Xochimilco is one of the most extraordinary areas in this megacity and witness to Mexico City's watery past. When the Aztecs founded their city Tenochtitlán (now Mexico City), they did so on some islands in a shallow lake. To grow their crops, they made artificial islands called "chinampas" by building a type of raft with roots and branches, scraping mud from the lake bed, packing it down and anchoring these "floating islands" by planting trees along the edges. Over the centuries, the lake has all but disappeared but there are still a few small vestiges of the canals and islands left in Xochimilco and Tláhuac. From the "embarcadero", we walked across the main square and up to the big market where lots of the fresh vegetables such as beetroot, carrots, radishes, coriander and spinach are brought here on wheelbarrows. We also photographed the food stands and were offered tastes of some of the different dishes on offer.Our visit to the bustling market turned out to be the perfect complement to our earlier boat ride along the peaceful canals.
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For this private walk with a family from Florida, we explored the area around the Alameda Park and the Zócalo, to give them an idea of what Mexico City's Centro Histórico was like. They learned about how the Aztecs founded their city on an island in a shallow lake and how it grew to become one of the largest cities in the world.Among other things, we made a short visit to the Museo de Artes Populares to see the Vochol, a VW Beetle completely covered in small beads, and stopped in the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the Post Office, the Casa de los Azulejos and on reaching the Zócalo, the Gran Hotel.To celebrate our milestone of 100 Photo Walks, we organized a special photography trip to the volcano Nevado de Toluca. The weather couldn't have been better, providing us with spectacular shots and an unforgettable experience.Also known by its indigenous name of "Xinantecatl" (the Naked Man), this volcano is the fourth highest mountain in Mexico at 4680m high and has two lakes in its crater, the Moon Lake and the Sun Lake. Long ago this was the site of ceremonies and rituals.We left Mexico City at 7.30 am and drove 2 hours to the Nevado de Toluca Natural Park. From there we made our way up an unpaved road to the top car park, and dressed in warm clothes and sturdy boots, hiked up to the rim of the crater and then walked around the two lakes there, the Moon Lake and Sun Lake. It was a great opportunity to do some landscape and nature photography and also practise using a tripod.To wrap up the day, we had "sopa de hongos" and "quesadillas" at a simple eating place at the bottom of the mountain before returning to Mexico City.This private photo walk took us around the Alameda Central Park and part of Mexico City's Centro Histórico to give a general idea of the city's history and culture to a couple who were only here for a very short time. There was so much to see and photograph and they enjoyed the experience so much that they are thinking of returning for the Day of the Dead celebration later this year.Spring is the prettiest time of year in Paseo de la Reforma with scores of purple jacaranda trees in bloom and blue skies. For Photo Walk Nº101 we wandered down part of Paseo de la Reforma and explored Cuauhtémoc with our cameras.We met at the Estela de Luz and first of all photographed the cluster of Mexico City's highest buildings, also looking out for contrasts... especially regarding the old and modern architecture. As we made our way up this wide, tree-lined, boulevard, which Emperor Maximillian had built to link his castle to the centre, emulating the Champs Elysées in Paris, we looked for shots that captured the essence of this modern, financial district and also the everyday scenes.The second part of the photo walk took place just one street away from Paseo de la Reforma yet we seemed to have stepped into a completely different world, more like a small town. Some of the places we visited were the Monumento a la Madre and the Jardin del Arte and our last stop was to have some refreshment sitting at a pavement cafe.The Carnaval de Xochimilco took place over 1-4 March and lots of events were programmed. We went to photograph the Chinelos dancers who perform over Carnival here and in many towns in Morelos. While we were there, we also wandered around the market, and took photos of the typical "trajineras", flat-bottomed boats which ply the canals there.The origin of the "Danza de los Chinelos" goes back to 1807 when the Spaniards didn't allow the indigenous people in Tlayacapan, Morelos, take part in their Carnival festival. So the people dressed up in costumes and masks with beards depicting the Europeans and mocked their mannerisms in this dance.
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Margaret MetcalfeBorn to travel, explore and share photos and experiences Archives
May 2019
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