From last Wednesday until Sunday, our group took a nice little sojourn to Mexico City, or, as they call it around here, “D.F.” or just plain “Mexico.” To me, D.F. was kind of like a New York mixed with Washington D.C. It had all the important government buildings and all the masses of people, buildings, and boroughs. Of course, it also had amazing archaeological sites and other places that you only would be able to find in Mexico.

Our first stop was at Teotihuacan, a place that was built and deserted long before the Aztecs found it and claimed it to be a city left behind by the gods. Though the original creators are unknown, the sheer grandeur of their constructions still remains. The Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon in particular are incredible. The hike up to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun was a challenge but very much worthwhile (as you can see in a photo from a classmate, Kristina, of some of us girls with one of our awesome professors, Roxana).

The Anthropology Museum is world-renowned, and we got to see so many awesome artifacts, including the original Aztec calendar (La Piedra del Sol) and giant Olmec heads. Nearby to the Museum is the Castle of Chapultepec, where French monarchs lived before the Revolution. Right downtown, however, is another museum and archaeological site. The Templo Mayor can be found smack in the middle of the modern buildings and roads.

If there was one thing Mexico City had an abundance of, it was art galleries. We got to see works of artists like Diego Rivera (La Catrina, anyone??) and Frida Kahlo and visit galleries like the Palacio de Bellas Artes and the home of Dolores Olmeda (where peacocks and hairless dogs almost outnumbered the incredible works she had collected).

We also got to visit the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, a very important site for many here since Mexico is primarily Catholic. We got to take a boat ride down the canals of Xochimilco (which you can see in the pic from Rhianna), which have existed for centuries, and do some seriously awesome shopping in Coyoacan.

And, although I have no proof since photos were severely limited, our group was fortunate enough to be Penn State’s first to visit Los Pinos, the Mexican equivalent to the White House. It’s apparently really tough to get access, and we didn’t get to enter very many buildings, but we did get to see the current Mexican President, Felipe Calderon, in a meeting as we walked by! It was an exciting honor to tour the premises.

Mexico City may have very much been, overall, a city-city, but there was so much to do and see. I can’t say that I liked it more than home-sweet-Puebla, but even just within such a confined area of the country, the diverse amounts of activities and culture is incredible to take in. For now we’re back in Puebla, but this weekend we’ll be traveling again, sort of independently, to Veracruz. Time is just flying by! It’s hard when we’re so busy to stop and take everything in, but it’s been a blast so far. I just hope these last 2.5 weeks last!

Location: Mexico City, Mexico