We got up early to enjoy a day out of the house. We decided to head to the Zocalo. The Zocalo is the center of Mexico City. It is 200 meters squared (656 square feet) which makes it the second biggest gathering plaza in the world. Red Square in Russia is bigger, stupid commies. The center at first glance might seem bleak. There is nothing but a large flagpole in the middle of this cement square. The name Zocalo means base, as in the base of a monument or sign. Originally there were plans to build a monument on the large cement block. Those plans never finish but the Zocalo name stuck.
Today, however, people were decorating the Zocalo for the Day of the Dead celebration. The cabbie took us as close to the Zocalo as he could and we walked about three blocks of closed off road seeing artist put the finishing touches on their displays. Colorful creatures were all over the road. In the Zocalo itself, it looked like an enormous haunted house was being built.
Its simplicity is offset, by the ornate building that surround it. To the north is the Metropolitan Cathedral. Originally the Spanish built a small church on this site using stones from Aztecs Temples. By 1528 that small church was replaced with the large Cathedral that stands today.
Buried under the streets of this area were the ruins of Temple Mayor, and those ruins stay there until 1976. The pre-Hispanic place of worship was then found accidentally as they were working on the city’s subway. The first temple was built in 1390. As different Mesoamerican kings ruled this area they added to the temple. In many cases that would simply build around the existing temple, cause the ruins to appear to have layers, each show how architecture style and technology changed over the hundred twenty six years of Temple Mayor existence.
Today, however, people were decorating the Zocalo for the Day of the Dead celebration. The cabbie took us as close to the Zocalo as he could and we walked about three blocks of closed off road seeing artist put the finishing touches on their displays. Colorful creatures were all over the road. In the Zocalo itself, it looked like an enormous haunted house was being built.
Its simplicity is offset, by the ornate building that surround it. To the north is the Metropolitan Cathedral. Originally the Spanish built a small church on this site using stones from Aztecs Temples. By 1528 that small church was replaced with the large Cathedral that stands today.
Buried under the streets of this area were the ruins of Temple Mayor, and those ruins stay there until 1976. The pre-Hispanic place of worship was then found accidentally as they were working on the city’s subway. The first temple was built in 1390. As different Mesoamerican kings ruled this area they added to the temple. In many cases that would simply build around the existing temple, cause the ruins to appear to have layers, each show how architecture style and technology changed over the hundred twenty six years of Temple Mayor existence.
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