The Venice Of Mexico City

Pretty sure I’ve seen this Venice/canal reference to Xochimilco, at least the part of Xochimilco that is a system of canals with whimsical boats where mariachis and food vendors float up to you to sell their services. It’s magical. There’s a nod to the pre-Spanish Conquest past in that it’s a taste of what the dry valley of Mexico City was once like before the lake bed was drained, but all told, it’s actually really fun and pleasant to be pushed around for an afternoon:

Oh, and the beers are ENORMOUS (that’s a “michelada,” with tomato juice/clamato juice and a spicy rim):

We also stopped to see axolotls . . .

. . . and visited the wonderful and frightening world of La Isla de las Muñecas, which actually has a story behind it:

The Markets

Mexico City has over 300 public markets and from what I can tell La Merced is the biggest and most insane one of all. I’ve never seen so many nopales in one place (50 pesos for that big bag is about $2.50):

Or shoes:

Or chiles:

Or mole:

Or banana leaves:

Or limes:

Or potatoes:

Or really anything you can think of. Chicken intestine, for one:

Really interesting spot.

Meanwhile, nearby Sonora Market is the place to go for live animals and occult/herbal/religious items:

Excavated

It is astonishing how much stuff has been excavated from the Templo Mayor site:

The museum itself is impressive, too, with a big central atrium highlighting artifacts and panoramic views of the site:

We had lunch at nearby El Taquito, an institution, which was great:

El Taquito is located on Calle del Carmen, one of several streets in the Centro Histórico that pull triple duty as pedestrian mall, market and vehicular thoroughfare — chaotic and amazing at the same time: