UNESCO

Hospicio Cabañas

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Originally designed to be a hospital, like Les Invalides in Paris, and named after the bishop, today the World Heritage Site in the historic heart of Guadalajara is a museum, with modern art outside and exceptional murals by Orozco inside. The central masterpiece on the ceiling of the rotunda is ‘The Man of Fire’, a modern version of the myth of Prometheus (in photo on right). I had seen Orozco’s earlier version in the Pomona dining hall in California, considered “the greatest painting in America” by Jackson Pollack. Orozco lost his left hand making fireworks at 21, and he was fascinated by the story of a man who risked his life and suffered to expand human knowledge and civilization, only to be punished by the Gods. He felt the myth was an allegory for artists, explorers and reformers who were punished by conservatives for their efforts to bring enlightened change to the people. Every alcove and wall tells a story of both progress and betrayal, of historic accomplishments and dark consequences.

Prometheus stole fire from the Gods, but today we struggle with the consequences of burning carbon. Fossil fuels helped us achieve great things, but there are always consequences. Struck by the inescapable conclusions of the art here, we see that conflict over ‘progress’ often results in suffering, especially among the poor. Murals require us to step back, to try to see the bigger picture. We can build hospitals, and we can also destroy whole cultures. We can choose sustainable fuels, or we can let powerful men perpetuate destructive fuels. We may believe ourselves invincible and deserving of the powers of the Gods, but our actions come with destructive consequences that we must try to see, understand and prevent. We must give up fossil fuels, or our world will burn.

Historic Centre of Morelia

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I arrived at this World Heritage Site on Sunday late morning, and with a minor miracle I found parking one block from the cathedral above. When I stepped inside a beautiful mezzo-soprano voice echoed through the high ceilings and alcoves. What a spectacular and moving service!

The city and state are named after José Morelos, born a block behind the cathedral (now a museum), a priest in the cathedral, who answered the cry for independence and supported multi-racial equality. Morelos also demonstrated remarkable skill as a military strategist, and after Hidalgo was executed in 1811, Morelos became the leader of Mexican Independence. After dozens of victories that roused the insurgents, Morelos was eventually captured in Puebla, tried by the Inquisition, defrocked and executed near the end of 1815. He is remembered as one of Mexico’s founding fathers.

Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo’s Home-Study Museum

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Full disclosure: the three houses here were being renovated the week I was in Mexico City, and it is only on the tentative UNESCO World Heritage Site list. Architect & artist Juan O’Gorman had the complex built for the famous couple while they were touring in the US in 1931-32, and their patrons the Kaufmanns, of Fallingwater, visited the couple here in the upscale San Ángel neighborhood in 1938. The big house and studio in the front was Diego’s, the blue one was Frida’s, and O’Gorman lived in the third house in back. There’s a bridge between Diego & Frida’s homes. This arrangement worked for about 5 years, but then they divorced.

To be clear, Frida’s blue house above is not La Casa Azul, The Blue House, where Frida was born and died. That more famous one is in the Coyoacán neighborhood less than an hour’s walk away. Frida hosted Leon Trotsky there, after helping him get asylum, although he was ultimately assassinated in his home nearby (now a museum). Diego & Frida remarried and lived in her original home until her death, keeping the complex above as Diego’s studio. Diego Rivera donated Frida’s Casa Azul as a museum, and it’s one of the most visited sites in the city. Tickets to her home and museum are essential to buy online well in advance, as they recently stopped offering in person ticket sales.

Luis Barragán House and Studio

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Luis Barragán was an architect from Guadalajara around 1930, after WWII he designed projects in Mexico City, and he produced many influential works through the 1970s. Primary colors, smooth walls, angular structures and exceptional lighting is how I would describe his style. When he purchased the land for his home and studio, it was on the outskirts of Mexico City, but now it’s central. The modern architecture tucked into a narrow upscale neighborhood south of Chapultepec park looks like some nouveau riche shoe-horned it in, instead of being the original that inspired so many followers.

OK, the photo is across the street from #14, and I couldn’t actually get a ticket to tour the inside. There are only a few tours a week, and they sell out online quickly. Even the bookstore wasn’t open when it was supposed to be. Oh well, technically I arrived at this architect’s home by electric vehicle, the Metro, which was cheap and convenient. If you are a visiting professor of architecture, you can probably arrange a tour of this World Heritage Site through your university. But there were a few disappointed common folk outside. Maybe architecture isn’t meant for the masses?

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro

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The Plaza Santo Domingo in the historic center of Mexico City is the southern terminus of ‘The Royal Road of the Interior Land’, a World Heritage Site. As you can see above, some vendors still use traditional market stands on this trade trail first developed by pre-Columbian empires. The whole trail was originally a native trading route for turquoise, obsidian and feathers, and after the Spanish conquest, it was used for military, religious expansion and for silver. From this plaza, the road runs north through San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato all the way through El Paso (‘the pass’) to Santa Fe (‘holy faith’). The US section—with the same Spanish name—is a national historic trail.

In the background is the Palace of the Inquisition, which arrived from Spain to punish the son of Hernán Cortés, Martín, who threatened independence in 1566. Public burnings of witches and heretics were common for ~250 years, until Mexican Independence ended the practice in 1820. The ‘palace’ now houses a UNAM medical museum, although there is a small gory museum of the inquisition a few blocks away. Mexico City is the largest and oldest city in North America, and it is well worth visiting to be able to walk in the footsteps of history.

Historic Center of Mexico City

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In the US, the Independence War means the same as the Revolutionary War, but in Mexico, they are two different wars. 100 years after Hidalgo cried out for Independence from Spain in 1810, the country was under the control of the dictator Porfirio Díaz, who ruled for 35 years over a growing gap between the elites and the masses. He commissioned the ostentatious building above to celebrate his rule, but it ended up celebrating the end of his rule after the Revolution of 1910-1920. Since the common people were uneducated, the new era of called for artists to paint huge public murals to tell the story of Mexico. The three great muralists were Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros and Jose Clemente Orozco. All three have murals on permanent exhibit on the oversized second floor inside. Siqueiros uses stunning, clear images to depict the drama of human suffering and bondage. Orozco contrasts vivid lives with cold modern weapons. And Diego Rivera presents his profound understanding of social struggle, using historic figures, ancient images and modern allegories, to awaken people.

The historic center includes far more than one museum, but to appreciate it, you need to understand what’s buried beneath the metropolitan cathedral, grand government buildings and the huge public square. Once there was a lake ringed by volcanoes, and the Aztecs built an empire around an island, using landfill and bridges to create a moated city. Thousands of captured warriors were sacrificed publicly and walls of skulls have been uncovered. From this easily defended base, rich with food grown on floating gardens such as at Xochimilco, over 200,000 lived here, with a sophisticated canal system and extensive trading network. When Hernán Cortés arrived here in 1519, it was one of the largest cities in the world. After building boats and bringing in cannon, the besieged city fell, and the Spanish drained the lake, tore down the temples to make a cathedral, and paved the ruins of the temples and markets to make the huge, empty square Zócalo public space, where over 100,000 now gather to hear the President speak from the balcony of the National Palace or to listen to pop music stars perform. Begin in the Zócalo and take the walking tour to learn about the excavated Aztec ruins and much more in this fascinating, important and historic city center.

UNAM

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University City, the main campus of UNAM, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, is a World Heritage Site, and it was founded in 1551, just four months after the oldest university in the Americas was founded in Peru. It is autonomous, meaning free to teach without government interference, although the PRI government did kill hundreds of students in 1968, during the Tlatelolco massacre. The faculty and alumni include all Mexican Nobel winners to date. The north face of the 10 story Central Library (above) is covered with Aztec mural mosaics by Juan O’Gorman, friend of Diego Rivera.

Xochimilco

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This is only half of a World Heritage Site, Mexico City, even though it’s on the outskirts. Frankly it’s status is controversial. To the extent that it preserves the long cultural history of floating gardens and canals, then it deserves global recognition. Unfortunately, it’s also known as a place to get drunk with friends over the weekend on one of the colorful boats above. And the city has encroached on the area, overbuilding, developing, squatting, polluting and diverting the water. So, it’s at risk. Really the damage was mostly due to the Spanish who drained the lake to build a new city over the old Aztec city, so this is one of the few places directly linked to the extensive ancient Aztec canoe and irrigation canals. A few parts are preserved, some are threatened and many are gone. Restoration is difficult and expensive, but worth it in my view.

Xochicalco

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If you were disappointed by not being able to climb the 3 pyramids at Teotihuacán, then you will love climbing around here. This massive temple complex on a hill south of Mexico City may have been built as a successor to the more famous site north, as it has similar art. It also suffered a similar fate, as it was burned around 900. When you work your way around to the top of the Great Pyramid above, there are various animal symbols, a large plaza with baths, and even an observatory. Before telescopes, measurements and observations were taken through a tube in the ceiling by recording where the light shone on different days of the year. Be sure to get a good look at the temple of the feathered serpents. The head priest had a residence above the great temple, and the views of the valley are magnificent! The whole drive from Puebla was enjoyable, as I skirted around past the smoking volcano Popocatépetl.

Puebla

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The city’s cathedral with its famed tall towers (above) is a primary reason UNESCO chose this city as a World Heritage Site. I spent a Sunday listening to bells, watching religious processions, and admiring many churches. But the whole historic district is marvelous! When Napoleon’s army tried to take the city in 1862, General Zaragoza defeated the French troops, earning recognition in the city’s official full name Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza. Of course, you already know about that victory, since we celebrate its anniversary on Cinco de Mayo.

While a pueblo is a town, Puebla refers to the Spanish settlers who founded the city between the port of Veracruz and Mexico City. The name comes from poblar (populate), so both people and peppers from Puebla are known as poblanos. Be sure to enjoy the poblano mole along with some local hard apple cider and other delicacies. The Ampara Museum is excellent, with a photo timeline showing civilization’s achievements by continent, beautiful artifacts, including a colorful Quetzal mural, rare and exquisite items from Teotihuacán, and a myriad collection illustrating the vibrant history of pre-colonial Mexico. There’s also a bullet-ridden house turned Museum of the Revolution after a 1910 dictatorial police raid. The zócalo, the green central square park next to the cathedral, is a perfect place to sit amidst the bustle and just soak up the atmosphere.