(P.S. The photos in this blog are just some photos of people and some of handicrafts that I took in Mexico)
Mexico... I don't even know where I should begin! In the 10 days I was in Mexico, I have felt and experienced so much history and culture in the country, I am amazed how such a gem has been hidden for so long...
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| A brilliantly hand-made bedcover |
Since I wanted to do a trip to the Americas, and Mexico does not require a visa if you have a US visa, it seemed like a feasible option for the trip. But most of the people I knew who had visited Mexico before, had visited Cancun and some did a bit more and took a day trip Chichenitza. That was all I knew of tourism options in Mexico when I started planning for the trip. And it was not much to go on with!!
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| Wooden masks |
But what made me finalise Mexico for the trip were the recommendations of a friend who had gone to Mexico for 10 days. He raved about it so much, that there is so much to do there; it gave me comfort to book a 10 day trip without really knowing what I would do there.. And it worked!
When I started researching, I realised he was right! There is so much to explore in the country that 10 days is actually too less. There are the canyons and jungles of the north, and the history and culture of the south, that in the end I had to pick and choose and it was not easy (though online research did not help as much as I would have wanted!).
Our itinerary for the 10 days was limited to Central and South Mexico and included:
3 days in Mexico City : tour to Teotihuacan ruins, city tour of Mexico City, visit to Museum of Anthropology and walk around the Centro Historico
2 days in San Cristobal de la Casa : tour to Sumidero Canyon, El Chiflon waterfalls and Montebello lakes
1 day in Palenque : tour to the Mayan ruins at Palenque
3 days in Merida: tour to Uxmal and Chichenitza Mayan ruins and visit to Progreso beach
I would though suggest spending not more than 2 days in Mexico City and that extra time can be spent in Oaxaca.
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| Wooden characters |
Some fun facts: The symbol of Mexico, is the Aztec symbol of Mexico City. An eagle on a cactus, with a snake. Apparently, Mexico City was founded at the location where the Aztecs were told they would find an eagle sitting on top of a cactus plant, with a snake in its mouth! The cactus is abundant in Mexico, and the snake was considered a holy symbol by the Mayans. Also, another common depiction in Mexican culture is of the jaguar, which is quite often found in the Mexican jungles.
Overall impressions about the country
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| Indigenous art |
First, Mexico City is separate from the rest of the country. Its a busy crowded metropolis, while the rest of the places we visited were a lot more relaxed and open. Second, Mexico is not as under-developed as a lot of Hollywood movies would have us believe. That is just a view that the US has created of Mexico and Mexicans - as if the whole country is one big jungle where drug wars are all that happen!
Its not so - Mexico is a normal country with tourism, history, development, industries and whatever a normal country has. In fact, I found it a lot more developed than I would have expected.
Weather is very mixed, with parts of the country (like Mexico City, San Cristobal) located at high altitudes and hence colder, while Yucatan which is surrounded by the ocean has a more equatorial climate. We were there in December which was supposed to be the dry season, still there was rain in the Yucatan area.
I had heard a lot been said about how Mexico is unsafe, and too be honest, the first couple of days I lived in that fear. But then I realised, it was all in my head! The place did not feel unsafe at all, its not like gangsters are walking on the streets selling drugs and killing random people! That only happens in Hollywood movies (or as my friend said, in the border areas of Mexico bordering the US). The rest of Mexico felt pretty safe and normal to me.
Culture
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| Wooden masks |
Mexico is a Catholic country, and you can see it visible everywhere. There are many many beautiful churches in every corner of the country. People wear the cross, and during the time we were there, every village was decorated with a christmas tree and the birth of Jesus. Also, I found nuns traveling to touristy places, working and selling food stuff outside a church - which I found very different from any other place I have visited.
Also, I found Mexico to be a very healthy mix of indigenous and Spanish cultures. There is a whole section in the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City devoted to this - how the Mexicans adopted and adapted Christianity, mixing it with their own ancient customs and culture. Thus you find that people in different parts of Mexico have their own dresses, foods and customs; mixing some from Spanish and Christianity and the rest from their own.
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| Colours and embroidery |
The Mexicans also did not seem to resent the Spaniards as much as I would have expected. Maybe it is because they accepted their religion, their language and their culture a lot more, and so many Spanish people settled in Mexico, becoming Mexicans; that it isn't feasible to resent the Spaniards anymore as outsiders. It is not the same in India, where other than the Britishers' language, we did not adopt their religion, their culture, and neither did many of them settle in India. So they were and always will remain outsiders and resented.
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| Brightly coloured bags |
The handicrafts that were being sold in Mexico were just amazing. Woollen cloth, Mexican dresses, embroidered bags, shawls, wooden show pieces etc etc. The list is endless and I just loved exploring all they had to offer. I was quite impressed with the colours that were used in the woollens and other clothes. Such an overdose of colour, I have not really seen outside India. I just loved it!
History
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| Handmade wares |
The history of Mexico is long. All I will mention here is if you get a chance, to explore the different areas where all the different civilisations were : Aztecs, Mayans, Olmes, Toltecs, Teotihuacans, Oaxacans and the rest. They are all different, yet similar in some way. If you are interested in ancient history, Mexico will be a boon for you.
Other than that, there was just a very funny thing I realised about Mexican history, which I did not know earlier. Apparently the American states of New Mexico, Texas and California were earlier a part of Mexico! And the US just took it from them in a war in 1846! Guess nothing has changed really over the years;-).
People
I liked the people that I met in Mexico. They all seemed simple and helpful. Not knowing Spanish is a problem though, as a lot of them do not speak English, but its enough to get by. It seemed generally like a safe and relaxed place, and women seemed to be working everywhere.
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| Cute children |
Also, the indigenous people here definitely looked different from people of the other continents. I was trying to categorise them in a category but couldn't. I guess thats because a lot of the indigenous people are descendants of what are called the Red Indians, different from the ones I had met elsewhere till now. There features are different, their body structure is different - they are just different! Also, the children were very very very cute. They were all very chubby, and with reddish faces, looked even cuter:).
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| Indigenous artist |
When I read about the people of Mexico, apparently there are very few of them who are 100% indigenous. They still live in the hills, away from the rest of the civilisation. But most of the other people are a mix of the indigenous people and the Spaniards and other conquerers who invaded Mexico.
Also, one of our guides mentioned something which I found very interesting. He said, that people in Mexico do not want to accept that they speak Mayan (even though a lot of them do that at home!). They do, and they are of Mayans descent but prefer not to say that openly. The same guide also said that he thinks they are related to the Asians as they have similar eyes. I don't know if thats true, but possibly could be?
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| Witchdoctor? |
A lot of people we met who were also traveling were Mexicans. Seemed like a very high percentage and unexpected! And then we met some people who were doing long 1-2 months trips across Mexico. They all seemed to love the country, and were surprised with what all they experienced! Also, a lot of them were going to Cuba, which I would love to visit too. (Apparently best way to go to Cuba is through Mexico as there are no US flights going there!)
Food
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| Snacktime! |
In terms of food, everyone had told me that food in Mexico is awesome. To be honest, I was left asking for more. We went to a couple of recommended places, but the Mexican food there was not as tasty as the food I've had elsewhere, say in the US. Its different - most people do not give the tomato salsa, and the food per se was not as spicy as it generally is. There would be a spicy sauce with it separately, but the food itself was not spicy. I think I prefer the Mexican food I have eaten outside Mexico, than the one within:).
To end it all, I would say that I feel that anyone who is fond of traveling must once go to Mexico - its definitely worth a visit. And I would rate it as one of my best trips - next to my trip to Africa:)
Other articles on Mexico
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