.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: UNAM was founded, in its modern form, on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra as a secular alternative to its predecessor, the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico (the first Western-style university in North America, founded in 1551). UNAM obtained administrative autonomy from the government in 1929. This has given the university the freedom to define its own curriculum and manage its own budget without government interference. This has had a profound effect on academic life at the university, which some claim boosts academic freedom and independence. UNAM was also the birthplace of the student movement of 1968.

According to my friend, 400 thousands students attend this university, which is ranked one of the best in the world. And it's almost free tuition.

Mosaic building.

This building is still a part of the University, but we took a bus to get here from the main area. The University is like a city.

Still part of the UNAM, this is the Sala Nezahualcóyotl. Gloria was so sweet and got us tickets to watch the UNAM Symphony Orchestra performing Stravisnky's Rite of Spring.

TETETLAN

We went for dinner at this exquisite restaurant/library/art centre called Tetetlan. It was building inside a cave, in a posh neighbourhood named Pedregal de San Angel. Right at the entrance, this art piece suggested that I am in for an incredible art and gourmet experience.

I was wowed the whole time!

FROM https://www.thenopo.com/blogs/magazine/the-top-four-spots-for-outdoor-dining-in-mexico-city

Tetetlán

http://www.tetetlan.com/ | @tetetlan

Avenida De Las Fuentes 180-B, Jardines del Pedregal, Mexico City

Named after the Nahuatl word tetetlan, meaning “place among many stones”, this enchanting complex is a restaurant, library, shop, gallery, and multi-purpose space steeped in the architectural and design history of Mexico.

When famous Mexican architect Luis Barragan first set foot in Pedregal in 1943, he was so taken but the unique environmental features that he built here some of his most famous landmarks, such as Casa Pedregal, where the world of Tetelán has been taking shape for years.

Today, Tetetlán retains Barragan’s keen eye for incorporating natural materials into the building and decoration of the space. Rustic stone walls are complemented by open concrete or wooden steps connecting the separate levels of the restaurant, while an industrial chich steel structure of pillars and beams support the full-size skylight, giving the overall impression of a unique open space that is extended further by the see-through flooring, revealing the stone foundations of the building.

Climbing plants and books adorn the walls and give the space a touch of coziness, and if you sit in one of their comfy Poang-style chairs and read a book while sipping an excellent cup of coffee, you will be excused for wanting to take your shoes off and put your feet up.

This photo doesn't show it too well, but the floor is made of glass and you can see the rocks of the cave underneath.

They have a huge selection of Mezcal, one of Mexico's traditional drink.

There were about 280 bottles to choose from.

I tried a couple of Mezcals, enjoyed them, but it's too strong for me.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: Mezcal, sometimes spelled mescal, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave. The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl mexcalli [meʃˈkalːi], which means "oven-cooked agave", from metl and ixcalli Traditionally the word "mezcal" has been used generally in Mexico for all agave spirits and it continues to be used for many agave spirits whether these spirits have been legally certified as "mezcal" or not, and it is also considered a drink of artisan origin.

Agaves or magueys are endemic to the Americas and found globally as ornamental plants. More than 70% of mezcal is made in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, but is now produced and commercialized throughout Mexico for the national and international market. A saying attributed to Oaxaca regarding the drink is: "Para todo mal, mezcal, y para todo bien, también; y si no hay remedio litro y medio" ("For all bad, mezcal, and for all good, as well; and if there is no remedy, liter and a half"). Native fermented drinks from maguey plant, such as pulque, existed before the arrival of the Spanish.