Day one (¡¡¡Arriba!!!) in Mexico City - Aztec dancing, Aztec ruins, modern day cops
Part 1

We arrived in Mexico City last night, flying in just as the sun set over this immense metropolis. We caught a cab from the airport with a very friendly cabbie named Arturo. He dropped us at our hotel, the Zamura, which only cost us $10 and which is very conveniently located near the Zocalo. The Zocalo is the central plaza of Mexico City. It is also where the heart of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan was!

We walked around this area for about an hour looking for something to eat, but were somewhat surprised to find that things close very early here, which we thought was unusual for a city of this size. Even back home in San Francisco things are open kind of late, and that city isn’t nearly as big as this one. Eventually we found a place that reminded us of a Mexican Denny's - it had the same kind of glossy menus and the same bad paint. The food was not too bad, but it was expensive. Later we found a café near our hotel that’s open 24 hours. They had really good pastries that were only three pesos (about 35 cents). We were all exhausted from travelling and working all night the night before so we went to bed early and slept late this morning. And what a surprise awaited us outside when we got up!

When we went out into the street today it seemed like a whole different city. The streets were mobbed with people, whereas last night they had almost been deserted. The Zocalo is the center of government in Mexico and is a must-see for any tourists in the area. When we went there were hundreds of people just sitting out selling everything from jewelry and clothing to snack foods. It was crowded with businessmen, government officials and tourists.

(Note: You can click on some of the pictures to see them larger.)

Related Dispatches: 
Shawn: Day one in Mexico City (Part 1)
Shawn: Day one in Mexico City (Part 2)
Sylvia: What to do when people WON'T TALK!

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