Introduction
Part modern metropolis, part monstrosity, marvelous Mexico City is truly epic. Mexico City is the political, financial and cultural nerve center of Mexico, and to understand the country one should spend some time here. Perhaps more than any city on earth, it is at the intersection of the first and third worlds, with all the ills, thrills and surprises that suggests.
One moment the city is all latin beats, glamor and excitement; the next it's drabness, poverty, suffocating crowds and rancid smells. In spite of the negatives, Mexico City is a magnet for Mexicans and visitors alike. You certainly won't be bored in this complex, historic city.
Mexico City's 350 colonias (neighborhoods) sprawl across the ancient bed of Lago de Texcoco and beyond. The vast urban expanse is daunting at first, but the main areas of interest to visitors are pretty comprehensible. The historic heart of the city, El Z ó calo, and its surrounding neighborhoods are known as the Centro Hist ó rico (historic center) and are full of notable old buildings and interesting museums. Avenidas Madero and Cinco de Mayo link the Z ó calo with the Alameda Central park. West of the Alameda, across Paseo de la Reforma, is the Plaza de la Rep ú blica, a fairly quiet, mostly residential area with budget and mid-range hotels. Mexico City's grandest boulevard is Paseo de la Reforma, running across the city's heart, connecting the Alameda to the Zona Rosa and the Bosque de Chapultepec. The Zona Rosa (pink zone) pulsates with glitzy shopping, eating, hotels and nightlife; it's bound by Paseo de la Reforma to the north and Avenida Chapultepec to the south. The Bosque de Chapultepec, known to gringos as Chapultepec Park, is to the west of the aforementioned districts. It's a big bunch of greenery and lakes, with museums and cultural tidbits to boot. Five kilometers (3mi) north of the city centre is the Terminal Norte, the largest of the city's four major bus terminals. Avenida Insurgentes Sur connects Paseo de la Reforma to most points of interest in the south. Just west of Insurgentes, south of the Zona Rosa, is Colonia Condesa, a restaurant hotspot. Further south are the atmospheric former villages of San Á ngel and Coyoac á n and the vast campus of UNAM, the National Autonomous University of Mexico. To the southeast, canals and gardens (and many a tourist) wind through Xochimilco.
Destination Facts
Time zone: GMT -6
Area: 5000
Coordinates: 19.4270458221 latitude and -99.127571106 longitude
Population: 18000000
Daylight Saving: From first Sunday in April to last Sunday in October
Area codes: 55
Getting There
Mexico City's climate is temperate year round, though it can get a little nippy at night from November to February. Because of thermal inversion, air pollution is often at its heaviest during this period. Jacarandas bloom from February to March, and either month would probably be preferable to April, when the city can get unpleasantly dusty and polluted. Though Mexico City will sweep you up at any time of the year, the holiday periods of Semana Santa and Christmas to New Year are particularly jovial, busy times to visit. October may be the pick of the months: the rains of summer have abated, everything is still green, smog is at its lowest levels, and the Day of the Dead provides a real highlight. Many Mexicans do their holidaying in July or August.
Weather
In Mexico City, the weather is temperate and warm all year, and mainly dry. It can be cool on winter nights, and afternoon showers are common from June to September. Winters never really dip much below 10 ° C (50 ° F), while even May, the hottest month, doesn't get much above 27 ° C (81 ° F).
Places of Interest
A city so packed with wonders your eyes will pop. One could spend many months exploring all the museums, monuments, plazas, colonial buildings, monasteries, murals, galleries, historical remnants, archaeological finds, statuary, shrines and religious relics this bonanza of a city has to offer. Start in the Centro Hist ó rico, where it all began.
Mexico City is the political, financial and cultural nerve center of Mexico, and to understand the country one should spend some time here. Perhaps more than any city on earth, it is at the intersection of the first and third worlds, with all the ills, thrills and surprises that suggests.
One moment the city is all latin beats, glamor and excitement; the next it's drabness, poverty, suffocating crowds and rancid smells. In spite of the negatives, Mexico City is a magnet for Mexicans and visitors alike. You certainly won't be bored in this complex, historic city.
Events
This city has one busy calendar. Between Christmas and D í a de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings' Day or Epiphany) on January 6, Santa Clauses around Alameda Central are replaced by the Three Kings. Kids get loads of gifts, and the streets are aflutter with shopping stalls. In late March, plazas, palaces and theaters around the city are taken over by the three-week Festival del Centro Hist ó rico, a program of classical and popular music, dance and cultural events. Semana Santa (Holy Week) starts on Palm Sunday, and closures are usually from Good Friday to Easter Sunday.On D í a del Trabajo (Labor Day), there is a big unionists' gathering in the Z ó calo in the morning, as well as parades around the city. D í a de la Independencia (September 16), commemorates the start of Mexico's war for independence from Spain, and on its eve, thousands of people gather in Z ó calo to hear the president recite a version of the Grito de Dolores (Cry of Dolores). Mexico's most characteristic fiesta by far, though, is D í a de los Muertos (Day of the Dead): a happy atmosphere prevails as families build altars in their homes and visit graveyards to commune with their dearly departed, bearing garlands, gifts and food. A week or more of celebrations leads up to D í a de Nuestra Se ñ ora Guadalupe (December 12), the Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the country's major religious icon and Mexico's national patron. Groups of brightly costumed indigenous dancers and musicians perform on the basilica's large plaza for two days.
Accommodation
As a frequent destination for both Mexican and foreign visitors, Mexico City boasts a broad range of accommodations, from no-frills guesthouses to ultra-luxury hotels. With so many options available, finding lodging is rarely a problem, even during the major holiday periods when Mexicans flock to coastal destinations. And unlike the beach resorts, rates don't fluctuate by season.
Part modern metropolis, part monstrosity, marvelous Mexico City is truly epic. Mexico City is the political, financial and cultural nerve center of Mexico, and to understand the country one should spend some time here. Perhaps more than any city on earth, it is at the intersection of the first and third worlds, with all the ills, thrills and surprises that suggests.
One moment the city is all latin beats, glamor and excitement; the next it's drabness, poverty, suffocating crowds and rancid smells. In spite of the negatives, Mexico City is a magnet for Mexicans and visitors alike. You certainly won't be bored in this complex, historic city.
Mexico City's 350 colonias (neighborhoods) sprawl across the ancient bed of Lago de Texcoco and beyond. The vast urban expanse is daunting at first, but the main areas of interest to visitors are pretty comprehensible. The historic heart of the city, El Z ó calo, and its surrounding neighborhoods are known as the Centro Hist ó rico (historic center) and are full of notable old buildings and interesting museums. Avenidas Madero and Cinco de Mayo link the Z ó calo with the Alameda Central park. West of the Alameda, across Paseo de la Reforma, is the Plaza de la Rep ú blica, a fairly quiet, mostly residential area with budget and mid-range hotels. Mexico City's grandest boulevard is Paseo de la Reforma, running across the city's heart, connecting the Alameda to the Zona Rosa and the Bosque de Chapultepec. The Zona Rosa (pink zone) pulsates with glitzy shopping, eating, hotels and nightlife; it's bound by Paseo de la Reforma to the north and Avenida Chapultepec to the south. The Bosque de Chapultepec, known to gringos as Chapultepec Park, is to the west of the aforementioned districts. It's a big bunch of greenery and lakes, with museums and cultural tidbits to boot. Five kilometers (3mi) north of the city centre is the Terminal Norte, the largest of the city's four major bus terminals. Avenida Insurgentes Sur connects Paseo de la Reforma to most points of interest in the south. Just west of Insurgentes, south of the Zona Rosa, is Colonia Condesa, a restaurant hotspot. Further south are the atmospheric former villages of San Á ngel and Coyoac á n and the vast campus of UNAM, the National Autonomous University of Mexico. To the southeast, canals and gardens (and many a tourist) wind through Xochimilco.
Destination Facts
Time zone: GMT -6
Area: 5000
Coordinates: 19.4270458221 latitude and -99.127571106 longitude
Population: 18000000
Daylight Saving: From first Sunday in April to last Sunday in October
Area codes: 55
Getting There
Mexico City's climate is temperate year round, though it can get a little nippy at night from November to February. Because of thermal inversion, air pollution is often at its heaviest during this period. Jacarandas bloom from February to March, and either month would probably be preferable to April, when the city can get unpleasantly dusty and polluted. Though Mexico City will sweep you up at any time of the year, the holiday periods of Semana Santa and Christmas to New Year are particularly jovial, busy times to visit. October may be the pick of the months: the rains of summer have abated, everything is still green, smog is at its lowest levels, and the Day of the Dead provides a real highlight. Many Mexicans do their holidaying in July or August.
Weather
In Mexico City, the weather is temperate and warm all year, and mainly dry. It can be cool on winter nights, and afternoon showers are common from June to September. Winters never really dip much below 10 ° C (50 ° F), while even May, the hottest month, doesn't get much above 27 ° C (81 ° F).
Places of Interest
A city so packed with wonders your eyes will pop. One could spend many months exploring all the museums, monuments, plazas, colonial buildings, monasteries, murals, galleries, historical remnants, archaeological finds, statuary, shrines and religious relics this bonanza of a city has to offer. Start in the Centro Hist ó rico, where it all began.
Mexico City is the political, financial and cultural nerve center of Mexico, and to understand the country one should spend some time here. Perhaps more than any city on earth, it is at the intersection of the first and third worlds, with all the ills, thrills and surprises that suggests.
One moment the city is all latin beats, glamor and excitement; the next it's drabness, poverty, suffocating crowds and rancid smells. In spite of the negatives, Mexico City is a magnet for Mexicans and visitors alike. You certainly won't be bored in this complex, historic city.
Events
This city has one busy calendar. Between Christmas and D í a de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings' Day or Epiphany) on January 6, Santa Clauses around Alameda Central are replaced by the Three Kings. Kids get loads of gifts, and the streets are aflutter with shopping stalls. In late March, plazas, palaces and theaters around the city are taken over by the three-week Festival del Centro Hist ó rico, a program of classical and popular music, dance and cultural events. Semana Santa (Holy Week) starts on Palm Sunday, and closures are usually from Good Friday to Easter Sunday.On D í a del Trabajo (Labor Day), there is a big unionists' gathering in the Z ó calo in the morning, as well as parades around the city. D í a de la Independencia (September 16), commemorates the start of Mexico's war for independence from Spain, and on its eve, thousands of people gather in Z ó calo to hear the president recite a version of the Grito de Dolores (Cry of Dolores). Mexico's most characteristic fiesta by far, though, is D í a de los Muertos (Day of the Dead): a happy atmosphere prevails as families build altars in their homes and visit graveyards to commune with their dearly departed, bearing garlands, gifts and food. A week or more of celebrations leads up to D í a de Nuestra Se ñ ora Guadalupe (December 12), the Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the country's major religious icon and Mexico's national patron. Groups of brightly costumed indigenous dancers and musicians perform on the basilica's large plaza for two days.
Accommodation
As a frequent destination for both Mexican and foreign visitors, Mexico City boasts a broad range of accommodations, from no-frills guesthouses to ultra-luxury hotels. With so many options available, finding lodging is rarely a problem, even during the major holiday periods when Mexicans flock to coastal destinations. And unlike the beach resorts, rates don't fluctuate by season.
0 comments:
Speak up your mind
Tell us what you're thinking... !