Photo Walk Nº79 took us to Colonia Tabacalera to visit its most outstanding landmark and a few of its not so well-known sites.We met at the bottom of the Monumento a la Revolución and first learned a bit about the history of the neighbourhood and this singular monument before photographing it from various angles around the large open square. After wandering around the square, we proceeded to explore the rest of the Colonia Tabacalera, stopping off first at the Fronton México building, an authentic Art-Déco building now painted bright red with a Casino at one end and the sports facilities at the other end. Other places visited were the Museo de San Carlos, with its fine collection of European Art housed in a 19th Century building with a spectacular oval patio, once the country home of the Counts of Buenavista, the house where Che Guevara and Fidel Castro plotted the Cuban Revolution and a nicely renovated park.At one end of the neighbourhood, standing on Paseo de la Reforma, is the Art-Déco building El Moro, known as the Loteria Nacional. Each Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday at 8pm, they hold the lottery draws here which members of the public can attend. Our purpose in visiting it was to photograph the massive mural "El Juego de la Fortuna" by Ariosto Otero and the spectacular interior. Although it was damaged in the September 2017 earthquake and had been closed for months, the lower floor and the first five floors of offices are now open again although some large cracks looked worrying.Before returning to the Monumento a la Revolución we took photos of the bright yellow sculpture known as "El Caballito" by the Mexican sculpture Sebastian which doubles up as a vent, some newly painted street art and some old cantinas.Our final activity was going up into the dome of the Monument and photographing views of the city. The elevator whisked us up the equivalent of 22 stories in few seconds leaving some of us a bit lightheaded and deposited us under a green dome, quite open and we made our way down some stairs which can prove to be rather hair-raising for anyone with a fear of heights. However, the viewing platform was wide and had glass panels for security. There were few people up there, as it still isn't as well-known as other viewing points in Mexico City.Back in the square below, some of us went for a coffee underground but for those who want to know more about the Mexican Revolution, the museum next to the coffee shop is a good place to visit.
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Margaret MetcalfeBorn to travel, explore and share photos and experiences Archives
May 2019
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