by Marina Muhlfriedel   Goes South of the Border

Approximately three hours from just about any point in the contiguous United States, awaits a vacation destination brimming with elegant palaces, huge cathedrals, regal monuments, world-class museums and one of the planet’s biggest public squares. Puzzled ladies?

Allow me please to introduce Mexico City -- the largest metropolis in the Western hemisphere. While colorful ads in the Sunday papers sing the praises of Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico City has, in a word, been given the P.R. shaft. Written off as unbearably polluted, poor, congested and dangerous, few think to place it on their traveler’s must-see list. Unfortunate.

Mexico City, at least the part that tourists venture into, is shockingly impressive and a place everyone should take the time to visit. Sure it has its urban faults, but is essentially the only first-rate, European caliber capitol in our own backyard. Who knew? Until a business trip a couple of months ago demanded I go, certainly not me. But, when the opportunity presented itself, I decided to allow a couple of extra days to explore the city. Believe me, I was well rewarded for my efforts.

In the 16th century, as Spaniards made their way across the mountains of Central Mexico, they also stumbled upon the Valley of Mexico and saw before them the vast Aztec city of Tenochtitl‡n. Summarily, in the grand European manner, they destroyed the place and supplanted it with their own European-styled municipality. Fortunately however, the soul of the former culture was never fully squelched and even today, if you look deep enough, you’ll see that the past permeates every aspect of the art, culture and even religious iconography.

I just had to start my visit to Mexico City at the Museo Frida Kahlo, also known as Casa Azul, the fascinating family home of artist Frida Kahlo, in the hip, bohemian Coyoacan section of the city. Not only can you see some of Kahlo’s remarkable self-portraits and her and Diego Rivera’s collection of works by other artists of the day such as Paul Klee, but possessions as personal as the kitchen utensils she and Rivera used and Kahlo’s wheelchair.

Not far from Casa Azul, on Avenida Viena is the Museo Casa de Leon Trotsky, the cold, fortress-like residence of the Russian revolutionary. Trotsky lived out the last four years of his life here before being killed in an ice-pike attack ordered by the KGB. His ashes are entombed in the adjacent garden.

Looking for a brighter note, my next destination was the Basilica of Santa Maria of Guadalupe in the far Northwestern corner of the city. With her pious, colorful image ubiquitously emblazoned on t-shirts and posters across the world, Our Lady of Guadalupe is truly the spiritual heart of Mexico. The original Basilica was built about 450 years ago on the site, where according to the story, the Virgin of Guadalupe miraculously appeared to a poor Indian, Juan Diego and imprinted her image on his cloak, just 10 years after the fall of the Aztec Empire. The apparition instructed Juan Diego to tell the bishop to build a temple on the site. Two years later the first sanctuary was erected. In 1976, a new Basilica was finished and became the current home to the original image that is viewed daily by an endless stream of pilgrims and tourists.

Of course, no trip to Mexico City would be complete without a trip to the Zocalo, which is right up there with Red and Tiananmen Squares as one of the largest public spaces on the planet. A huge flag is raised every morning at 6 AM and the busy life of the Zocalo begins. Official ceremonies, protestors, native dancers and merchants all find their place between the imposing, if slightly worn edifices. Three sides of the Zocalo house offices of city government in ornate 16th century buildings. On the east side of the square towers the Palacio Nacional, where one of Diego Rivera’s finest and most famous murals, ‘MŽxico a TravŽs de los Siglos’ depicts the entire history of Mexico.

The oldest and largest Cathedral in Latin America, the Metropolitan, borders the fourth side of the Zocalo. Like other buildings in the region, its gilded web of niches and chapels the Cathedral have begun to sink into the ancient lakebed beneath it. Rows of vendors hock their native wares in front of the cathedral and on the east side of it is Templo Mayor, a major Aztec archaeological excavation site. Unearthed in 1978, you can check out the impressive array of Aztec sculpture, artifacts and masonry.

One of the best views of the Zocalo is from the Majestic Hotel on the west end of the square where you can take in the throngs of people and picturesque facades over a refreshing mug of Mexican beer. After all, sightseeing can be an exhausting business.

While there are endless options of things to see in the city, I would recommend dedicating at least a good portion of a day to time-traveling through the National Anthropology Museum in Chapultepec Park. It is one of the finest anthropology museums in the world and explores every culture that has been part of Mesoamerican, from Pre-Classic to Toltec, Oaxaca to Maya and everything in between. There are phenomenal displays of Aztec artifacts and even giant Olmec stone heads.

Like all big cities, there is a range of accommodations from the luxurious, to the charming to the cheap. I would avoid the latter and find a place in the vicinity Paseo de Reforma, a graceful artery through the city that leads to many of the tourist sights.

Now, the reality is crime can be a big problem in Mexico City and you need to be smart and careful. You can’t flaunt your flashy, expensive jewelry or even your cheap imitation, expensive jewelry and you should avoid hailing a cab on the street. Your best bet is to have your hotel set you up with a licensed driver whom they are affiliated with and let them wait for you while you dine or sightsee. While there is a nasty criminal element, most of the people you’ll meet will be friendly and helpful.

In three days you’ll get a reasonable taste of the dramatic flavors that comprise Mexico City, so next time a long weekend presents itself, treat yourself to this unexpected adventure.

© Melt Magazine 2006