Plaza de San Jacinto and Market Shopping

Ariana and I have been going to this market in the San Angel area on Saturdays to shop for fruit and vegetables. It's close enough to walk to. The first time I went I was overwhelmed by how different it was. They sell everything: flowers, fruit and vegetables, meat, household products, spices, pinatas, clothing, candles...just so much stuff. Plus you can order food and eat there too. The last time we went I took my camera and snagged a few shots. Since you are wheeling and dealing, so to speak, I didn't keep it out long because I didn't want us to get overcharged for things.

This is the outside of the market

It is covered in a mosaic. I plan on going back to this place a few times so I will get a better shot of the front. I'm starting to overcome my paranoia about my camera and will take more photos. I mean, that is my main goal while I'm here so I better start doing it. I'm silly, I know. Sometimes I wish I had a smaller camera though. It can be a pain lugging around my SLR and at least one Polaroid camera.

Fruit stand

Close up of some fruit

Some tomatillos

We will be making a salsa verde in the near future. Ariana is an awesome cook and we have been lucky to experience her wonderful cooking. She has made two salsas already. I will write a blog about her salsa making and will have step by step photos and instructions, oh yeah!

This was a man, Antonio, who asked if I wanted to take a photo of him.

Umm...sure, why not

This would be our bounty, combined, that we purchased

Jalapenos (three different kinds), Tomatoes, Cantaloupe, baby Bananas, Green Onions, Tunas (Prickly Pears), Mangos, Avocados, Apples, Napoles (Cactus) and Jicama

Very close by this market is the Plaza de San Jacinto which is San Angel's main square.

On Saturdays, this place is a great spot to shop for crafts either outdoors or in the Bazar del Sabado. I plan on returning here to buy some gifts when I have more money to spend.

Crafts for sale on the side of the street

Just off the square is the Iglesia de San Jacinto

Inside the church

There was a couple renewing their wedding vows

Back out on the street, there was a man playing the accordian with his daughter asking for tips

We roamed the streets for a little while admiring the beautiful houses and the neighborhood in general. There are so many colors and textures eveywhere you look. It is very inspiring to be here. I have already started collecting photos of windows, doors, close ups of faded paint or bricks, street art, anything that just catches my eye. When I have a good amount gathered I'll post some blogs of what I have captured. For now, I'll end this post with this image I shot of a doorway. I'll be uploading photos occasionally on Facebook too.

Next blog: Avenida Francisco Sosa and Jardin Centenario

Bosque de Chapultepec: Part I

Hola amigos! The adventures continue...

So I have to write about Bosque de Chapultepec (Chapultepec Forest) in parts because it is a huge park and we didn't go to all the areas you can visit. It will probably take at least two more trips to see everything. It is the largest city park in Latin America measuring about 270 in total acres. There are three lakes, a zoo, several fountains, many museums including the Museo Nacional de Antropologia, a couple of monuments and a castle. The name Chapultepec means "at the grasshopper hill."

On our first trip we saw the Monumento a los Ninos Heroes and the Castillo de Chapultepec. We also visited the Museo de Arte Moderno but didn't see much of it because by that point Miss Olivia had reached her limit. I tried to squeeze too much in one day and quickly learned my lesson in doing so.

The Monumento a los Ninos Heroes

This monument honors the six army cadets "boy heros" who died defending the castle in 1847 against U.S. troops.

Justin and Olivia

Polaroid of Monumento a los Ninos Heroes

We went on a Sunday and it was crazy busy. I think Sunday is the most popular day to go to the park.
We weaved our way towards the castle. On Sundays it is free. My guidebook failed to mention that it's free for national residents only so I had to pay $51 pesos boo. Students and children were free too. The castle is located on top of a hill. Olivia tuckered out pretty quickly, really even before then. Justin and I took turns carrying her, fun.

First entering the castle grounds

Here's a fancy chandelier entering the castle

A mural by Juan O'Gorman (I think)

Another mural on the ceiling by Angel Flores, "Boy Fallen"

A really neat clock

Crucifix

Nice marble work

Close up

Casta paintings that show racial mixing

The Independence alterpiece by Juan O'Gorman

Mural by Juan O'Gorman



Mural by Juan O' Gorman on the other side of the same room

Close up

One of the gardens outside

View of the park and Lake Chapultepec

More of the garden with castle in background

Famous view from the castle of Monumento a los Ninos Heroes and Reforma

Polaroid

Justin with reflection of checkered floor in glasses

Nice little fountain

Like I said earlier, we did make it to the Museo de Arte Moderno but didn't stay long and didn't see hardly any of it. I can always go back. Here's a photo of me and Olivia. It's free on Sunday to everyone.



Next blog: Going to the market and Plaza San Jacinto

UNAM

As I said in an earlier post, we live in the area of the city called Coyoacan. There are lots of trees and parks. It's definitely more green then where the hotel was located and quieter! The Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) is very close by where we live. You can walk there. This makes Justin and Ariana, especially Ariana, very happy. They do research here. Olivia and I went with them one day to see what the campus was like. It is huge. We only went to the Biblioteca where they have that really cool mosaic on it. Didn't take a whole lot of photos. I had to entertain Olivia for about an hour while Justin went inside the library to look some stuff up. We made a "fire" with some sticks in one area. Then we walked over to another woody area and made a pirate and a ship and houses and then we destoyed them all. It was fun playing in the dirt.

Justin walking towards us in blue shirt

Olivia wearing her cool Dora hat that our friend Elizabeth gave her

Polaroid of UNAM

This was shot with the TZ Artistic film which has a more faded look to it. I use my SX-70 camera with this certain film.

Close up of one of the sides of the biblioteca

On another note, Olivia was being sneaky one evening and ended up taking a photo with one of my Polaroids. It was the SX-70. I had it sitting with my other cameras already opened. When it's closed, it lays flat. It now remains stored flat which isn't as cool looking but it also isn't a temptation. I was mad b/c she wasted one of my Polaroids and she got into trouble but, it's also something to talk about and it is interesting.

Olivia's Polaroid

Next Blog: Bosque de Chapultepec Part I

Templo Mayor

At this point, we were still staying at the hotel. During the day, Justin would go off to an archive and do research all day which left Olivia and I by ourselves. Being in a small hotel room with a three year old all day is not fun. There was cable TV, so I ended up watching a lot of cartoons in spanish and found a couple of movie channels that were in english w/ spanish subtitles. One can only tolerate that for so long. So, since we were pretty close to the Zocalo area we went on a jaunt to the Templo Mayor.  It was nice to get out and go on an adventure.

First, we went to this church in the Plaza de Santa Domingo. This was Olivia's idea. It was a smaller church and a good idea.

Next, we tried going to the Secretaria de Educacion Publica but when I saw an entrance and tried to go inside a man stopped me and started saying something in spanish. I didn't know what he was saying. Either he was telling me that I had to go in at another location or that something was going on and it was closed to the public. I will never know but decided to not try to find another entrance and just go another day. At this point, I'm having to carry Olivia. She isn't a huge fan of walking. The reason why I wanted to go to the Secretaria place was because they have some amazing murals inside by Rivera and one by Siqueiros. I have this guidebook that helps me plan out what places to go to and this was in there. I will go there before I leave.

Onward to the Templo Mayor. It took me a little while to figure out where the entrance was but I found it. It was $51 pesos to get in and Olivia was free. A very cool place indeed and not bad for taking a child. We strolled through the outside part first.

Writhing Serpent

Some cacti

View of the Catedral Metropolitana

Close up of some tile

A snake head

A drainage channel

Another view of Catedral Metropolitana

People working on the Wall of Skulls

Olivia

A Polaroid of Templo Mayor

Inside of the museum:

A replica of the Wall of Skulls

Some other cool stuff in the museum:

Olivia actually behaved pretty well here even in the museum. She didn't have one meltdown yea! Afterwards, we met Ariana at a Starbucks nearby and I had a Coffee Frappuccino and it was amazingly delicious. I got Olivia a blueberry muffin. We were all happy.

Next blog: UNAM