We decided to head in to CDMX Zócalo (main square) to check out the scenery. The first challenge was to get a ticket for the subway. We managed to ask a nice gentleman the process at the counter, and he showed is the card we needed. We purchased the card for $15 pesos and added $185 pesos to the card, as we can share the card between us as long as we swipe it twice. Each ride on the subway is $5 pesos and the busses are $6, which is about $0.30 USD.
The subway was pretty easy along with the map guidance for transit. It is really easy now compared to when I was just a pup starting out, purchasing a paper map and trying to figure out where we were and how to get there. Just as my parent’s generation managed to get telephones and communication lines and satellites to space, our generation has created computers, GPS, and smart phones that make things so much easier in some ways. Even traveling in a foreign country, you can get instant translation services, a big step upward from a phrase book. It makes leaning a language easier in some ways, but in other ways a lot harder. I remember reading Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy where Douglas Adams created the babel fish tool, a small fish that you could put in your ear that would translate for you any language in the universe. It is quickly coming to that. But I digress.
The subway was really interesting and easy to use. We had to take the stairs and escalator down about 150 feet below the surface to board Line 7, which is the deepest of the subway lines here. Notice the wheels? There are tracks to keep the cars aligned, but the cars ride on rubber wheels making it smoother and quieter than other subways.
We transferred to the next line, then to the last, and along the way we found a neat archaeological site that was unearthed when the subway was being built. One of the most interesting things I find in the travels I have done, is that cities are built upon the ruins of themselves and that any work below the surface will unearth tons of history. This place is of course no different, since was an ancient aztec city Tenochtitlan that was founded in the 1300’s when it was an island in the middle of an inland lake (similar to the Great Salt Lake). (Here’s an interesting video). BTW, when we got back to the AirBnB, we did some research on CDMX. There is a lot beneath it that you don’t realize. (Another video).
We exited the subway and quickly found the Zòcalo, a massive space that used to be the center of the Aztec city and has been transformed over time. The huge cathedral actually uses much of the old stone from the Aztec buildings as part of its construction. I had to go in, of course, and this place was massive. It was different than other cathedrals in that instead of a huge open space with towering ceilings, the center was taken up by an inner building that housed a massive organ. A catholic mass was going on when we visited and we silently watched the bishop bless the sacraments and distribute communion; a neat experience.
We headed back outside and marveled at the crooked buildings and cracks in the stone. Later we researched more, as I had read the city was sinking, but needed more information. It turns out this is exactly the case. We missed the street with the really old crooked buildings, but may head back later in the week. We turned left from the cathedral and headed into the shopping district. Turning right would have taken us to the two temples and active archaeological site at the heart of the ancient Tenochtitlan. We found a nice place for lunch and then explored a bit more on the pedestrian walkways and local churches. One church was really pretty, and exactly next door was an old convent. We went in to the convent, and there was an even bigger church behind the original. It had some massive paintings hanging on the walls and a really crooked door at the west entrance.
We headed back to the subway to get home, and transferred to the bus route after several stops (not sure why we had to to do that, as it cost us an extra $12 pesos (75 cents). Tomorrow we are on a planned tour of the Frida Kahlo museums and houses. We are excited to see those. We also saw they have a double decker bus tour of the city, so we may go back to check that out as it is one of the get-on-get-off types that would allow more expansive exploration.
Here are some photos of the day. I forgot to turn the GPS tracker on, so we don’t have a map for the day.