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The Three Cultures of Mexico |
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Nowadays, the land of Aztecs and the ancient civilization of Maya is a bright and unique combination of the past and the present; it combines fairy-tale mountains, impassable jungles, astonishingly beautiful landscapes, broad plains and sophisticated pyramids. Mexico, its rich history, bright colors, proud and open people shall conquer and amaze you with their sincere hospitality. Now I shall introduce some facts that shall enlighten and possibly seduce you to hurry to this country just as I did and get a lot of pleasure and impressions. So, in the west Mexico is washed by the Pacific Ocean and the Californian Gulf, in the east – by the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. In the south it borders Guatemala and Belize. The capital of Mexico or the United Mexican States, about which I am going to share my impressions with you, is Mexico. This Latin American megalopolis was built on the ruins of the Aztec capital. This is the biggest city in the world and the oldest city in the New World, astonishing people with its numerous monuments of pre-Spanish and colonial periods. They say the cities have their souls. The soul of Mexico and its multi-million population hides under the enormous surface of Plaza de la Constitution, El Zocalo, flagged with dark plates. Those who have visited Venice may compare the size of the Constitution Square with the Venice square of the Saint Mark. Imposing buildings tower along the edges of the square. They include the monumental Government Palace with the famous paintings by Diego Rivera, as well as the biggest baroque Cathedral in the Latin America. The Chapultepec Park is another astonishing place. It has a lot of places of interest such as Museum of the modern art, the National Anthropological Museum, the zoo and the Chapultepec Castle. On the whole, Mexico combines several cultures and serves as the keeper of three cultures: Indian, Spanish and Mexican, the latter being made of the former ones. Therefore museums are full of numerous valuables of the great Indian states; the Spanish style may be observed on the square of the Saint Dominic with one of the most beautiful baroque churches in Mexico. Europe of the classicism period in its turn can be observed in the luxurious boulevard Paseo de la Reforma, and the modernist style is seen in the Palace of the Fine Arts. Probably, everyone has seen movies about the Indians and their lifestyle. And here, only 40 kilometers away from Mexico, you find yourself among the most famous and the most mysterious monuments of the Indian culture: the archaeological preserve Teotihuacan with the pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, the Avenue of the Dead and the Quetzalcoatl Temple (The Feathered Dragon). With the area of 23 square kilometers, this city is the biggest archaeological area in America. The 177 meters high tower - Torre Latinoamericana - serves as an antithesis of antiquity, as a kind of a symbol of the present time. You should obligatory climb it in the evening, and the picture of the sea of houses lightened with millions of lights shall engrave in your memory for a long time. And after descending to the Garibaldi Square you shall definitely come across ensembles playing the mariachi music for everyone ready to pay several pesos until late at night. On the whole, it is very pleasant to walk along the city, visit its museums and architectural monuments, but also stay in a cozy restaurant or a small café. Believe me, it is no less interesting and delicious as well. Just like a great number of people all over the world I consider the Mexican cuisine one of the most diverse and delicious in the world. The most famous national dishes that are worth tasting and that can easily be found in any café or even a street stall are tortillas (corn round cakes), burrito, fajitas, kesadija. You should be very careful since the Mexican cuisine abounds in spicy Chile sauce. However, in many tourist places spicy sauces are served separately. As regards drinks, I shall not be original saying that the national world-famous drinks are tequila, beer and mescal. If you have any time left after eating various delicious things, you should visit the memorial house of Trotskii, one of the brightest, the most contradictory and tragic figures of his time. The memorial house of Frida Kahlo, a famous Mexican artist and the wife of the prominent painter Diego Rivera, with her extraordinary unique works and mysterious nature that still are of genuine interest and attract to Mexico the amateurs of art. Several decades after her death, Frida Kahlo became a cult figure of women’s movement. Her complicated life (in her childhood she suffered from poliomyelitis and underwent dozens of operations) imparts an incredible power to her image. I recommend you to finish your walk along Mexico with visiting Xochimilco canals. This is an amazing place of flowers or the floating gardens. Ancient Aztec canals Chinampas remind of remains of the lake Tescoco on which the city is situated. Thus, a ride on gondolas trajinera accompanied by the live Mariachi music shall help you to complete the picture of Mexico from the pieces you have seen. You shall absorb the things you have seen, combine your impressions and enjoy this different and at the same time harmonious city that is so unlike others. However, at parting, if you have some money left, you should run through shops and stores selling souvenirs like silver articles, Indian motives, hand-made carpets and cloths, poncho and “sarape” capes, certainly sombrero, leather articles, masks and wooden figures, things made of onyx and obsidian and ceramics. Music and noise, colonial palaces and skyscrapers, slums and internationally known museums, green meadows and polluted air coexist in Mexico in an obscure manner… but they are alive, true, touching and real. Therefore we admire, wonder at, examine and enjoy the moments given to us by this city! Should you believe my stories and impressions? It is up to you, but the only way to check it is to go to this place, where except the wonderful rest on the coast you shall touch the exciting events of the past, setting off for the very heart of Mexico. |
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