I spy a cornucopia of architecture

Mexico City is home to endless architectural marvels and today I decided to view some of them from the vantage point of the second story of double-decker Turibus.  My feet were still tired from pacing the museum and walking the day before, and I was also getting a bit impatient about having to wear a mask every single second I was outside, so the hop-on-hop-off bus seemed like a good compromise. 

The Turibus has 4 routes that loop through different parts of the city. I walked 20 minutes from my longtime friend Jaime's apartment where I was staying and caught the bus at the World Trade Centre. Even though the Turibus website says the cost for an adult during the week is $160 pesos ($16 CAD), I was charged $185 pesos and got $20 pesos back when I gave the clerk a $200 peso bill.  He also told me that each of the 4 routes was about 45 minutes, but really they are 2-2.5 hours each. Since I had a meeting at 5:30 that evening at one of the destinations on the other side of the city, I decided I could hop-on-hop-off and eventually weave my way through the city's landmarks to end up at my meeting point. 

No one was on the bus when I got on at about 12:30, so I gladly took off my mask. 😁

Had the bus driver to myself!

Heading south, along Insurgentes Sur (Insurgents St. South) we passed by the Torre Manacar which is a 472-foot skyscraper whose 22 stories are supported by an inclined set of parallelograms. Inside the slanted glass cascades a waterfall visible from both the inside and exterior. There is a mall section right next to the main tower, and the mall's skylight offers a beautiful view of the towering skyscraper.

Torre Manacar, opened in 2017

Continuing south, the Turibus meandered through the historic neighbourhood of Coyoacán. and passed by the Museo Frida Kahlo. Since it was Monday, the museum was closed, but I had been there before and there is a reason why it is the second-most visited museum in Mexico City after the National Museum of Anthropology (where my parents met)! The Museum is also nicknamed La Casa Azul (the blue house) for obvious reasons. Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera lived here and many of Frida's personal items are on display here.

Museo Frida Kahlo

Frida & Diego lived here 1929-54

I had to head north in order to make it to my 5:30 meeting and so I switched buses at the Angel of Independence. This column of triumph is very familiar to me, as I grew up just a few blocks from it. Every summer and Christmas my family would visit my mom's parents and siblings in Mexico City, and we would stay with my abuelos just a stone's throw from the monument. Today, the monument is being heavily guarded because feminist movements who protested on International Women's Day last year are not finished shedding the light against numerous attacks on women. The Mexican President, Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, or Amlo as he is known, has cut funding to women's shelters and daycares. He is also being criticized for backing a gubernatorial candidate who is suspected of sexual assault against women. Protestors also bring awareness to femicide victims by writing the names of hundreds of victims on makeshift barricades that protect government property. Activists want the president to protect them the same way he is protecting government buildings. 

The president, "...also accused correspondents from The Guardian, New York Times and El País of being 'representatives of companies that participated in the looting of Mexico.' He offered no proof to back up his claims." Source, The Guardian

El Angel de Independencia

The Angel of Independence, or as it is commonly known as El Angel, sits on a roundabout on the major thoroughfare of Paseo de la Reforma (Promenade of the Reform). Currently, Reforma is dotted with many huge skulls which are  part of an urban art exhibit and cultural movement called Mexicraneos. In total, there are 129 skulls throughout the city, including at the World Trade Centre site where I initially hopped on the Turibus. 

 

Mexicraneos on display at the World Trade Center

Heading north, I noticed how beautiful Reforma was, as it was decorated with bright orange seasonal flowers marking Day of the Dead festivities. 

Paseo de la Reforma as seen from the Turibus

Paseo de la Reforma is home to many of Mexico's tallest buildings, and the wide avenue runs diagonally across the heart of the city. It has become a traditional place for Mexicans to clelebrate or protest. Just yesterday the massive Halloween parade I missed went along the street and today passing by I noticed many of the iconic monuments have been defaced in protests. Today, my Turibus route veered off Reforma towards the exclusive Polanco neighbourhood and its high-end shops. 

Some of Mexico's most expensive commercial real estate is on a Polanco street called Presidente Masaryk. President Lázaro Cárdenas named the avenue after the first President of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk in 1936. What is the connection to Mexico you ask? Well, according to my sources, Masaryk was born in 1850 under humble circumstances, and studied philosophy at the University of Vienna. Just prior to World War I, Masaryk published several works in which he analyzed and critiqued the social problems of the times, among them communism, absolutism, antisemitism, and clericalism. He also denounced anti democratic views which he experienced during his trips to Russia. Masaryk was in exile during World War I and after the war  became Czechoslovakia's first president in 1918. He was re-elected three times, in 1920, 1927, and 1934. In 1937 ill health forced him to withdraw from office. Meanwhile, the Communist Party was so opposed to the political attitudes championed by Masaryk, that the government had his name erased from all history books and had all statues of him in the country destroyed.

Avenida Presidente Masaryk

After the fall of communism, Masaryk's likeness  resurged  throughout the Czeck Republic, an act of  allegiance to his political and humanitarian legacy. In 1937 Mexico, President Cárdenas named the Polanco street after him in support of the local Jewish community and the humanitarian attitudes he defended. In 2000, a statue of Masaryk donated by Prague was erected in collaboration between Mexico City and the Czech government.

 

A Masaryk shop pays homage to the famous Mariachi song, La Bikina

Today, Masaryk is where numerous high end shops are located, many of which are in former private mansions.

Even the banks are fancier on Masaryk!

Starbuck in a former Masaryk mansion

My Turibus continued on, nearing my hop-off stop. First we passed by a famous department store in Polanco called Palacio de Hierro (Iron Palace). There are many in the city, however the one in Polanco is known for its award-winning architecture. The unique triangular structure is a work by Sordo Madaleno. It has 11 stories along with green areas with a fountain.

El Palacio de Hierro in Polanco - award winnig architecture

By 3:30 p.m. I was at last at my destination, the Antara Fashion Hall. I was meeting my friend Marco Vigato there but first I had to eat something, so I enjoyed the architecture of the open-air mall from the third floor food court. I think I am full after this horn of plenty!

Table for 1 at Antara Fashion Hall