Discovering the magic of Mexico, we embarked on an inland journey that included two distinct, both dreamy and romantic but very different. Mexico City pulses with vibrant energy and boasts a diverse cultural scene—ballet, art, and gourmet cuisine. Its bustling streets and museums of ancient civilizations, exquisite art, and sculptures showcase its rich and romantic heritage. Conversely, Querétaro, just 212 km northwest, has no need to flaunt its romanticism. Its pedestrian-friendly plazas, dreamy and immaculate Spanish colonial architecture, and 18th-century stone aqueduct speak romance at every turn. The two cities contrast, offering visitors different experiences. The ancient Teotihuacan Pyramid is the perfect place to cleanse the palate in between.
Folkloric Ballet – Discovering the Magic of Mexico City
Palace of Fine Arts is home to Ballet Folklórico de México, which has toured the world for over 60 years. The dance offers a captivating glimpse into Mexican culture and is the best first stop in the city. It narrates Mexico’s history from pre-Hispanic times to the Mexican Revolution. The show features a blend of ballet, traditional, and contemporary Mexican dance. The spectacular costumes and innovative choreography animate legends, stories, and history. Yaqui rituals inspire the most popular segment, the Hunt. Yaqui is the only aboriginal tribe maintaining autonomy in Mexico. The dancer’s precision in executing the image of fallen prey is slow and exacting. The imitative magic was so powerful that we in the audience were relieved when the dancer finally lay still.
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The Modern Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City is part of a large complex that includes the Old Basilica and the Plaza of the Americas, and it attracts 20 million pilgrims and visitors annually. The high number of visitors necessitates a conveyor-belt system to move thousands of visitors each day past the Tilma of Juan Diego. During ceremonies, 10,000 people fit inside, with half standing. Another 50,000 people are outside. I tried to visualize the people coming, some crawling on their knees across the stone plaza. The physical sacrifice called manda is a solemn vow or promise, either asking the Virgin Mary for a miracle or thanking her for answering a prayer.
On December 9, 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego, leaving her image imprinted on his cloak. Today, the Basilica of Santa Maria de Guadalupe in Mexico City houses the cloak, and her image is also represented in the Basilica Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where she is surrounded by the people of the North, Central, and South Americas. The walls are curved so that visitors get the feeling of an apparition, as we saw it up close on the conveyor belt.
Frida Kahlo Museum
The Frida Kahlo Museum, known as La Casa Azul (Blue House), is where Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) was born. She spent her entire life there until she passed away. The house features striking blue hues throughout the rooms, corridors, patios, and an inner courtyard. It’s the perfect setting for telling the artist’s life story and showcasing her work. It reflects the vivid colors and magical themes that are part of Mexican culture and inherent in her work.
With triumph over devastating injury and pain, Kahlo gained international fame and became an icon of feminism and freedom of choice. Blue House is appropriately situated in the Coyoacán Neighborhood of Mexico City. The Secretary of Tourism has designated the neighborhood Barrio Mágico (Magic Neighborhood).
The museum, or Blue House, like her art, is a manifestation of her individuality and her determination.
National Museum of Anthropology & Chapultepec Forest
Over 2 million visitors a year enter Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology. Home to significant artifacts from Mexico’s pre-Columbian period, the museum is popular among scholars, history buffs, and tourists. The famous Aztec Stone of the Sun, the Aztec calendar stone, measures 11.75 feet in diameter and 3.22 feet thick. We marveled at how the stones could have been carved.
Just outside the Anthropology Museum, we entered Chapultepec Park, one of the largest urban forest parks in the Western Hemisphere. The magical atmosphere there makes it one of the most popular areas in Mexico City. At the gates, we sampled street food and watched the Moko Jumbies (stilt walkers). Some dressed as skeletons to celebrate the Day of the Dead.
We caught glimpses of the Danza de los Voladores (Dance of the Flyers), a magical feat. The ancient Mesoamerican ceremony, re-enacted, included four or five participants. Dressed in colorful costumes, one performer, tied by a rope, was launched into the air from a 90-foot pole. The other played flute and drum from atop the pole. In ancient times, performers would have been asking the Gods for an end to severe drought.
Mexico City offers a tantalizing range of food, everything from street food to top-tier restaurants.
Discovering the magic of Mexico sometimes requires a person to be brave. Some in our group sampled the fried grasshopper from the bicycle peddlers.
“Just below New York in its ability to synchronize indigenous with global cuisines with such panache.” – Gary Shieyngart, Travel + Leisure Magazine
Dinner at Villa Maria, in Mexico City, was one of my favorites. The atmosphere in the two-story building was colorful and lively with Mariachis. Menu items included mild chili-stuffed crab, beef medallions in tequila sauce, and huachinango (red snapper) steamed in banana leaf. And the margaritas were superb!
Teotihuacan Pyramid – Discovering the Magic of Mexico
We took a detour to the City of Teotihuacan while traveling from Mexico City to Queretaro. Historians think that the Pre-Hispanic city was the largest of its kind, and we stopped to climb the Pyramid of the Sun.
Hawkers called out to us at the entry to the Pyramid. Mexico is the world’s leading producer of silver, which makes it inexpensive compared to other places. Vowing to shop on the way out, we continued to the pyramid’s steps. Climbing 248 steps to the summit, we enjoyed sweeping views of the valley below. In Mesoamerican times, in the 1st millennium AD, the pyramid’s summit overlooked a thriving city of 125,000 people.
And true to our word, we stopped and purchased jewelry on the way out. But beware: some sell a cheap alloy of copper, nickel, and zinc. “Look for the .925 stamp,” said my friend Elevene, but counterfeiters can fake that as well. If you have a heavy piece that the seller marks down significantly, it may be fake. Use the walk-away method: “no gracias,” then walk away. Sometimes the vendor offers a lower price. Use a 50% drop as a start; the vendors expect bargaining. And always use a courteous manner.
My friend, Elevene, helped me bargain for silver but jokingly cautioned that I was not yet ready for gold.
While discovering the magic of Mexico, we found ourselves at La Gruta, one of the most fascinating and iconic spots, for lunch. The volcanic cave restaurant has served traditional Mexican food since 1906. Guests participated in lighting candles at the ‘altar of food’, the traditional way to encourage and light the way for departed relatives to return.
Discovering the Magic of Mexico – Querétaro
People frequently use the term magical to describe Querétaro, a place “never in a hurry”. The Romanesque aqueduct stands out as one of the most prominent features of the city. Built between 1726 and 1738, the aqueduct continues to provide drinking water for the city and to its many fountains. I found that I loved taking pictures there at dusk better than any other time; the city seems to become even more magical then.
UNESCO recognizes Querétaro as a World Heritage Site for its 18th-century urban layout. Streets lined with upscale restaurants serve popular items such as fried corn cakes and gorditas. Gorditas are made from traditional pastry and filled with ingredients such as meat, cheese, and other fillings. Often called ‘little fatties’, they are popular among locals and visitors. Plaza de Armas is the city center and seat of government. Its colonial architecture gives it an outdoor museum quality. Close by is the social gathering place, Zenea Garden, in front of the Temple of San Francisco.
El Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations were more visible in the historic city of Queretaro.
The official Day of the Dead holiday is celebrated on October 1st and 2nd. Querétaro celebrates throughout the month. Elaborately adorned skeletons greet visitors at the entrances to shops and restaurants. Gloria, one of our dinner hosts from the Pan American Roundtable, moved to Querétaro in 1991.
“I fell in love with the city’s history and traditions, especially its legends”. – Gloria
In 1631, during the Spanish colonization of Mexico, the Spaniards and indigenous Otomi allies fought the local Chichimeca tribes. Regional legend explains that a vision of Saint James the Greater and a glowing cross appeared in the sky. The Apostle decided the Spaniards’ triumph, and the battle concluded peacefully, without weapons. Today, that place is called the Temple of the Cross.
The floor-to-ceiling window of my hotel room at Gran Hotel de Querétaro opened onto a balcony overlooking the Church of Saint Francis. At dusk, boys in school uniforms rang the bells of the church from atop the tower. This was accompanied every night by fireworks in the park below.
Querétaro is one of the most enchanting and magical inland visits to Mexico.
Travel Note
Return to Mexico City
One last stop in Mexico City before our departure took us by tram part way to the top of Chapultepec Hill (Hill of the Grasshopper), a storied site from ancient times to the present. It’s one of the most important sites in Mexico City. In 1325, it was a religious site and residence for Aztec Emperors, one of two places then believed to be a magical entryway for passage into the underworld. After conquest, the Spanish first erected a chapel and then a palace. It was home to the National Military Academy until the 1860s, when it became a lasting legacy of Mexico’s Emperor, Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian. He rebuilt the castle and from that time it was the home of Mexican Presidents until in 1940, when it was turned into a museum, the Chapultepec Castle Museum.
Shopping for a scarf was a treat we couldn’t miss, and one person in our group knew just where to go. The colors and patterns of Mexico, such as the Monarch butterfly, the Day of the Dead, and other celebrations, are captured in the Huichol prints at Pineda Covalin.
Every year, millions of adventurous Americans visit Mexico to enjoy its lively culture and varied landscapes. In 2015, we joined 28.7 million Americans who visited Mexico
This international travel-study trip was put together by Leadership Women. The experiences in this article are interspersed with informative lectures, site visits, and leader exchanges in the areas of business, government, education, economics, and healthcare. This article is the product of my experience and not the opinion of Leadership Women.
Traveling with a group in Mexico City and Queretaro made me feel very secure, even when I shopped alone at times. A helpful safety tip is to register your destination with The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). This free service assists U.S. citizens in staying informed and safe while traveling abroad by enrolling their trips with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Once you enter your destination, they alert you of travel advisories.
You must be logged in to post a comment.