Diego, Artisan Market and Meals with a View

We got an earlier start this morning and walked across the square by our apartment to the Secretary of Public Education building which showcases several impressive series of Diego Rivera murals. The last time Ry visited this site he was able to walk right in and peruse the murals unaccompanied. Security was tighter this time. We signed in with the guards and went through metal detectors where we waited for a tour guide. Our guide Raul was an awesome building employee who gave us a very detailed, thoughtful tour with much interpretation of the art. The murals are located in an inner cloister of the building looking out into the center where beautiful jacaranda trees were in bloom.



We started on the first floor where the series of murals focused on the varied cultures and traditions of Mexico. They were colorful and heartfelt depictions of the Mexican people. We skipped the second floor and went straight up to the third, which features a series called the Corrido de la Revolucion Mexicano , or Ballad of the Revolution. In this series Rivera imagines a revolution where equality for workers reigns supreme and the capitalist system is subverted. His allegiance to the Communist Party and Marxist ideals was more than evident in this series and must have been very revolutionary for the mid-1920's. I chuckled to myself a bit thinking there will never be a government building in the United States where you can find depictions of a hammer and sickle or slain "capitalist pigs" (his sentiment, not mine).

Throughout the tour Raul showed us several other little hidden places in the building that featured more modern art including a gigantic mural dedicated to unity among all Latin American people and another unfinished modern mural by David Alfaro Siquieros. Our last stop was to the Secretary of Public Education press room where we saw one last piece of art. I was, however, more impressed by the fact that I was in a press room complete with the little display up front where a spokesperson would stand and take questions. The most awesome thing about our tour with Raul is that it was totally unexpected.











After our art tour we went to lunch at a restaurant called Puro Corazon, our pure heart, located on the top floor balcony of a building that looks out on the Zocalo. We sipped Oaxacan style hot spiced hot chocolate and soaked in the awesome views of the cathedral and huge public square.






















After our meal we walked a long way through crazy huge crowds, Mexico City's china town and a neighborhood entirely filled with shops that specialize in household appliance repair to get to the large Artisan Market. We spent hours walking around the market, trying to find a few perfect little treasures for our loved ones and things to spice up "our house". Though tempted to buy decorated ceramic tiles with "our new address" on them, we elected not to so as to avoid bad luck.

We took a cab ride home during the most intense rush hour I've ever experienced - drivers disobeying signals, crowds of people crossing against the lights willy-nilly and a cab driver that would speed up to intense speeds on a 1/2 block straight away between bumper to bumper traffic. We rested for a while, ate the remaining half of our pina from the market yesterday and walked back to the Zocalo to find a restaurant for dinner.

We landed at an upscale restaurant on the back side of the cathedral called Casa de las Sirenas. We walked up three flights of steep stairs to get to the rooftop balcony part of the restaurant, which was the only part in operation tonight. It was lovely! White linens, vases pink flowers on each table, topiaries strung with white twinkle Christmas lights, a stone fountain with a cross and a lion spitting out a steady stream of water and an unbeatable view of the backside of the cathedral. There was only one other couple up there and eventually they left. We savored the peaceful surroundings with drinks and romantic meal. We agreed it was one of the most beautiful places either of us had ever dined. We each got a little sentimental and I got teary when Ry told me this has been his best trip to Mexico City (out of his five previous).



Tomorrow we're taking a small excursion to Teotihaucan, to check out the third largest pyramid in the world.