México - Towering over Teotihuacán

June 27

Hello everyone!

México has significant pre-Hispanic history. Most people will have heard of the Aztecs and may be aware of their famous temples. One complex is found a short drive away from México City: Teotihuacán. Try saying that after a tequila or two.

Temple of the Sun at Teotihuacán

Mountains looming over theTeotihuacán complex

A very early start, leaving before 5am, took me northeast of the city. The rain, which I suspect will be a common feature of my month-long adventure, had relented by the time we reached a slightly muddy field. This was soon to be filled with balloons. Balloons of the hot air kind.

Ready to go!

Even with the overcast conditions, with rain the night
before, there were dozens of balloons in the sky 

You don’t have to wake up incredibly early to visit Teotihuacán. If you want the view, however, you have to spend a bit and wake up in the dark. And pretend you understand the safety instructions spouted at a million miles an hour in Spanish.

We had 7 people in our balloon

This was my second time in a balloon,
over 12 years after my first ride

The balloon ride happens before exploring the complex at ground level. However, the information to help understand what I was looking at was offered later in the day.

A slightly misty yet stunning view

The Avenue of the Dead

The Aztec name of Teotihuacán means "the place where gods were created". One idea of this is because the Aztecs, upon finding these incredible pyramids, could not believe that humans could have possibly built them, therefore believing that higher powers were involved.

Teotihuacán is one of 35 UNESCO Heritage Sites

The Aztecs, who later became known as the Mezica, found the valley of pyramids centuries after their construction. Archaeologists believe that the larger pyramid, called the Pyramid of the Sun, was created by 150 CE. My guide said that it took 139 years to construct.

Depending on how you measure it, the Pyramid of the
Sun is the third largest pyramid in the world

This pyramid was covered by grass for centuries,
meaning it wasn't ransacked by the Spanish

The guide, Ivan, also told me that it is more connected to the ancient god Tláloc, who controlled some elements of water. A misunderstanding is also said to be true of the other large pyramid, the Pyramid of the Moon. This apparently is a shrine to a goddess connected to the sea, though I can’t remember her name. However, both are known by their more common names of Sun and Moon.

The Sun Pyramid is symmetrical, with each side being 225 metres long

The Pyramid of the Moon actually has many temples
which were built over the top of one another

These pyramids were part of what was once a sprawling and important town, which possibly had 100,000 inhabitants in its day. You can only imagine how imposing these temples would have looked. Apparently sacrifices, which you may have heard about before, did happen, with bones being found as evidence.

The Moon Pyramid is smaller, but reaches the same height as the Sun Pyramid

The balloon ride takes you over the town of Otumba

Back in the day, only one person was allowed to scale these ancient skyscrapers: the priest for a particular god. Nowadays, only one person is allowed to go up to the top: a security guard. You used to be able to reach the peak, but this was stopped during the COVID times and not restarted. I’m quite happy about that, it will hopefully help to preserve the pyramids.

In the foreground is the plaza, where normal folk would come to worship the gods

Restorative work is still happening at the complex

The whole complex is joined by a long boulevard delightfully named ‘Avenue of the Dead’. More than 2 miles long, it also has multiple staircases which can get quite annoying when dragging an increasingly-tired body around a shadeless complex.

The military were at the non-pyramid end of the line - one theory
is that messages could be shouted up and down the avenue

Those steps can become annoying!

As you’d expect, the elite lived up the top end, near to the Moon pyramid. Some of their living and meeting complexes are visible, though a lot have been reconstructed. You can spot this from the studs within the brickwork.

The northern end of the avenue, with the Moon Pyramid

Remains of the Palace of Quetzalpapalotl

In spite of the talk of sacrifice and death roads, this may have been a pretty place to live. Many walls had stucco paintings and murals showcasing a variety of wildlife. An old man showed me how they used different ingredients, ranging from worm eggs (red) to marigolds (yellow) and a strange powder (blue).

The Aztec calendar, which shows four seasons and 20 months, each
of which had 18 days - the other 5 days were for the gods, apparently

This is a bad picture of a parrot, showing that
there was different wildlife back in the day

The abuelo painting me a flower

There is actually a third major pyramid which I hadn’t noticed when in the balloon. This structure is known as the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, and arguably has the most impressive feature: multiple heads of serpents (it’s also called the Temple of the Plumed Serpent as that is how the god is often depicted) and other gods such as Tláloc (who to me looks a bit like a robot).

Excavations beneath the temple have found
evidence of many human sacrifices 

Tláloc the robot!

Looking closely, you can see nuerous ornate heads on the temple

There is a lot more to learn about pre-Hispanic México. I feel like riding high above some of its famous pyramids at Teotihuacán has been a flying start. Sorry.

Up, up and away!

Love you all,

Matt

México - The Blue House of Pain and Power

 June 25-26

Hello everyone!

For the next month, I will be based in one of the Americas’ most populous nations: the United States of…Mexico! Actually called the United Mexican States but almost fooled you, yeah?

The many faces of Frida Kahlo

By land mass, Mexico is the 14th largest county in the world

I’ve said to many people since moving to El Salvador almost two years ago that I don’t really know much about Mexico. Sure, I’ve heard of the stereotypes of tacos, sombreros and “Spring Break woo” destinations on the coast. But what of the people? Who is a famous Mexican?

Sombreros

Churros, which I always find slightly disappointing

One of Mexico’s most famous people is a lady called Frida Kahlo. I’ve heard of her and am aware that she was a popular artist. However, I wasn’t exactly sure why she is so well-renowned across the world. As she was from Mexico’s seemingly never-ending sprawl of a capital city, I thought this would be a chance to get educated about her life and work.

Her dad was a photographer which means there is plenty of evidence of her life

I had found this book in the school library. When I started
reading it, I realised that it was aimed at 5-7 year olds.
Still, I learnt some important things from it!

Frida Kahlo has arguably become more prominent since her death in 1954. She lived her life in a house in the suburb of Coyoacán, in the south of Mexico City. This house, which itself is a lovely place, is now home of the Museum of Frida Kahlo, and one of the city’s most popular attractions.

It may not look far from pink to red, but took
over 30 minutes by public transport and walking

The entrance: quiet before 11am

Its popularity and small nature means that you have to reserve a spot quite far in advance. Luckily I was aware of this and able to get a ticket for entry in the first 15 minutes of the house being open. Mexico seems to value its teachers, which meant my ticket was only about a quarter of the cost of a regular ticket.

Frida and Diego Rivera lived here for those dates

The line was speedy and orderly

The house has a lot of informative boards (unlike another place I visited the day before, they did have English text) interspersed between documents, pictures, paintings and trinkets connected to Frida Kahlo and her husband, another famous Mexican called Diego Rivera. 

Fruit were common targets for painting

Collection of her paints and brushes

I did feel that some important information is somewhat glossed over, so having that prior knowledge from a book for 5-7 year olds was actually helpful. For those of you who don’t know, Frida Kahlo had medical challenges throughout her life. She developed polio aged 6 and was in a terrible traffic accident aged 18, the latter of which forced her to stay in bed for months. She had a mirror installed so she could start to paint self-portraits, which helped refine her art skills.

This leg brace was used for a lot of her life: her right
leg had to be amputated shortly before her death 

The mirror is cleverly positioned at the top

A lot of her art is said to stem from the pain of her life. One of the reasons she is seen as famous in the art world is for this personal touch in her paintings. They also tap into pre-hispanic culture.

The Two Fridas, painted in 1939, depict different aspects of her personality

Many figures like these can be found around the house

Having learnt about Frida Kahlo by visiting her very ‘Blue House’ - complete with lovely garden - I think that her almost iconic standing is due to her success in spite of her pain, her artistic themes and the simple fact that she was a woman in a historically machismo nation. Whilst she has been more successful since her death (she only held one solo exhibition of her art in Mexico whilst alive), the fact that we know so much about her shows her ability to ultimately triumph through adversity.

Frida Kahlo died aged 47 in 1954

Garden: wild!

The neighbourhood in which the Blue House is found, Coyoacán, is a lovely, relatively peaceful suburb within the land that makes up Mexico City, a metropolis inhabited by a whopping 22.5 million people. Depending on what source you use, it is either the largest or second-largest urban area in the western hemisphere. Yet as you sit in one of Coyoacán’s sleepy parks, watching the fountain dance over statues of wolves, statistics like that can seem a world away.

Behind this sign is the 'House of Cortes', which you'll read about later in this blog

This pretty church was created soon after the Spanish arrival

The wolves are also known as coyotes. You may notice that ‘coyote’ looks similar to the name of the borough. In the Aztec language, Coyoacán translates as “place of the abundant coyotes.” The historic importance of this animal, which used to be found in this area of the country, can be seen in the fact that one of the most ancient Aztec deities, called Huehuecoyotl, was known as ‘Old Coyote’. 

They are no longer found in the neighbourhood, obviously

Hungry life the wolf...

Some would argue the real coyotes were the Spanish, who came to Mexico in 1519 and conquered what has become Mexico City in 1521. Their leader, Hernan Cortes, had a house in this neighbourhood. On the main plaza is a building called the ‘House of Hernan Cortes’, which strongly suggests that he lived there. In all likelihood, he didn’t. Though there may have been a structure there before, this building was created in the eighteenth century.

A plaque which may misrepresent the truth

Did Cortes eat a quesadilla? Probably not.
Cheapish (just over $2) and very greasy, this.

Someone who definitely did live in this neighbourhood is the famous Soviet Leon Trotsky. He escaped Stalin’s clutches by moving out of the USSR, ultimately landing in this southern part of Mexico City. He didn’t move on; instead, Trotsky was brutally murdered with an ice axe by a Stalin agent in 1940. His house can be visited.

Rumour is that Trotsky actually had an affair with Kahlo

Artwork on the edge of the neighbourhood
suggests an edgy, possibly revolutionary vibe 

He had lived briefly in the Blue House with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. A lot of aspects of Coyoacán lead back to these two influential artists, the former of whom I am happy to have learnt a little more about in her striking house.

Cool Kahlo

This was in the kitchen of the Blue House

Apparently this is one of Kahlo's most famous paintings,
completed months before dying. The watermelon
is inscribed with 'Viva la Vida': live life.

Love you all,

Matt