Mexico City

Perhaps some different Siqueiros look very much alike.

Doing the opposite as what we did in the previous zones of Mexico City, we'll end our visit to Azcapotzalco by going to the center, to the original city: "Villa Azcapotzalco".

The most important monument there is the Parrish and Convent of the Saint Apostles, founded in 1565:

What does that mean?

I've had not see those Rivera paintings before.

I think you read me as having views you don't like.
I don't even know what views I have.
I will admit I'm talkative.

This is the Hidalgo Garden, at Villa Azcapotzalco:



The old pumping house, (now historical archive of Azcapotzalco) with its strange murals:





The falling Chapel of the Three Kings:



... and the O'Gorman mural on the history of Azcapotzalco, in the public library :

It's simply that I think Siqueiros is somewhat repetitive in his approach to different themes.
To my untrained eye, the La Raza murals look a lot like the ones he made at Polyforum Siqueiros, which we'll visit later.
Please don't get angry.

I'm not angry, more afraid you'd be angry at me, that I am so stupid, which is true at least some of the time. I like the Siqueiros paintings mostly for the movement in them, not unlike the fellow called Uccello.

No you are not stupid but rather being intellectual honest and also way to hard on yourself.

O'Gorman chapel, that's interesting.

I totally agree with reasoning logic. You're way too hard on yourself.

I'm usually not hard on myself in posts, but I am as a generalization I don't go on about.

However, I'm fairly perky on stuff I'm looking at.

Keep going, FBaez, I'm sure I'll find something to pester you about.

I hope you all are having happy holidays.

Let's continue our tour. We move now to Delegación Gustavo A. Madero, the northern tip of the map (see page 15).

It's a big populated county, mostly working class. It haas one million inhabitants, and few touristy things, but with one of Mexico City's main features (specially if you're a devout Catholic).
It may also be particularly interesting if you're a mormon.

The site of cult for Catholics is, of course, the Shrine of Guadalupe:

The original one was built over the place where Virgin Mary presented herself to Juan Diego and made the Miracle of the Roses (made him pick some roses which he kept on his garments, and, when he was to show the roses to bishop Zumárraga, the famous image miraculously appeared imprinted on them)... funny thing is that the bishop never wrote about it.



When the original shrine proved insufficient for the cult, a new one was built:



This is how it looks from above:



This is how it looks inside:





And this is how it looks if you're a pilgrim:

Wonderful art!

I prefer the desert and the lolitas myself.

Mexicans often call the Shrine of Guadalupe (Basílica de Guadalupe) simply as "La Villa" (The Village). The village of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was built around the shrine.

It was there that the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was signed. he treaty called for the United States to pay $15 million to Mexico and pay off the claims of American citizens against Mexico up to $3.25 million. It gave the United States the Rio Grande boundary for Texas, and gave the U.S. ownership of California, and a large area comprising New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Wyoming and Colorado.

The pilgrims walk to the shrine by Calzada de los Misterios (Mystery Road). It doesn' t look mysterious at all now:

Gustavo A. Madero (popularly known as GAM) has many poor settlements. The most important one is Cuautepec:





A big middle class neighborhood in GAM is Colonia Lindavista.
This house was the property of Roberto Cantoral, a composer. He dedicated his home to his mega hit "El Reloj". I'd classify this as Mexican curious:



"Clock, stop time in your hands, make this night perpetual, so she never leaves to never come back, make it to never dawn", says the song.

On the Northern tip of GAM, marking the limits of the city, we find the Acueduct of Guadalupe, built in the colonial era:





... and the corresponding Colonia Acueducto de Guadalupe:

I was there at the earlier shrine one year when I was towards the end of my big slide away from religion... my two friends went in and I didn't, standing outside with angry quiet tears.
Well, that was a long time ago, I'm not so angry now.

I didn't know about the recent shrine. Um, prefer the first, however much I had trouble with it that day.

(probably too much information, but I have trouble being quiet. Still strongly enjoying your tour.)

On the treaty: rolls eyes.

That's quite a garage..

GAM doesn't look too bad from afar, but is that mountain/hill subject to slides? (I'm from hillside slide city, you know)

Actually I also know only the earlier shrine.
It would never cross my mind to go visit. But I don't practice any religion.
My granma, first thing she did after she arrived to Mexico was go visit Guadalupe.