10 Signs You’ve Never Been to Mexico City

A reprint of the article by Susannah Rigg in Matador Network.

 

1. You imagine it to be all dirt tracks and donkeys…

Whenever Hollywood portrays Mexico it seems to show dusty roads with beat-up cars and the occasional donkey. It’s not surprising, then, that if you’ve never been to Mexico’s capital, you might be expecting something similar. However, Mexico City is a bustling urban centre with over 20 million inhabitants, real roads, and lots of new cars.

2. …or an urban jungle.

Mexico City is big and urban, but there are so many green spaces and huge parks in all different corners of the city. In addition, beautiful, tree-filled plazas are everywhere.

3. You think Mexico City is poor and third world.

Mexico City is one of the most important economic centres of the Americas and one of the top 25 urban economies in the world. In fact, the country of Mexico is the world’s 14^th-largest economy. Like in many large cities, there are very rich residents and very poor residents, but head to Polanco, Pedregal, and Lomas de Chapultepec and you might be very surprised by the extraordinary wealth in those parts of the city.

4. You think it’s really dangerous and that you’ll get kidnapped.

Mexico City got a nasty reputation in the ’90s for being dangerous and a hot spot for kidnappings. However, a lot’s changed since then, and most tourists are surprised by just how safe they feel. Of course, crimes do occur — it’s a big city — but it’s not the crime-infested place many seem to believe.

5. You get confused when people in Mexico simply call Mexico City “Mexico.”

For new travelers to Mexico (the country) this can be a confusing one. Are people saying they’re from Mexico the city or Mexico the country? You can imagine some of the interesting (read: ridiculously confusing) conversations that can result from this.
Note: You may also hear Mexico City referred to as D.F., Mexico D.F., the Federal District of Mexico, Chilangolandia, El Defectuoso, or La Capirucha. Now “Mexico” seems much better, right?

6. You don’t know it’s built on a lake and is in fact sinking.

When the Spanish arrived in Mexico, they found the huge, important city of the Aztecs, Tenochtitlan, built on an island on Lake Texcoco. The Spaniards constructed Mexico City over Tenochtitlan, draining the water off the lake to extend the city. Imagine, a city of 20 million built on a lake. No wonder it’s sinking at a rate of between 6 – 35cm per year.

7. You’re unaware of its elevation.

Many people arrive in Mexico City wondering why they run out of breath so quickly or sometimes feel slightly lightheaded for a day or two. The reason is that Mexico’s capital is 7,350ft (2,240m) above sea level, making it the eighth-highest capital city in the world and the highest in North America. Oh, and that’s another thing: Mexico is part of North America, not South America or Central America as many people think.

8. You haven’t heard of the floating gardens of the Aztecs.

South of Mexico City there are canals in an area called Xochimilco. Here, the Aztecs built fertile banks on the lake, in which they grew one-third of the produce needed to feed the city. These canals stood the test of time and still exist today. Nowadays, you can rent a colourful boat called a trajinera and float down the canal with friends, enjoying the music of mariachis and a cold beer or two.

9. You’re unaware that it’s the city with the most museums in the world.

According to the National Council for Culture and Arts, Mexico’s capital has more museums than any other city. Whatever your interest, be it archaeology, art, toys, or even chocolate, you’ll find a museum or two or three for you.

10. You didn’t know there’s an Aztec pyramid right in the heart of the city.

Right in the main square next to the cathedral is the Templo Mayor — huei teocalli in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs (or Mexica, as they were known). The Spanish built their cathedral on top of the temple, but years later parts of the temple were excavated by archaeologists. Still, much of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan remains buried, often discovered as new metro lines are built underground.

Three Top Picks For Living In Mexico

Glynna Prentice  wrote in International Living: "With more than a million expats estimated to live there, Mexico is far and away the most popular destination for North Americans looking to move abroad. But—with so many places to choose from—where in Mexico should you move? It’s a very large country, after all.

Much depends, of course, on what you’re looking for. There are places in Mexico where you can live totally off the grid, or immerse yourself in a small village where there’s nary a foreigner around you. Alternatively, there are cities and neighborhoods where you can live a gringo life, never seeing a local and never needing Spanish.

Most expats seek something between these two extremes: places where the transition to Mexico is easy (and so is getting there), amenities abound, and local culture and color are all around. Based on that happy medium, here are my three top picks for living in Mexico.

Rummage Sale

When you've made the decision to move, you get rid of stuff that is silly to move 3,000 miles away to a new climate. Jennifer Maier, who lives in Seattle, wrote thisand just feels right.


Rummage Sale By Jennifer Maier

Forgive me, Aunt Phyllis, for rejecting the cut

glass dishes—the odd set you gathered piece

by piece from thirteen boxes of Lux laundry soap.

Pardon me, eggbeater, for preferring the whisk;

and you, small ship in a bottle, for the diminutive

size of your ocean. Please don’t tell my mother,

hideous lamp, that the light you provided

was never enough. Domestic deities, do not be angry

that my counters are not white with flour;

no one is sorrier than I, iron skillet, for the heavy

longing for lightness directing my mortal hand.

And my apologies, to you, above all,

forsaken dresses, that sway from a rod between

ladders behind me, clicking your plastic tongues

at the girl you once made beautiful,

and the woman, with a hard heart and

softening body, who stands in the driveway

making change.

Transitioning to a Life in Sayulita

El Sayulero By Stacey Elkins

"Moving from one country to another country can be a challenge, particularly due to differences in culture. However, Gabriel Jones, Sales Director & Contributing Writer of Mexi-Go!, and his wife, Wendy, did just did that when they made the leap from Vancouver, British Columbia to Sayulita three and a half years ago.

"At the time, Gabriel’s employer Mexi-Go!, a Canadian publication, was transitioning to become a Mexican company. Wendy was employed by a Canadian company and was working remotely from home. When the opportunity arose to move to Sayulita, Wendy got approval from her employer to continue to work remotely from Mexico.

"This required a home with solid internet connection and a phone line, as Wendy’s job required numerous teleconferences. Through SayulitaLife.com they found a long-term rental and made arrangements to rent the house.

"Nick Sherman, former President of Pro Sayulita, was their property manager and became their first Sayulita friend. He provided invaluable information to this couple. “He made our transition so much easier. He showed us how Mexican houses differ from Canadian ones, helped us roll with the punches during our first rainy season and a million little things like how to pay our CFE bill and Telmex bill. He really helped us in so many ways,” the couple says.

"Gabriel and Wendy also relied on SayulitaLife.com forums and other social forums for information about transitioning to life in Sayulita. “So many people, both Mexicans and foreigners, are willing to help. They share their experiences with what works and what doesn’t. They offer suggestions as simple as where to purchase things or as complex as how to change over car titles and plates from Jalisco to Nayarit. Some foreigners believe there isn’t a lot of health care here, but there is on a lot of levels, which we have found through the referrals of others,” says Wendy.

"Networking in the community was another immense source of helping this couple transition to their life here in Sayulita. Gabriel and Wendy have found that volunteering has been a great way to get involved with the community and meet a lot of great friends.Through SayulitAnimals, fundraisers at Costa Verde International School and river clean-ups through Eco Sayulita, they have met some of their closest friends.

“In Sayulita, locals are likely to have friends in various age categories. There is no border on age when it comes to friendship here. We have friends that range in age from 20 years old to 70 years old. Even the neighborhood children regularly stop by the house,” says Gabriel and Wendy.

"While a lot of people do speak English in Sayulita, language can still be a barrier. Wendy is currently taking the intensive Spanish course at Experiencia Sayulita Spanish School and is very excited to be improving her Spanish and ability to communicate. Both Gabriel and Wendy have been able to pick up some key Spanish by spending time with Mexican neighbors, shopping and getting out in the community.

"The couple feels that it is important to try to communicate in the native language and learning new Spanish words can be very rewarding. “After several months of ordering bacon a kilo at a time it was a big day for me when I mastered the word medio and could order just half a kilo of bacon” joked Gabriel.

"Gabriel and Wendy have made Sayulita their home and have no regrets about their decision to move here. “This was the best decision that we have ever made. That is why we are still here and we are so happy to be here.”

Chilies and Chocolates

Aylin Öney Tan writing in the Daily News informs us about the origins of moles and Mexican cooking:

"Exactly 18 years ago, I was at the National Day of Mexico reception at Singapore Raffles Hotel. Finally, I would be able to taste the legendary mole poblano, wild turkey smothered in the scary dark bitter chocolate-chili sauce with a zillion spices. I fell in love the moment I tasted it, but ours would be a love of separation and longing. My instant decision to go to Mexico as soon as possible was never realized and I seldom had the chance to taste real authentic Mexican food again.

"I was always amazed by the diversity of Mexican food, and I thought we had much to share between the two countries. So many tastes and dishes seemed to be so similar. Years later, about eight years ago, I met a culinary historian friend living in Mexico who opened up a whole new world in my perception of Mexican food. Rachel Laudan, the author of the recent colossal book “Cuisine and Empire: Cooking in Word History,” has lived in Mexico City for many years. I met Rachel at the Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery, where she was immensely supportive of my first paper delivered to an audience of crème de la crème of food researchers. Rachel has a very interesting theory on how Spanish-influenced-Mexican food had its roots in Middle East, going as far as India. I could not agree more. When I was doing my research on Turkish-Sephardic cookery, I traced similar links between the cuisines of Andalusia and medieval Arab cooking, which sometimes explains why we find some Mexican tastes so very much like ours.

"The cookery of the Iberian Peninsula before Columbus discovered the Americas carried strong traces from the early Medieval Arabic cuisine from the Middle East. The same was very true for the Ottoman court. Two cookbooks, 13th century Iberian Al-Andalus and 15th century Ottoman Şirvani, were both greatly based on the early 13th century Baghdad text Kitab al-Tabikh, also known as al-Baghdadi. Many Muslims and Jews living in medieval Spain were originally from eastern Mediterranean countries, still maintaining their eating habits. Ziryab, a freed slave from Baghdad, brought over the latest fashions in the Abbasid capital to al-Andalus in the 9th century and introduced the practice of dining in courses to the West. The eastern tastes were synthesized in Spain to an even greater sophistication where people of all creeds intermingled. These cooking traditions were carried to Mexico by the first Spanish conquistadors, followed later by many Middle Eastern immigrants after the break of the Ottoman Empire. The latter is more responsible with el Pastor being a popular street food in Mexico, just like the Döner Kebab in Turkey, Souvlaki in Greece or Shawarma (from Turkish çevirme-to rotate) in Syria or Lebanon. The former influence however, may well be the reason for today’s mole dishes in Mexico. Laudan suggests the Mexican mole has roots deep in these historical connections, stretching the influences as far as Indian curry. Well, the result is a delightful combination of indigenous ingredients like cocoa or Mexican bitter chocolate & red hot chilies with a plethora of old-world spices on the only truly native American bird, that is the turkey!"
Further reading: https://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/2004/the.mexican.kitchen.s.islamic.connection.htm

Market in Mexico

Found on stevyz.tumblr.com

AARP: Best Places to Retire Abroad - Mexico

With its profoundly rich Indian and Spanish culture, its spectacular beaches and charming colonial hill towns, its real estate bargains and its proximity to the United States, Mexico is the undisputed number one destination for American retirees. It boasts thriving expat communities in Lake Chapala, near Guadalajara; San Miguel de Allende, in Guanajuato; Baja California; and Cancún, in the Yucatan. They all have their attractions, including a low-cost, laid-back lifestyle, but our choice in Mexico is the Puerto Vallarta region, located on the Pacific Coast in the state of Nayarit. Its combination of first-class urban amenities and charming palm-fringed villages have made it an appealing retiree draw as well as a popular tourist destination, without the serious crime that blights some other parts of the country.

(A quick word about crime and safety in Mexico: Yes, it's extremely dangerous in the cities bordering the United States and a few places elsewhere. Mexico, however, is also nearly three times the size of Texas, and most of the country is reasonably safe and secure, especially resort areas and tourist destinations.)

Puerto Vallarta's handsome beachfront promenade can be overcrowded with tourists, but venture a few blocks back from the bars and curio shops, and the town's Mexican charms are on display—whitewashed houses bedecked with flowers, and plazas where locals and expats alike greet, eat, and seat themselves on benches to watch the passing parade. In Nuevo Vallarta, the newer luxury area, you’ll find U.S.-style condo complexes and even a mall. You’d think you're back in the States, but at a steep discount.

Forty minutes north of  PV, the seaside village of  Sayulita is a lively place, with a colorful mix of tourists, retirees, and surfer dudes that keeps things hopping. Rollie Dick, 70, and his wife, Jeanne, 65, both former teachers from California, own and operate the town’s most popular restaurant—Rollie’s—known for its delicious quesadillas and a chef who dances his guests around the tables. "We love the plaza life," Dick says. "It reminds me of the States in the ’50s."

The one thing expats most appreciate about life here: the traditional Mexican friendliness. Peter Glass, 65, a former Procter & Gamble executive, lives with his wife, Charlotte, in a charming small house in Sayulita. An African American from Washington, D.C., he says that "Mexico is the only country I’ve experienced where I haven’t felt that I was being judged one way or the other by the color of my skin. It is a breath of the proverbial fresh air."

Check out our traveler's guide to Puerto Vallarta.