Tlatelolco & the Plaza de las Tres Culturas

On a windy Saturday we started off in the Centro for some live drumming, snacks, and hot chocolate.

We walked northward through Tepito to a quiet park.


We ended up at the Plaza de las Tres Culturas. "[I]t symbolizes the fusion of Pre-Hispanic and Spanish roots into the Mexican mestizo identity."


You can see (a dark shot of) pyramids:


There's a church - the Templo de Santiago. The modern part of the trio is the Centro Cultural Universitario.

The latter is the sight where 300-400 protesting students were gunned down on October 2, 1968 on the eve of the Olympic Games.

La Villa de Guadalupe

La Luz del Mundo, a church near the house:


Now, onto the Villa de Guadalupe.

It's said that an indigenous Christian by the name of Juan Diego had an apparition of the virgen in 1531. The virgen said that she wanted a shrine built in her honour, and so it was. She should have asked for the right to vote while she was at it.


Basilica Nueva (a new one was built to compensate the worshipers who "swamped" the old one.)


The woman in the red shirt approached on her knees.



Bautisterio:


The Basilica Antigua and Capuchinas:





Look how crooked the Basilica Antigua is:





A scampering lizard:


Capillo de Pocito:


Jardin de la Ofrendas:


An upward climb of 100m on a hot day.




This man climbed to the top on his knees.





Iglesia de Cerrito:



The Pope-mobile?

Martina & her girls

She's such a good mom. The puppies' teeth are really sharp now, but she still lets them suckle. The mini-Golden Retriever of friendliness is really rough too!


They still sleep a lot, but they're finally at the play stage. They still have sweet puppy breath :)


See? Flesh rolls can look cute.

The Centro revisited & Tepito

The Centro is jam-packed with churches (not of the Chicken variety), museums, and other sights.

This is the Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana.


Sister Sor Juana is "considered the greatest Spanish-language poet of the 17th century."


She's entombed in the Iglesia de San Jerónimo, and that's a portrait of her at the top:


Random church:


The church San Miguel Arcangel.

A man covered in some type of liquid approached me when I was sitting on a bench and asked if he was bothering me as something dripped on my boots. He kept talking - can't remember (perhaps don't want to) what else he was saying/asking for.


This is the Templo de Jesús Nazareno. Lonely Planet says that Hernán Cortés is entombed here, which is really strange. I couldn't find his tomb there, and when I asked I was given a long speech, of which the gist was that he was in the sky.

Wikipedia seems to clarify that the remains used to be at the Hospital de Jesús, which is close by.


Mystery church tucked away amongst the bustle:


The picture doesn't do justice to the shimmering tiles on the walls, chandeliers, and light from above.



It's always busy in the Centro.


I was looking for my next sight, but I got a little lost since the area wasn't well-documented on my map.


I ended up smack dab in the middle of a crafts market. My mother would be in heaven!


The market is alive and it's identity continually morphing. Fake glitzy nails, food vendors, toys, baskets, hair and makeup supplies just to get you started.



The shopping outside of the tents continued on seemingly forever. Blocks and blocks of shops only selling ribbons and gift wrap. Then, only women's clothing. Then only furniture. Then, only shoes.


This area is really cool. It has a European feel, with a "below-street-level walkway ... an earlier waterway used to ferry produce from the Southern community of Xochimilco."


Also note the somewhat dark detailed facade of the church in the area:



The Templo de Nuestra Señora de Loreto. You can't really tell from the photo, but it's noticeably sagging toward the east. Yet another sinking-thing in Mexico.


And now for a little Tepito.

The "rough" area is "notorious among Mexicans as a scene of criminal activity." I'm sure it's safer during the daytime.



Again, the streets in the area weren't well-represented on my map, so I had to ask for directions three times. But I found it!

This is an altar for Santa Muerte - the Mexican god of death.


Her popularity has been increasing, much to the chagrin of the Roman Catholic Church. "The saint's popularity, especially among the lower echelons of society, is feared to be rivaling that of the Virgen de Guadalupe."

People leave offerings of tequila, candles, flowers, their words, and other tokens.


The walk back to the metro was great because I knew where I was and I had more time to look around and snap more shots. Like, of this crazy-tall man-puppet-mascot which was slowly walking around in circles in a concrete park.


I got a lot of strange looks for taking the next two photos.


C'mon! Have you ever seen so many grapes for sale in the street like that? And, I had to show you guys these chickens that look like they're made from rubber.


Welcome to the informal Tepito Art Gallery of the Streets: