Templo Mayor and a final drink at Centenário 107

We've arranged for Señor Cristobal to take us downtown to the Templo Mayor - the fairly recent excavation of an Azctec temple which was discovered less than 30 years ago. It has an outside, in part still on-going part, and a beautifully arranged museum behind it. In order to get to there we have to cross the Zócalo, the huge square in front of the Palácio Nacional. Once again a political rally being prepared and we have to make our way past the barricades, observing the growing crowds getting yellow and white banners, caps and t-shirts for which they stand in long twirling lines.

It's a pleasure to see the organization of the museum, which takes you slowly through their preciosities, such as a 'box offering'

and a statue of an eagle

both found beneath the streets of the city.
When we get out on a side street we have fun looking through some army surplus stores, but when we turn the corner to the main square the crowd has grown so much it's hard to move and it's full of police in full riot gear. We step into the Sagrario, a beautiful old church next to the catedral, which leans like the Tower of Pisa, since the foundations are slowly sinking into the ground,

but we're anxious to get away from the crowd and move across to the Francisco I. Madero street which will take us up to the Museu de las Bellas Artes. There's a lot of noise, people are excited, end they h are swinging banners and chanting slogans. We finally reach the Bellas Artes with huge Botero sculptures dotted in front and enter the building, which is an art-deco gem. The collections turn out to be closed, but we can see the huge (highly political) murals by Diego Rivera, Siqueiros, Tamayo, and others. Unfortunately, we're not allowed to take any photos. When we get out, the traffic is practically stopped and we find a subway stop and get back to calm Coyoacán, reasonably fast, if on a hot and airless ride. We must have gotten out on the wrong side, because suddenly we're quite lost, have no idea where our street is, and end up taking a cab home - where we immediately take off our shoes and sit on the bed. Ahhhhh. When we feel more rested and cooler, we walk over to Centenário 107

where we have nibbles and Mojitos - not feeling up for a full lunch. Then we walk home to Chalêt de Carmen on Vicente Guerrero to pack. The car will pick us up at 9am tomorrow and drop us at the airport.

We know we'll have to come back again. We've seen a lot, but still only a mere fraction of what there is. Hasta la vista!
Here are the last pictures: