Trip to Mexico - Mexico City


Back in September I took a trip to Mexico; the last post was about Guadalajara, and I never did get around to the update for Mexico City. Well I'm on winter break from school now, so after much anticipation and waiting, here it is.

The day before I was scheduled to fly to Mexico City an earthquake struck near the capital. It killed over 150 people in Mexico City itself and damaged thousands of buildings; several dozen were completely destroyed. This was the worst earthquake in the region since 1985, and actually struck on the exact anniversary of that quake 32 years earlier. A local told me how, that same morning this fall, they had gone through the annual earthquake drills like normal, unaware that only hours later the real thing would happen (check out photos from a NYT article here).

As I watched the news from Guadalajara, I was unsure if my flight would be cancelled for the following day. The website had no new info, but the night of the quake the airport in Mexico City was up and running again, so I assumed it was good to go. The next day everything went smoothly and I made it to Mexico City on time. The problem was that my hostel called just before take-off to tell me they were temporarily closed pending a building inspection; the hostel was in Condesa, one of the worst hit areas of the city.

I managed to quickly book a hotel in the historical center of the city, which is where I stayed for three nights. That first evening the city center was deserted, but by the weekend crowds had returned to the streets and life seemed to be returning to normal, at least in most of the city. Sections of Condesa were still blocked off to traffic, and I saw several collapsed buildings. One afternoon I volunteered with locals in the relief effort, although there wasn't much I could do to help. There were literally thousands of volunteers, and the whole thing was pretty chaotic. Well too many volunteers is a much better problem than too few. I just hope the enthusiasm continued past the first week or two.

There were thousands of volunteers in Parque Mexico, which was
great to see, but actually too many for each of us to do much good.

A list of needed materials and supplies

I still managed to sight-see and get a feel for the city. On my last night there I stayed with a couchsurfer, which was a nice way to meet a local. I also met a woman while volunteering, and she came with me on a day trip to Teotihuacan, an impressive group of pyramids outside town. I enjoyed my time in Mexico City and will have to make it back soon...in the meantime here are some pictures from my trip...



The palace of fine arts (Bellas Artes), which was
unfortunately closed due to the earthquake.




The church on the right has sunk into the soft lake bed soil of Mexico
City; I felt like I was drunk when I walked inside on the uneven floor!

The ruins of Teotihuacan





Joanna told me this looks similar to the English countryside

Chapultepec castle







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