This morning, we walked to our metro stop (San Cosme) and traveled to the Tlatelolco stop to visit some ruins. It was a bit of a walk from the metro to the actual museum, and it is not in the best of neighborhoods. However, the Tlatelolco site is amazing!
These are ancient ruins, built one upon another, and showcases ancient and modern Mexico City. Surrounded by massive, towering apartment buildings, the site has excavated ruins, and an adjacent church.
The constant sound of traffic, helicopters, planes, etc kept this from being a very peaceful experience, but that is what it is like to have an urban historical site. The ruins are very impressive, as are the neighboring church and abbey. While the neighborhood is not the best, it does have some interesting parks and buildings nearby, complete with some street art.
By the time we discovered we were so very hungry, there was not much around, as we didn't want to sit at a restaurant. So, today's lunch was very impressive: a bag of Doritos and an orange soda, while standing out front of an Oxxo.
We arranged an Uber ride to our next stop, the Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe. We were completely unprepared for this. This is a place for pilgrims from all over the world. There were thousands of people in this massive square. In 1531, it was reported that the Virgin Mary appeared to a native peasant, and informed them that a church was to be built on this site. And boy did they build.
There is a massive and modern Basilica. It is round, with a sloping roof. The inside is cavernous, with a ring of stained glass windows. We arrived just before a service was beginning (I suspect they have hourly services), so we got to hear the massive pipe organ. People were sitting inside and tons of people were outside, including some pilgrims walking on their knees in reverence. It was all very strange.
Underneath the altar, there is a tunnel that leads to one of the strangest things I have ever seen. Four adjacent moving walkways that were very short, and that took people underneath a massive Mexican flag that was hanging under an important painting. It was packed with people, and they were taking photos, videos and praying. I still don't know what we witnessed.
Next to the massive and modern basilica is a very old cathedral and another church/monastery/abbey. They are both very old. We didn't realize it before we entered, but the cathedral is listing at a very strong angle. It is literally sinking. Walking toward the front of the church was like walking up a hill. It was the strangest sensation.
Behind the cathedral was a very long set of stairs to get access the top of the hill, where the original church was built. On a clear day, the view from the top of the hill would have been awesome. Today was a high pollution day, so not so great.
We walked down the backside of the hill and got another angle of the cathedral.
Dude, your church is sinking . . .
We fought the crowds to get out, and made our way, after a very long walk, to the metro stop. But it was closed. I guess there was some construction happening on this metro line. We were directed to a random spot across the street where buses were picking up passengers and taking them to the next metro stop. And this one was closed as well, but it had tons of buses heading in every direction. Way too confusing for me, so we arranged an Uber ride back to our apartment.
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