Tula, Taxco 'n Trotsky

Inglesia de Santa Prisca


Hello avid blog readers (well, hey mum!) ;)

The following is a compression of the last 5 days or so.
Ive got some sort of nasty cold and am producing a healthy variety of phlegem (in terms of both colour and texture) Ive had three fairly good days of sight-seing interspersed with 2 days resting in bed / watching Mexican TV. I don't know how to seek medical treatment here so I guess Im just waiting to get better of my own accord.


smog on the way out of the city

Coyoacan in the southern outreaches of Mexico City was definately worth the visit. A bright and cheerfull little suburb that has for a long time attrcated an alternative crowd of residents. The one and two story colonial houses dating from the 1800's are painted in luscious shades of lemon, tomato, flamingo pink and electric blue. There are several parks which offer dappled light and boast some impressive sculptured fountains. If you had lived here 80 years ago you would have been sharing the neighbourhood with Frida Khalo, Diego Rivera and Leon Trotsky amoung other residents. Today it appears to still be a slightly alternative but increasingly 'yuppie' area with special interest bookstores and a Buddhist Meditation and Yoga Centre - with the real estate and cafe prices to match.


Coyoacan


Zee dogs

I visited the house of socialist intellectual Leon Trotsky, who fled Stalinist Russia to finally end up living in Mexico with his wife; where he would pass the remainder of his life amoungst the support of the intellectual and artistic community in Coyoacan. Unfortunately, the Guard house and complex security systems he had installed at his house were not able to protect him from an assailent who put an ice-pick through his head in 1940. I don't know much about Trotsky and his life (and the Spanish information plaques werent that useful) but it was certinaly interesting to wander around the house of one of the leaders of the Russian Revolution. Everything had been left in place more or less how it would have been. It was interesting to look through his book shelf to see his copies of Karl Marx and some editions of his own books on Stalin and other historic figures. Unfortunately the Frida Kahlo Museum House was closing as I got there. Im not the biggest fan of her art but she was certainly an interesting figure and it would have been nice to take a look around.



Another trip out into the Central Mexican plateau lead me to the silver mining town of Taxco (Pronounced Tass-co] Its an amazing old colonial town where thousands of white houses cling to the side of a very step hill. A labrynth of cobbestone streets leads up the hill between the houses - I made for the large statue of Christ perched on top of the hill overlooking the town to get a better perspective on things. The town is a huge tourist trap though; and for good reason; there is something like 500 shops here selling almost anything you can imagine that could be made out of silver. People come form all over Mexico to buy silver jewellery here at fairly low prices, but for the high quality stuff you have to lay down a few more pesos (Still brilliant value though compared tot he rubbishy massed produced jewellery in Australia.) I met a nice relaxed aussie couple and we ended up having lunch in a slightly dodgy restuarant with a great view overlooking the town.






















Detail from Iglesia de Santa Prisca - Taxco


Taxco - late afternoon


A not so viscious dog


Looking down with Jesus

Walking alone through the upper parts of the town at dusk was a bit sketchy though; there were some rather vicious looking dogs which caused me to take a few longer routes through the labyrnth, as well as some entreaupenerial (spelling?) kids trying to charge "Don Gringo" a few pesos to walk through their street without coming to trouble. I was a bit warey when a local pointed me towards a dirt path leading into the woods when asked for directions to the Christ, but hey, i have travel insurance right so of I went into the shady woods. Turns out it was a great short cut to the Christ. You've got to be slightly paranoid for your own safety, but also not completely distrusting of people either otherwise you wont have much fun. Still, people do get robbed in the woods so gotta be carefull.


Hey-zues

Yesterday I went on a trip north to see the Toltec ruins at Tula. I was accompanied by Ben, my new Canadian friend. (Hey Ben!) We are thinking of traveling togther for a while because we both want to head in roughly the same direction and see some Maya ruins. Not much to say about the sight, it was really amazing but we couldnt help but wonder how much it had been "re-constructed". Photos are better to get a sense of the site.


The four warriors



sentinal


Ben - tuning in


hiding out in the cactus patch

take care y'all

;)