CDMX: Tacos & Tequila (Day 3)

Hola todos,

Another day, another part of this city to explore. And now that we’re bus experts, it’s time to grab our metrobus card and go. Vamonos!

On today’s agenda was tackling the National Archaeology Museum. I’d read that it was large and overwhelming, and visitors recommended choosing a few exhibits to concentrate on. Our main goal was to keep learning some history and get more context for our upcoming Teotihuacan tour in a few days.

The exterior (L) and interior (R) plazas of the museum.

The museum had a ton of originals and replicas of cultural artifacts from early indigenous peoples through the Aztecs. The designs and details on the hand-made sculptures and structures were stunning. A lot of art students were walking around with their sketch pads, which was cool to see.

An exhibited burial site.

 

This was a to-scale mock-up of a court used for a ritual ball game (that sometimes ended in bloody human sacrifice).

 

While there was some context in the displays, we would have really benefitted from a guided tour or even an audio tour. There were just so many pieces and it was hard to know how they all related to the history of this region, or why they were significant.

After a few hours there, we decided to walk along the top of the Bosque Chapultepec to the Polanco neighborhood. It’s relatively quiet and felt "upscale residential". There were so many trees and it was beautifully green, and there was clearly a fun brunch culture in the restaurant area of the neighborhood.

 

We stopped for a bite a Cafebreria El Pendulo, a local chain of bookstore-cafes. (So you *know* I was in Heaven.) There was some live music for a bit, and it was nice to rest our feet in a nerdy-yummy ambiance.

We walked off our late lunch through Lincoln Park, named after Abraham Lincoln. It was a bit of a maze, and there were little water features. Since it was a Saturday, families were out and about.

Then we walked along what was supposed to be Polanco's equivalent to Fifth Ave.... but we didn't see a ton of super duper high end stores. But a pleasant walk nevertheless!

 

A famous Insta spot attached to the TANE jewelry store. And since I'm a #TravelInfluencer, I *had* to stop for a pic. (And peep Mama Seideman--isn't she so cute?!?)

A display found along a busy Polanco street.

We circled around back to the Mercado Escondido, or Hidden Market, to see what the online hype was about. It was small and a bit underwhelming--a definite pass if you're coming to town.

We caught the bus back to the hotel to recuperate, rest, and rehydrate before heading out for some evening activities. Our first stop was Cafe Nin, a *super* vibey cafe/bar. My amateur photography can't do it justice, but the brick walls, the lighting, and the floor tiling all contributed to a fabulous vibe throughout the place. We had drinks and dessert (yes, before dinner--hey, life is uncertain!) and soaked up the ambiance.

Next, we were off to Taquitos Frontera in the Roma Norte neighborhood. It was about a 10 minute walk, but it rained the whole time. So we were a little wet when we hurriedly shuffled into the restaurant. Fortunately, it was a pretty casual place. My mom got soup and I got, you guessed it, tacos: one al pastor, one pollo. The salsas were decidedly picante, so I stayed away.

Bellies full, we headed back to the hotel to strategize for tomorrow. Buenas noches!

Besos,

Tina the ExploraDora

Step count: 47,867

Taco count: 7