México, D.F. Dia tres.

Today we did not have a fixed itinerary though we had agreed on a rough plan. We walk back to the zócalo to visit Templo Mayor. From there, go to the National Palace and then to Chapultepec Park where would spend more time at the National Museum of Anthropology.

We left our hotel after breakfast and headed out to Paseo de la Reforma.  I remember the route that we drove on yesterday with Rodolfo so it was just a matter of convincing my brother that I knew the way.  He has a horrible sense of direction so there was no way that I was going to follow him.  

It was morning rush hour, Reforma as the street is referred to here, was packed with cars.  Policemen were all about, directing traffic.  The traffic in Mexico City is very orderly but there are a lot of cars.  Reforma is definitely not a street where you can just dart across so we only crossed at the crosswalks, patiently waiting for signals to turn green.

Las ruinas y museo. Templo Mayor.

It was a given that we would see Templo Mayor on our visit to Mexico City. I had done so much pre-trip reading about it that I pretty much knew where it was located but just to be certain, I had double checked with Rudolfo yesterday. He confirmed that the site was just around the corner from the Cathedral so that's the direction that we headed in. Of course, the brother was skeptical but I've learned that he has a really bad sense of direction so I insisted he follow in my footsteps.

Las ruinas. Teotihuacán.

Standing on the top of the Pyramid of the Sun, Pyramid of the Moon in the background.

I remember when I first saw the Great Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. We were driving through a suburban neighborhood of Giza and while passing through an area occupied by commercial establishments, we could see the peaks of the pyramids above the stores.

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe ("Virgen de Guadalupe") is a dominant religious figure for Catholics in Mexico.  She is the Virgin Mary.  Images of Guadelupe can be seen everywhere - in homes and commercial establishments, in cities and towns large and small.






















So, it was not surprising that our city tour of Mexico City would include a visit to the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Basilica of Our Lady of Guadelupe) which is actually a complex that is comprised of a Roman Catholic church, a minor basilica and the National Shrine of Mexico.