Mexico City – Centro Histórico and Cafe de Tacuba

After taking in the wonderful view from Don Porfirio Caffe from the 8th Floor of Sears, we headed to where Avenida Juárez becomes pedestrian only Avenida Francisco I. Madero. There's quite a bit to see here; along with crowds to match. We stopped by the Convent of San Francisco to take a peek…..

This church with a very ornate façade, resides down a sunken courtyard and is all that remains of what was once a large complex that covered 8 acres in the area. This was part of what was the headquarters of the "12 Apostles of Mexico" who were tasked with converting the residents of New Spain to Christianity. The complex was built on the site of Moctezuma II’s Zoo. Yes, he had zoo!

The altars are quite ornate and quite stunning.

On the way to the Zócalo, the Missus wanted to stop at Dulcería de Celaya a famous sweet shop which was established in 1874. Man, this place was quite popular. The Missus bought a box of various confections to bring back to the US. In what was a fairly humorous moment, the box was opened at the airport in Mexico City by one of the security personnel and each piece was brought out and the guy actually sniffed it! He kept saying "no bueno….no bueno!!" Until one of the senior officers came by and told him to put it all back in the box!

After we arrived home, the Missus tasted the sweets and really didn't care for them…..so I kidded Her by saying "no bueno….no bueno!"

Dulcería de Celaya
Avenida Cinco de Mayo 39
06000 Ciudad de México
Mexico City

A few blocks down was the Zócalo (Plaza de la Constitución), the city's main square. In fact, this area has been the heart of the city since the time of the Aztecs.

The impressive Cathedral lines the north side of the square.

We had fully intended on exploring the area around the square and Centro Historical.

But came across an very popular and colorful exhibition….which seemed more like a festival dedicated to Frida Kahlo.

This celebration was called The Colors of Frida and it was indeed quite colorful. It was held to celebrate the famous artist's 112th birthday. And we lucked out to have been able to see this.

The most powerful scene is that of Frida dressed in colorful attire lying in bed. Having contracted polio at the age of six, she spent 9 months in bed. In 1925 she was in a terrible accident; she was "impailed by a steel handrail through the hip" and also fracture three vertebrae. It was during this time that Frida stared painting. she would have health problems for the rest of her life.  In 1953 Frida had her first solo exhibition in Mexico City, but was in bad health. She famously attended the ceremony lying in a bed set-up for her in the gallery.

There were of course, the Conchero Dancers performing.

And those having Limpias (spiritual cleansing) performed on them.

It's also a great place to people, and pooch watch as well.

Nearby is the Museo de Templo Mayor, which was the temple of the people who inhabited Tenochtitlan. The ruins were quite stunning; though we were in need of a break by this time….we'll visit the next time we're in the area.

Plus, it was starting to get even more crowded.

We did decide to duck into the Cathedral Metropolitana for a quick look.

The Missus and I found the Pendulum inside the Cathedral quite fascinating.

Apparently it is in place to check on seismic movement.

The Missus and I needed a break and something light and small to eat. I'd read about a restaurant that had quite a history named Café de Tacuba.

Opened in 1912; this wonderful slice of history not only feeds the body; but the charming layout and décor feeds the soul as well.

Not feeling especially hungry; the Missus and I got our caffeine fix and ordered the Nopales….something which the Missus could not get enough of it seems….

The chips were crisp, the nopales decent, but nothing special, the avocado….like all we had in CDMX was creamy and wonderful. The staff was professional and accommodating. And the décor was wonderful. This was a nice little break for us.

Café de Tacuba
Calle de Tacuba 28
06010 Ciudad de México
Mexico City

We walked up Calle de Tacuba past the Museo Nacional de Arte (the National Art Museum).

That statue in front of the structure is of Charles IV of Spain by Manuel Tolsá; a Spanish born Sculptor and Architect.

Who is much revered for the prodigious amount of work he contributed to New Spain. In fact, the square the statue is on is named after him.

This eye catching garden is named the Garden of the Triple Alliance.

So, we could have kept on going….there is so much to see here if you desire.

For us; well, we'd done quite a bit of walking already on this day. We decided to Uber it back to our B&B and rest up for dinner……

Which turned out to be pretty good….that's coming up!

Thanks for stopping by!