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Mexico CityOne Perfect DayBy Sandra ScottIf you have only one day to spend in Mexico City… make it perfect! Choose a special place to stay. Consider La Casona. The rose-colored hotel, located on a shady street in Col. Roma, has been designated an artistic monument by Mexico’s National Institute of Fine Art. Each room is decorated with antique furniture and no two rooms are the same. The atmosphere is one of “being at home,” mainly because it was once a private home. There are only 30 rooms so reservations are necessary. Start the day in a leisurely manner with breakfast in bed. For added privacy, breakfast is delivered via a special niche built into the wall between the room and the hall. Or, you may choose to have breakfast on the tiny patio, listening to the trickling water fountain. The hotel has a concierge, room service, solarium, a gym, restaurant, and other amenities.
Plan to spend the most time in areas that relate to places in Mexico you will, or have already, visited. There are several “do not miss” displays. Walking into the Teotihuacan Room and catching sight of a full-size color replica of a portion of the great Temple of Quetzalcoatl will make you feel insignificant and put you in awe of the splendor that must have been Teotihuacan. In the Mexica (Aztec) Room the Aztec Calendar Stone deservedly get the most attention. The stone was carved out of one piece of basalt and measures 12 feet across. Originally painted in brilliant colors, it represents the 52-year calendar. Also, in the same hall is the famed quetzal headdress. Imagine Moctezuma, with his iridescent headdress, and his entourage proceeding regally past the cheering crowds through the streets of Tenochtitlán. What a magnificent spectacle! By the time you reach the Gulf of Mexico Room it will be time take a break, sit on a bench in the side garden and marvel at the huge Olmec “ball player” head and the culture that produced it. Don’t forget the upstairs of the museum. Many do! This less-visited area houses the ethnographic rooms with life-size models depicting the way people live in various parts of Mexico today. Some displays include recordings of songs and dances. The Museum will take you on a journey from the earliest people to the present-day people. The courtyard is a good place to relax in the sun and listen to music played by indigenous groups. Before leaving the museum have lunch in the patio restaurant, served by waitresses in traditional dresses. Try one of the native dishes. Mexico soups are especially good, consider Xochitl, a Mexican-style chicken and rice soup. When you are ready to leave, it is the time to shop in the museum bookstore with its excellent collection of books on the art, culture and history of Mexico. This is a good place to buy gifts; they have something for everyone in every price range. There are many excellent educational books, toys and games for children.
Before you start exploring the area, especially if it is a busy time of the year, make a reservation for dinner at the rooftop restaurant of the Hotel Majestic, 6:30 or later, depending on the time the sun sets. In and around the Zócalo, artisans offer their work while Native Americans dance. Dominating the plaza is the Palacio Nacional. Begun in 1692 on the site of Moctezuma’s palace, it has been altered many times during the last 300 years. Parts are open to the public free of charge. The Diego Rivera murals, with large simplified figures and bold colors, depicting the history of Mexico are worth the visit. The Cathedral Metropolitana, begun in 1573 and finished in 1788, is a blend of many styles. The permanent interior scaffolding is necessary to keep the building straight because the weight of the stones is causing it to sink into the soft ground. Mexico is built on what was once the bottom of a shallow lake.
Now it is time for dinner on the roof of the Hotel Majestic. Take your time, watch the sun set, the sky darken, and the lights of the city come on until they are spread out like jewels on a black blanket. Mexico City will seem like the most serene and beautiful place in the world. What a perfect way to end a perfect day! If you go:La Casona: www.hotellacasona.com.mx, casona@data.net.mx., $120 with breakfast National Museum of Anthropology: http://sunsite.unam.mx/antropol/ Images by Sandra Scott |
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After
breakfast, relaxed and refreshed, take a cab to the National Museum of
Anthropology, located on Avenue Reforma and adjacent to Chapultepec Park.
Make a quick stop in the museum bookstore to buy the “Easy Guide,” but
by-pass other temptations in the shop until it is time to leave; no need to
carry them around. Entering the large, sunny courtyard, the first thing that
catches the eye is the towering Jose Chavez Morado fountain. The Museum is
designed with rooms opening onto the courtyard. Follow the guide, take your
time, sit a spell, absorb the wonders of Mexican culture. 
Catch
a cab in front of the museum to the Zócalo. Every Spanish city in the New
World was laid out according to a plan, with a plaza surrounded by a church,
government buildings, and military headquarters. Mexico City was the capital
of New Spain; consequently the Zócalo is one of the largest in the world.
There
are many sites in the area to visit, if there is time – Museo Benito Juárez,
Museo de las Culturas, and much more. But plan to be at the center of the
plaza, near the flagpole at 6:00 p.m. for the flag lowering ceremony. An
honor guard of soldiers, with much ceremony, watched by hundreds, lowers the
behemoth flag.