Frida, Trotsky and Coyoacan

Zocalo

Maguey

Tortillas

Xinantecatl

Today we took Justin to the Xinantecatl or Nevado de Toluca. I've been there several times but I always enjoy going. This volcano is renown for a few reasons. First, on clear days, Toluca enjoys a nice view of the volcano. It used to be snowed for most of the winter (hence the name) but nowadays it's only snowed during late winter. The second reason it's know is for two lakes inside the caldera. The larger one is called Lake of the Sun and the smaller is called Lake of the Moon. The third reason this volcano is interesting is because it's the only volcano in the world where you can actually drive into the crater.

Anyway, on clear days such as this one, you are able to see the Popocatepetl and Ixtazihuatl on the other side of Mexico City. I took this picture from one of the smaller peaks. It is also said that if you are at the tallest peak, you can see the Pacific Ocean. I've been up twice, but never on a clear enough day to see if that is actually possible. Maybe I should just do the math.


Well, I climbed one of the smaller peaks as Ili, Roberto and Justin went down to the lakes. I eventually caught up with them and we walked around the lakes. The Lake of the Moon was nearly all frozen over. Roberto and I enjoyed breaking chunks of ice and throwing rocks through the ice. We did the same when we got to the lake of the Sun, but it wasn't all frozen. In this picture bellow you can see Roberto walking ahead of us.

Three Cultures

Today was a day full of activities. Ili's friend from Australia arrived yesterday in the afternoon, so today we took him to several places. We fist went to Calixtlahuaca which is about 10 minutes from our house. These are some ruins originally build by the Matlazincas in the Toluca Valley. It was eventually taken over by the Aztecs and this urban center was used to control a large portion of the Toluca Valley. The most interesting structure is the round pyramid seen in this picture. There are only two or three round pyramids in the world and this is one of them. Since the cite is rather small, it's a nice place to avoid tourists and enjoy the views of the valley. See this location in Live Maps.

On our way back from Calixtlahuaca, we stopped by the old church in Tecaxic. I'm not too sure about the history of the church, but I do know that it has gotten some write-ups in tour guides about Mexico. So, I guess it must have some nice architecture on the inside. Unfortunately it was closed, so we couldn't see inside. However the outside is very nice.
See this location in Live Maps.

Later in the afternoon after lunch, we headed to downtown Toluca. The main place we were going to visit is the Cosmovitral. Toluca isn't a very nice city, but if you ever go, you must go here. The Cosmovitral was an old market turned into a gorgeous botanical garden surrounded by stained glass windows. The garden is nice, but the main attraction are is the stained glass windows that surround the entire building. The design of the windows show the creation of the universe and good(day) and evil(night). The central piece is the representation of sun which looks spectacular as the afternoon light shines through it. See this location in Live Maps.

That evening when we were back home, Justin commented that it was amazing to be in places and building that were much older than anything in Australia.

You can see more pictures of Calixtlahuca, Tecaxic and the Cosmovitral in my Picasa Web Albmum.

Christmas Day

The Christmas tree surrounded by gifts on Christmas morning.

Christmas Eve

Today is Christmas Eve! This view is looking west from our back yard. Here you are able to see the Moon high in the sky and Venus just above the horizon.

Cow

One of our neighbors down the road has several sheep and cows. Next to our house near Tecaxic there is a big field where he takes his cattle to graze. In this picture, one of the cows is eating some dried leafs that are on our backyard fence.

Mexico City

We went to Toluca today to spend Christmas there. Roberto took this picture on our drive out of Mexico City. This is a typical Mexico City cab. The street you can see in the background is the Periferico. It is sometimes known as the largest parking lot in the world, can you guess why? Since it's Christmas and many people are out on vacation, the traffic isn't so bad. This picture was taken by my brother Roberto.

Tamales

Tonight we went to Coyoacan to buy tamales for dinner. In this bad picture, you can see the lady taking out the tamales from the pots they are heated in. See this location in Live Maps.

Market

Today I accompanied my mom and sister to a market in Mexico City. This is a stand with several types of mole. See this location in Live Maps.