An orientation meeting with our tour leader began the morning. All said and done, there are 33 in our group. Most have traveled with OAT before, and are on this trip for the same reason we are -- OAT doesn't run a tour in this area. There are a number in the group who walk very tentatively, especially on stairs. We OAT fans are all getting older.
The motor coach is very nice, new, and clean. Our first stop today was the National Museum of Archaeology. Our tour leader, Balam Ruiz, demonstrated that he is extremely knowledgeable about the history of Mexico, both ancient and modern.
This very modern museum is far too large to see in one morning. We spent most of our time in the Aztec room, which is dominated by the disc of the sun god.
We also saw a replica of one of the few remaining "codices" of the Aztecs (even though it isn't actually a codex) that was preserved as a stucco-coated leather scroll written in ideogrammatic text.
Balam also explained the symbolism of the statue depicting "the mother of the sun god," and noted that many of the religious practices tied to her were transferred to the Virgin after the Spaniards forced conversion to Catholicism.
The group was released for free time in the museum, but we stayed with Balam who guided us through the Mayan exhibit. Though much older, the Mayan culture pre-figured a good deal of what later emerged among the Aztecs.
A central part of the Mayan exhibition is a full-sized replica of the sarcophagus of a Mayan ruler, and the display of his death mask that was fashioned from solid jade.
From the museum we went to an included lunch at a taco restaurant. The meal was similar to what we had found on our own on our first night in the city, but not as good.
It was a very long bus ride to the next destination, not because of the distance, but because a major political demonstration was blocking streets and causing traffic to be re-routed.
We finally arrived at "the postal palace," still the main post office for Mexico City, but an architectural wonder when competed around 1910.
After a quick walk-through of the post office, we crossed the street to Bellas Artes Theater. Part of a project to return the sophistication of European art to Mexico in the late 19th century, the exterior is neoclassical. But because the Mexican Revolution delayed completion until into the 1930s, the interior is very much art deco in style.
Premiere Mexican artists from the period were commissioned to create murals for the interior, including (most famously) Diego Rivera, spouse of Frida Kahlo, who created the controversial "Man, Controller of the Universe."
We got to see the full protest march up close and personally as we walked back to our hotel. There were hundreds of marchers, many carrying red flags with the sickle and hammer.
While sympathetic to the plight of the workers, we did the bourgeoisie thing and lounged at the pool in our luxury hotel.