Mexico City

I'll be in Mexico City (MC) on Dec 27 for one overnight before flying to Cuba. On my way back, I'll again be in MC on Jan 10, arriving at 2:30PM for an overnight before flying to DFW on Jan 11.

Loving this thread, fbaezer! thank you.

One hour or two on the ground is too little.
As you well recall, nothing near the airport is worthwhile.

This was Juárez Avenue in 1910.
You may notice two things. That "The Horsey" was situated in a circle at the street, and that a big building is being constructed in the horizon.
That building was to be the Legislative Palace. The house of Congress. It was never finished.



Today, a fountain lies where "The Horsey" was, and you can still see the central structure of the Legislative Palace that never was.
That's the Monument to the Revolution.

Two more images of the Monumento a la Revolución:
Day:



And night:



On the pillars of the monument lie the remains of revolutionary leaders Francisco Madero, Pancho Villa, Venustiano Carranza, Plutarco Elías Calles and Lázaro Cárdenas.

It doesn't really matter that the big winner of the Revolution, Alvaro Obregón is not there, or that Villa and Carranza fought each other fiercely, or that Cárdenas exiled Calles.

Emperor Maximilian decided to make the Castle of Chapultepec his home. So he ordered a promenade to be made between the city and the castle. It was called Paseo de la Emperatriz (Promenade of the Empress).
As we know, the Mexican Empire didn't last much. The LIberals defeated the Conservatives and the French, and the Reform Laws that angered the Conservatives so much -enough to ask for a foreign intervening power- stood more powerful than ever.
The Promenade of the Empress became The Promenade of Reform. Paseo de la Reforma, now Mexico City's most important avenue.

This is how it looked at the beginning (it's the road going to the upper left side of the image):



In 1904



In the mid 60s



In 2010:

There are several circles in Paseo de la Reforma. All but one have a monument:

Monument to Columbus, XIX Century:



Monument to Cuauhtémoc, the Aztec's last emperor, XIX Century:



The Palm (and the Mexican Stock Exchange building)



The Angel of Independence, 1910, Mexico City's official landmark:



And Diana Cazadora, XX Century (The Huntress of the Northern Star is it's real name):

By the way, the model for Diana lives on my street, a few houses away from mine.
The second photo is from about 5-8 years ago. She's very old now.

I remember that story, fb.

I love those last two monuments.

Some highlights of Reforma.

Hotel Imperial (formerly Hotel Francis):



The Senate:



The benches of the Promenade:







And, of course, Torre Mayor, the tallest building in Mexico and Latin America:



Perhaps you'll notice a smallish 5 storey pinkinsh building in the shadow of a medium sized building right behind Torre Mayor. I lived there from 1989 to 2005.

Several big skyscrapers are under construction in Reforma right now.
Here is an idealized view of the Reforma skyline in the near future (taking into account only the existing buildings and the ones under construction):

Now it's time to see what lies North of Paseo de la Reforma.

Colonia Juárez. It was the place for the rich to live in the late XIX Century- early XX Century



There are some big houses left, hardly any of them is used as living quarters:

The Wax Museum:



Corporate offices:



For sale or rent:



As we walk by, this mansions mingle with small buildings, such as the one I'm it at the moment. Our newspaper's offices. Less than 3 blocks away from the buildings on the pictures.

Did you live through the building of that? I bet you did.

Part of Colonia Juarez is known as the "Zona Rosa", the Pink Zone.

It was a place of gathering for intellectuals from the 50s to the 70s. Now it's more a gay district - night life kind of neighborhood.

You bet I did!

What I remember is the jacaranda trees.
Or was it the bar..

We first stayed in a hotel over the bar, Las Jacarandas..

Jacarandas in Mexico City?

We have plenty, but they flower only in February-March:

I think I was first there one February.

I suppose people complain about the blossoms on the cars, just like in Los Angeles.