Fiesta Americana Reforma Ciudad de Mexico

ChicagoGuy's new Mexico City Page

by ChicagoGuy

Around the Zocalo we saw Aztec dancers and found a wonderful restaurant called “La Casa de Las Sirenas”. I had a poblano pepper stuffed with cheese and topped with a cream sauce and chopped nuts. They will make a dish for vegetarians on request. The Museo del Templo Mayor and the Templo Mayor are wonderful. The temple is not as impressive as the ones at Teotihuacan. The site is in pieces, but the museum has some wonderful artifacts that have been recovered. There is the Terrace restaurant at the Majestic hotel that has a perfect view of the Zocalo (plaza). The food is good, but not captivating. The Metropolitan Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana) has an Old World feel. I saw people so devoted to their faith that they kissed the floor of the church.

At the National Museum of Anthropology (Museo Nacional de Antropologia) I saw some of the finest pre-Columbian art I have ever seen. The lay out is well done. This place is a must see! The art, with its geometric lines, looks modern even though some of it is over 3,000 years old. It is inside the park of the grasshopper. This is a great place to see Mexico. There are many families, students, and lovers walking through the park. Food and toys are sold everywhere. It is like a festival.

I stayed at the Fiesta Americana Reforma. It is a fine hotel. Some of the services I had read about in the guidebook were not offered. The Nightclub is gone, I could not find a Jacuzzi, and the steam room was closed at 3:00pm. Do not get me wrong this is a wonderful hotel. I just want to point out DO NOT EVER TRUST WHAT GUIDEBOOKS SAY 100%! The location was good, because it was in-between the Zocalo and the grasshopper park. American Airlines offers deals at Fiesta Americana and Fiesta Inn.
We took an American Express tour of Teotihuacan and The Basilica of the Lady of Guadeloupe (La Villa de Guadeloupe) for less then $30 USD. Along the way we tried pulque. This is a native Mexican drink and it is wonderful. It is made from cactus and is low in alcohol but high in taste.

Teotihuacan is one of the wonders of the world. The city was long dead when the Aztecs found it. The pyramids are large and beautiful. The Pyramid of the Sun is a little larger then that of the Moon. People in good health should only climb them. The tops are dangerous because there are no longer any steps, just a mound of rocks. You get a great view of the surrounding area from the top. The ruins are impressively clean compared to others in the world. Often some tourists leave trash and mark up the places they visit. Those people are evil and will rot in HELL! I was glad to see that was not the case at Teotihuacan. Mexico takes good care of its monuments. It is a pretty site surrounded by large cactus and has many people selling arts and crafts.

The Basilica of the Lady of Guadeloupe (La Villa de Guadeloupe) is modern and old. There are two Basilicas. The original is going to be a museum. I saw the outside and it is sinking into the ground. The new church is very large. It houses a portrait of the lady. People want to get close to it so there is a moving sidewalk to take you past it. I was there on a feast day. I saw people moving towards the church in a procession. Some of the people were on horses. The men and women had on traditional Mexican clothing. The dedication of the Mexican Catholics is moving. I saw women walking on their knees into the church.