Here's some photos from my first trip with my digital camera, to Mexico, with my friends Randy and Steve. Randy and I used a frequent-flier mile sale to get roundtrip tickets to Veracruz, on the Gulf coast of Mexico, an area we otherwise probably would never have seen. Steve took a courier flight from New York and joined us in Mexico City and Oaxaca.

VERACRUZ

I'll remember Veracruz, our first and last destination, most for its stifling humidity. Even the local population always seemed to be uncomfortable. This probably is why it hasn't developed as much as one would think, but it was an interesting place nonetheless.

Our hotel while there, the Hotel Imperial, proclaims itself to be the oldest hotel in the Americas (1794). The cast iron elevator in the middle of the lobby even dates back nearly 100 years (and moves about as quickly). For a few extra pesos, we got a room with a balcony overlooking the Zócalo. Hardly typical of the remainder of the city, the whitewashed main square seems eternally alive, getting louder with roving vendors and mariachi bands much of the night. Some pictures of the Zócalo from our balcony: at night; the during the day, and Randy on the balcony.

MEXICO CITY

After a several-hour bus journey through the mountains, we arrived in Mexico City, the largest metropolis I have ever seen. The most impressive feature was its seeming endlessness of neighborhoods. Without any apparent downtown, low-rise buildings extended out miles and miles. New housing complexes feature hundreds of identical buildings, and all of this with the most efficient public transportation I've ever ridden (although there was a fatal accident on a light rail around 5 hours after we rode it).

The main touristic focus is the Zócalo, the largest of its kind in Mexico. On one side is the Catedral Metropolitana, built upon the ruins of the principal Aztec temple in the 16th century. On another side is the National Palace, seen here from the Cathedral's belltower, and from ground level, with a hunger strike out in front. Inside the palace is a series of murals by Diego Rivera, depicting Mexico's tumultous history. Here are four of the murals: 1 2 3 4.

The most interesting part of the Zócalo is the life within. From our balcony at the convenient Hotel Catedral, one could hear the music accompanying indigenous dances from the early morning to the late evening. People of all ages dressed up, danced, watched, and gave out free food.

One of our first voyages outside of the historic center was to the neighborhood of Xochimilco. Once an integral part of the Aztec agricultural system, it consists of a series of canals running among artificial islands. It is now a large recreational area, where gondoliers maneuver their brightly colored chalupa boats slowly around the maze of canals. Here are all three of us on the boat. With tourists, of course, come vendors, selling every kind of souvenir imaginable. Some boats even had a full-fledged mariachi band, drifting from tourist boat to tourist boat soliciting money for a song. The food there was wide and varied too, with some purchases much enjoyed and others much less so. Once back on land we explored the rest of the neighborhood, including some of its many churches.

Our next visit was to the pyramids of Teotihuacán, just outside of Mexico City. This ancient site, at its heyday more than a millennium ago, was believed to be the sixth-largest city in the world. The largest remaining structure is the Pyramid of the Sun ( 1 2 ), over 200 feet tall and of similar volume to some Egyptian pyramids. Here's Randy resting on the way up, and me near the top.

We then proceeded down the Avenue of the Dead to the Palace of the Quetzal Butterfly, which contained several remnants of artwork and stonework. Next it was off to the smaller but more rugged Pyramid of the Moon. After the climb up, the view from the top was incredible. The entire Avenue of the Dead was visible. Notice in this photo the parts of the pyraminds facing away from the Avenue, and how much restorative work was apparently done! Our last stop at the site was the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, a pyramid once enclosed within another pyramid, preserving much of the design, including many representations of the rain god Tlaloc.

Our last day in Mexico was spent at a few places, including the National Anthropology Museum, which, at 4 square kilometers, has to be one of the largest museums in the world. It contains an incredible array of artifacts, including the famous Aztec Sun Stone and other objects that caught my fascination, including this mural made entirely of beans and a skeleton cup. After the three amigos ate dinner, we went to the incredibly popular Foro Sol for a Mexican Baseball League game, where we weren't allowed to buy tickets, because we could only go in for free. We got our money's worth, as two innings in, the skies opened up, leaving us drenched and dazed.

OAXACA

Another several-hour busride (again stopped by the military) took us to the southern state and city of Oaxaca. We stayed at the quiet but centrally located Hotel Posada del Centro. Much of our time was spent exploring the ruins near town. One of the most famous is Monte Alban, the ancient Zapotec capital, which flourished until around 750 AD. There are remnants of many structures, including an astronomical observatory. More interesting was the town of Mitla, which contained Mixtec ruins of a locale that flourished after Monte Alban. Among the ruins is the palace, with intricately carved stonework that led many to believe it was inspired by the ancient Greeks. Of course, the vendors weren't far behind, and not far from the town's church, one can see many local artisans pushing their wares.

On the way to Mitla, we personally witnessed the world's widest tree, the 2000-year old Tule Tree, some 58 meters around. On the way back, we took a surprise detour down train tracks to bypass a truckers' strike. There's never a dull moment in Mexico.

Oaxaca itself was beautiful, especially the Church of Santo Domingo ( 1 2 3 4 ). The Zócalo, fronted by Oaxaca's cathedral, was very lively, with vendors, musicians, a dance festival, and of course, demonstrations. Here's Randy and Steve eating at a nearby restaurant. One night while walking around, we ran into a procession for the opening of an architects' conference. If only geographers were treated so well!

VERACRUZ(again)

Our last day was spent in Veracruz state, where we began. We had some more time to explore the town on the return, including its Naval School, and more of the zócalo, where this guy suddenly flew in.

With the weather so humid, we decided to head inland and upwards, and so took a daytrip to see the Waterfalls of Texolo. The trip was a long one with no less than five different vehicles transporting us, ending up with us walking through the tiny town of Xico. These falls appeared in Romancing the Stone and Clear and Present Danger, so I am told. Here are the falls from above and below. Here is an adjacent gorge. Here's Randy with the main falls, and me with one of the smaller streams.