(Ok ok I know I'm posting our 2023 trip blog in 2026. Better late than never?)
2023 VIAJE DE MEXICO
Our summer in Mexico began in the most charming city of Oaxaca. Cobblestone streets, intricately beautiful churches and generally low-story buildings made for a very walkable city.
We visited Monte Alban, one of the oldest cities in Mesoamerica, known for its importance to the ancient Zapotec (1 500 BCE–900 CE) civilization. The city was well laid out, as you can see, after they flattened the mountaintop! We also learned about a “game” they played where a ball was kept up in the air by a number of players and the player that let it hit the ground was killed. I believe it was simply called “The Death Game”. Not sure why folks signed up for that league…
I am so sorry to say that despite all of Oaxaca’s beauty, I couldn’t come around to the local cuisine. Mezcal is the drink of choice, and I don’t care for it. I know, one of my many flaws. Food wise, they also are known for utilizing cheap, efficient, highly nutritious ingredients, also known as grasshoppers. I think Georgia agrees that even in a chopped up, unrecognizable form, the taste leaves much to be desired.
Summers are hot in Oaxaca, and luckily our hotel, set in the grounds of the 16th Century Santa Catalina nunnery, had a lovely pool. Below, the girls caught a refreshing downpour of rain mid-swim.
Georgia inside one of the beautiful churches.
We ventured into San Martin Tilcajete, the town that inspired the movie Coco by Pixar. We visited the famous wood-carving community that creates fantastical animals, called Alebrije , typically known for surreal, brightly colored combinations of animals. Here we are in the workshop with some carvings pre-painting.
For lunch we headed to a local market where much to our amazement we found a restaurant run by none other than Frida Kahlo! or at least an excellent imitator :)
The girls, of course, were mostly enamored with the local dog who sweetly kept them company while they stuffed him full of quesadillas!
Sydney enjoying the lovely garden of our hotel.
From Oaxaca we flew to Mexico City for an almost opposite experience. Here the bustling, thriving metropolis was alive and irresistible with its energy. Luckily if the girls ever wanted a break, they could hang out in the lounge of our hotel, where the amazing staff spoiled them with a barrage of snacks and drinks, and they could relax and enjoy the stunning views of Mexico City.
In our tour of the capital city, we enjoyed beautiful murals by Diego Rivera, took snack breaks inside beautifully converted historic buildings, and explored the Palace of Fine Arts.
We also enjoyed a food tour of one of Mexico City’s many unique neighborhoods. La Roma is littered with specialty food shops, cafes and charming eateries. We tried everything from fresh fish tacos, Mexican wine and local coffee and chocolate to sweet tamales and delicious ice cream.
At dawn one morning we drove to the Aztec Valley of Teotihuacan for a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the famous pyramids of the Sun and the Moon. The scenery was stunning, but I felt much safer once back on the ground!
Our last adventure in Mexico City was to the “floating gardens” of Xochimilco, to discover the ancient chinampas, as they are known. They were built by the Aztecs as artificial islands that were used as highly productive gardens and farms that became the inspiration for modern sustainable agriculture.
After enjoying a delicious lunch on the chinampas, we made a special stop for the girls to a local family-run axolotl conservation farm. These enigmatic, rare amphibians on the verge of extinction have the unique ability to regenerate parts of their body. Most importantly, the girls find them adorable!
One night we met up with our good friends Aaron and Christina, whose family was also vacationing in Mexico City at the same time! For those of you who don’t know, Aaron is responsible for Tiffany and Zach meeting each other in Denver, so we will forever be indebted to him.
A modern art museum in Mexico City with large, colorful alebrijes.
The museum also had some interesting depictions of hell and death that Sydney found concerning.
Here we find a whole room displaying Mexican culture’s relationship with death, which they don’t necessarily fear, but rather acknowledge as an important part of life, and even celebrate, with holidays like Dia de los Muertos.
High above Mexico City.
We got to explore Mexico City by subway which was fun to figure out. In addition to names, each station was helpfully identified by a symbol as well.
Sydney photo bombs Tiffany and Zach at a lovely breakfast cafe.
Our last stop was to relax in the beach town of Huatulco. A converted Club Med, our hotel had one of the best buffets we’d ever had, along with lovely pools, beaches and wildlife! The iguanas were enormous, and we had to ask the staff to identify an animal we’d never seen before, the coati, or mexican raccoon.
Sydney and lizard enjoying the sun.
All in all, it was easy to see why so many people are in love with Mexico. The history is rich, the scenery stunning, the food delicious and most of all, the people were so kind and welcoming.
