If you have been following along, you will be happy to know we will not be writing up about days 4 and 6. We took a break these days to recover… On day 5 we went on a great tour.
We made our way to the pickup spot and joined 15 other pax, mostly young people including some students on March break. They were from India, France, Germany, Montevideo, Bulgaria, Lithuania and America (2 only). We had front row seats in a Mercedes van and a wonderful tour guide named Itsel.
Our first stop was the Plaza of Three Cultures. We saw the pre Columbian ruins of Tlatelolco, a city state founded in 1338. On another side of the square is the oldest European school of higher learning in the Americas and on the third side, a modern office complex. Itsel explained that in 1968, military and police forces gunned down hundreds of protesting students in front of the office complex, claiming they were provoked. Very sad!
Next we stopped at an artisan workshop where they make jewelry and artifacts out of smooth volcanic glass. We learned about other types of decorative stones used locally. The many uses of the agave plant to produce food, fibre and alcoholic beverages, was demonstrated. We sampled pulque, tequila and mezcal⦠to great fun.
Then we visited the amazing pyramids in TeotihuacΓ‘n. There are 3 of them – the sun pyramid; the moon pyramid and the pyramid of death. Built as offerings to the gods, they are very impressive. You canβt climb or go inside them. No one actually lived there; it was a huge religious site. It was very hot with UV index of 13! Dave got a bit faint at one point and Marie reminded him to drink more water which worked.
The highlight was eating lunch in a beautiful cave restaurant nearby. Originally a homestead, the family turned it into a fantastic hospitality place. The service, music and food were really top notch. We had a great time as you can see below.
Finally our last stop was the Basilica of Guadalupe, this time without the crowds. We got up close to the venerated image of Our Lady of Guadalupe associated with the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Juan Diego in 1531. We toured two older basilicas – one built in the 1700s and the first in the 1500s. After a group photo we headed home after 9 hours of touring, satisfied and exhausted.
Itsel was a great tour guide giving us enough information at each site without drowning on. Little gifts of a tequila shot at lunch and a prayer card at Guadalupe were a nice touch. She was very approachable for questions and said she was proud of our group that no one got separated or lost. We highly recommend her tour company xplora world.
mattersofthemoment 