From Tepito to Coyoacan

This month I tagged along on an Embassy tour, led by some of Sergio's Mexican coworkers. After visiting the Centro and checking out the Palacio Nacional, we hopped on a van to see more of the city.The goal was to become familiar with various neighborhoods representing a range of socioeconomic strata. The highlights were Vice City, Tepito, and Coyoacan, an affluent and traditional neighborhood in the South.

But first we lingered in the Palacio Nacional, where Herman Cortes once lived. This is the official residence of the Mexican President, though in reality presidents tend to spend most of their time in Los Pinos, in Chapultepec.





Every year, just before midnight on September 15th, the President appears on the balcony of the Palacio and recites the Grito de Dolores, Miguel Hidalgo's famous speech from 1810 that incited the insurgency and led to Mexican Independence. After reciting the speech, the giant crowd gathered below in the zocalo roars back "Viva Mexico." We have high hopes to witness this ourselves this fall. I love a good Independence Day celebration and all reports suggest that this one will be amazing!

The Palacio itself is three stories, around a courtyard and features a very famous Diego Rivera mural depicting Mexican history. Not surprisingly, considering Rivera's politics, progress in the mural moves from right to left, from Aztec life before the Conquest through independence and to its triumphant end in a workers' revolution.








Our next stop was Tepito. Tepito is infamous, and the one place that everyone here agrees you should never visit. It is a neighborhood not too far from the Centro, and just adjacent to La Lagunilla, the flea market we were so thoroughly intimidated by during our first weekend here.



Tepito features an incredible amount of commerce, almost all of it illegal. Items for sale range from pirated DVDs and stolen electronics to pornography, guns and drugs. Our tour guides kept our visit brief.




Coyoacan, on the other hand, is leafy and bohemian. We had a leisurely lunch with the rest of the tour group and enjoyed a great afternoon in the park.




We are expecting to return to visit this area soon as we discovered that Sergio's cousin Hugo has recently moved here with his family. Hugo is a professor at UNAM, Latin America's biggest and as I understand it, most important university. UNAM is in Coyoacan as well, and no doubt contributes to the laid-back, artsy cafe scene. Oh, and this is where Trotsky lived. And you can see his house and Diego and Frida's place here too. For another trip! Needless to say, we are really excited to have family so nearby in Mexico.