10 Pleasant Surprises in Mexico City

Have you ever spent a weekend in Mexico City?

We did just that (plus a couple days). Oh, what a fascinating city! This former capital of the Aztec Empire, and now the capital of Mexico, blew my mind with its vibrancy, pulse and breadth. We did our homework before we left, but there were still things that took us by surprise.

Parish Church of St. James the Apostle in Tlatelolco.

Interior of Parish Church of John the Baptist of Coyoacán.

1. Old churches. It seemed to me like there were old churches on every other block! And when I say old churches, I mean ones that were built in the 15― and 1600's. Most that I saw were built in either gray or off-white stone. Some were even built with stone acquired after dismantling Aztec pyramids. My favorite was San Juan Bautista in the Coyoacán neighborhood. It was completed in 1552. My favorite part about it were all the beautiful murals on the ceiling of the interior.

Old Aztec shrine on display at the Pino Suárez metro stop.

2. Pino Suárez Ruin. During our three days in Mexico City our hotel was just a block from the Pino Suárez metro stop which worked out pretty conveniently for us. On our second day, as we had already taken the escalators down to the underground, I was surprised to see an Aztec shrine displayed there. It was left in situ, with walls around it so we could look but not touch. It was discovered during the excavation and construction of the subway. While excavating the shrine they found offerings of parakeets, ducks, cranes, dogs and even infant humans. I am amazed to think of what has already been discovered beneath Mexico City, and what still remains hidden.

Street food in Mexico City. 

3. Street Food. I've been to Saigon, Phnom Penh, and Bangkok―and Mexico City might beat them all when it comes to street food and other vendors. There are carts everywhere! From tacos to tortas to tlayudas, there's a little bit of everything of the Mexican Cuisine. With the exception of one little neighborhood we visited, we found an abundance of food carts in every place we went.

Sky tram over a Mexico City neighborhood.

4. Riding a sky tram. We didn't even know that a sky tram existed in Mexico City until we were on a bus en route to Teotihuacan and saw these gondolas traveling on cables high above a densely-packed neighborhood on the outskirts of town. Right then we were determined to figure out how and where to ride them, and later that evening we did just that. Just before sunset we had the view of an eagle, which proved to be the best vista of the entire trip!

Inside the former convent of San Jerónimo.

5. Going inside a convent. Part of the plan was to walk around the former convent of San Jerónimo. It was founded in the 1,500's and was one of the first in Mexico City. I knew that it was now a university, so my plan was just to walk around and view it from the outside. Surprisingly we found a front desk with someone in it, and even more surprisingly, they let us enter the grounds as long as we stayed on the ground level. Inside we passed by gardens and courtyards, and stepped inside the old church. In one room, the coro bajo, they had years ago excavated the remains of nearly 200 nuns who used to live in the convent. The sepulchers had been placed below the floor. This was a very fascinating visit.

Leftover art from Day of the Dead.

6. Day of the Dead remnants. We visited Mexico City on November 6-8, less than a week after the country celebrated Día de Muertos. I don't know how much was left over from the holiday versus how much was part of the permanent scene, but there were artistic renditions of skeletons and skulls everywhere! We saw displays in old churches, on sidewalks, and on buildings.

Suadero tacos.

7. Suadero Tacos. Until this trip I had never heard of suadero tacos. The name refers to the meat that comes from the belly or flank of the cow, which is slowly cooked in oil and then crisped before putting into tortillas. When I bit into the meaty, crispy little chunks of beef and fat, it was pure heaven! They were my favorite tacos in Mexico City. If anyone is wondering, my second favorite taco was arranchera, and number three, al pastor.

The other side of the barricade is reserved only for women and children.

8. Women and children sections of the metro. The Mexico City metro system can be a very good option for getting from one place to another. Having said that, it can also be a little rough and crowded. Several times we were packed in cars like sardines. An environment like this is ripe for abuse. In an effort to protect against violence and sexual assault against women and children, the metro has reserved the first three carriages for them only. I think it's an excellent idea. We can also attest that it was well enforced because a few times we weren't paying attention and walked to the wrong side before getting kicked out.

Common street scene outside of the tourist area. 

9. How few tourists. I am very well aware that there has been push-back against the rise in tourism in Mexico City. And yes, we did see a fair amount around the Zócalo, Coyoacán, and especially at Teotihuacan. But for a large chunk of our stay, we saw no tourists. We used the subway to move around and didn't encounter any tourists there. We did quite a bit of walking in other parts of the city and saw very few gringos like ourselves.

Xochipilli, inside the National Museum of Anthropology. 

10. Anthropology Museum. Of course, we knew this museum would be good, but when we got there, we were pleasantly surprised with how good and big it really was, and how many artifacts it had on display. The museum has different rooms for different groups of ancient people, including the Aztec, Maya, Olmec, those at Teotihuacan, Northern Mexico, and even groups in the United States such as the Anasazi. The amount of artifacts from Mesoamerica astounded me. It wasn't just pieces of pottery and ancient tools; it was elaborate and large figurines. There was so much to see that the museum closed before we could see it all, and that was with us rushing through. I would rate this in the top five museums I've ever been to, coming behind only to places like The British Museum and The Prado.

Night market at Alameda Central.

Bonus: Night Market at Alameda Central. On our final evening (a Saturday) I was intent on finding a night market. Through our research we learned about the market at Plaza Garibaldi. It did not disappoint. We ate lots of tacos and were serenaded by mariachi bands. To return to our hotel we sought to catch the subway by walking five blocks to Alameda Central, the large park next to the Palace of Fine Arts. When we arrived, we were surprised to find another night market. I didn't see many other tourists tromping around. It was pretty much all locals. They sold food, clothing, accessories and a slew of other stuff. We didn't buy anything because we had already eaten, but we agreed that this was the perfect ending to our trip. ♠