Mexico City!

Mexico City (or DF as it is known locally - stands for Distrito Federal) is a spread out city even larger than Buenos Aires with 20 million inhabitants. Arriving at the airport, you are attacked by aggressive taxi drivers looking to take you to your hotel. Since I have been to DF many times, I knew the trick - walk to the end of the terminal (which is quite a hike if you have a lot of bags) and take the metro into the city for about 20 cents (2 Mexican pesos).

My first night, I found my favorite taco stand and had 10 tacos for 4 dollars before heading out to a bar for beers. Happy hours last until around midnight in most places so I had two Sol (the local beer, not Corona as many believe) for 15 pesos (or about $1.40 US). Yesterday, I spent most of my day in the zocalo. This neighborhood, officially known as the Plaza de la Constitucion, is home to many historical buildings and ruins. In fact, the square was once the center of the capital of the Aztecs. Upon arriving, one is overwhelmed by the architecture - the Supreme Court building, Museo de la Luz, and other prominent government buildings.

Just a block away is Templo Mayor, the protected ruins of an Aztec marketplace. Here also are indigenous dancers, vendors selling local handicrafts, and street artists (including a man in native costume performing healing rituals on tourists, using smoke and chants).

Naturally, just a few blocks away, there was a HUGE protest against the mayor of Mexico City. While it was peaceful, gringos (whites) were barraged by protestors asking for money to support their cause.

The photos above include highlights of my day. Today, I'm off to a city 130 miles from DF, known as Puebla.