Travelogue from Mexico: Lene’s holiday memories

In 2015, Lene visited Mexico, where she experienced “the Day of the Dead” and many other fascinating sights and attractions. Read on below:

My first time in Mexico City was at Halloween, and already after my first brief walk around the hotel, I had the impression that Mexicans really went all-in with these kind of events. They were really going for it in the streets, which were packed with skeletons and ghosts – there were actually very few apart from me who were not painted and in costume – and a variety of street entertainment was attracting large crowds of people. As I travelled further around Mexico I observed that this is a people who like to gather outside on streets and in squares, even when there is no special occasion for doing so.

Mexico has an exciting history, with some major civilizations that have left behind an impressive body of architecture, and I visited three of the biggest archaeological sights on the tour. Outside of Mexico City is Teotihuacan, which was built by the Aztecs around 2000 years ago. Whether you are interested in history or not, you cannot help but be fascinated by the enormous pyramids that are found here. The Pyramid of the Sun is the largest in Mesoamerica, and after having climbed up the many, many steps to the top of the 65-meter-high pyramid, I was rewarded with the fantastic view of the other ruins and of the volcanoes in the area.

Further south in Mexico are the ruins left by the Mayans. The first of these which I visited was Palenque, whose location in the jungle makes visiting very special, as the setting, with the ruins in the luxurious, hilly surroundings, is fantastically beautiful. Our last visit was to Chichen Itza and was very interesting. You really gain an insight here into the complete, well-developed knowledge of the Mayans when it comes to both architecture and astronomy. It is nothing less than impressive to see how the buildings are constructed and designed precisely in relation to the placement and height of the sun at different times of the day and year respectively, which therefore create shadows that prove that nothing is random.

Every Central American town of a certain size has a “Zocalo” – a centre with a homely square, often in front of the town’s cathedral. It is a really cozy destination for an evening walk when you have the opportunity to experience the locals on what for them is a completely ordinary night. Here people stroll around and enjoy the warm evenings, while the children play on the wide footpaths and the older people sit on the benches and gossip side by side with kissing couples. Corn cobs, fajitas and other specialties are sold from movable market stands and street kitchens. San Cristóbal and Merida are two towns featured on this tour with very cozy central squares, which I definitely think are worth stopping to see.

San Cristóbal is located high up in the beautiful, mountainous region of the Chiapas province. It is a really pleasant town with beautiful colonial architecture, and I enjoyed the time I spent here. Most people in the Chiapas province make up Mexico’s Indian population and this can be seen clearly. Many dress in traditional clothing and the markets are filled with their colorful handicrafts such as hammocks, woven blankets, bags, purses, pottery, wooden figures and much more. Here it is an art to be able to limit oneself, so you do not return home with access baggage, because there are so many beautiful things.

“You are born to work – we Mexicans are born to party”. This is what the guide said to me on one of my first days in Mexico. And with over 2000 annual celebrations of a smaller or larger nature, both national and local, there is something in it. I was fortunate to attend one of the largest of these, which is celebrated across the whole country. Dia de los Muertos – directly translated as “Day of the Dead” – is an annually recurring event in Mexico. On 2 November, the Mexicans celebrate their deceased relatives, who on this day return from the grave to visit them and are welcomed with a celebratory dinner, flowers, and music.  It is celebrated both in homes and cemeteries.

I was on an excursion from San Cristóbal that day and visited, among other places, the Indian community San Juan Chamula, where our route took us past the cemetery, and it really was a beautiful sight. The gravestones were beautifully decorated with flowers, and relatives were sitting there eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves, while musicians wandered from gravestone to gravestone playing the favorite numbers of the deceased. A touching but also curious experience, because it was clearly an occasion for a party with fair amounts of alcohol consumed, so spirits were fairly high – not what one would normally associate with a visit to a cemetery. One thing I can also say about Mexicans is that they don’t know how to party discreetly – they really go for it and they do it loud 🙂

In addition to all the scheduled experiences on this tour, you also get a lot out of the travel from place to place. Here I would highlight in particular the tour from San Cristóbal de las Casa to Palenque. The natural scenery was as beautiful as a fairy tale, with low-hanging clouds between the luxuriously green mountains. And there on the mountain sides and along the meandering roads, people live a primitive life in small, simple huts. Here you see another side of Mexico. Women with the smallest children bundled up on their backs, while they sweep, do the laundry or prepare food in front of the hut. Dirty yet charming little bare-footed children, who scurry about between free roaming chickens and other farm animals. And men in the fields or on overfilled scooters driving at full speed through the streets.

The perfect end to round off all these experiences is on the Riviera Maya, or more specifically in Playa del Carmen on the Caribbean coast. Here is all about relaxation and pampering with all that the heart desires. There is a beautiful beach with gorgeous sea, plenty of shopping opportunities and various types of wellness activities, as well as restaurants, cafes and bars to suit all tastes. This is the exotic Mexico for those who enjoy life – and enjoy it, I did 🙂

TourCompass – From tourist to traveller