teotihuacan, mexico:

About an hours drive north of Mexico City is the ancient city of Teotihuacan. 
Thought to have been established around 100BC - 250 AD, it was the largest city in the Americas prior to Christopher Columbus' arrival. The most striking feature of Teotihuacan are it's two imposing pyramids - the Pyramid of the Sun and the smaller Pyramid of the Moon.
We both climbed to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun, which was well worth the effort, culminating in an incredible view of the entire site and surrounding mountains. We also climbed the Pyramid of the Moon, however we were not allowed to climb to the very top. 
Having had visited the Museum of Anthropology a day prior, we had learnt a great deal about Mexico's pre-Hispanic history and culture, which added a great insight to our visit of Teotihuacan. I would highly recommend visiting the museum, and if you can, before you visit any of the ancient sites dotted throughout Mexico.

Next: the gorgeous San Angel neighbourhood

the view from the pyramid of the sun, looking towards the pyramid of the moon

the pyramid of the sun

walking along the avenue of the dead towards the pyramid of the moon

the view from the pyramid of the moon

coyoacan, mexico:

la casa azul

Coyoacan is a pretty little neighbourhood in southern Mexico City, about a 15-20 minute cab ride from the centre. One of the main draw cards to Caoyoacan is famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo's home, also known as La Casa Azul (the blue house), which is now a museum. The house is where Kahlo grew up and eventually returned to live with her husband Diego Rivera. La Casa Azul not only contains some of Kahlo's beautiful work, but her collection of Mexican folk art, artefacts and personal items, with most of the rooms left as they were in the 1950's before she passed away. It is incredibly stunning, painted cobalt blue with a gorgeous central courtyard, filled with the lushest green plant life.
One of the highlights for me was her studio, with it's abundant natural light, overlooking the courtyard and full of her personal treasures. It is just gorgeous!

Coyoacan as an area is also worth the trip, being a lovely peaceful neighbourhood full of colour and a very lively square. It was great to wander around and soak up the area, it's markets and great food.

I highly recommend a visit to Coyoacan and in particular, La Casa Azul.

Next: the ancient pre-Hispanic pyramids of Teotihuacan.

studio details

coyoacan

yum!

pozole

la lagunilla, mexico:

One of my passions when travelling is shopping - especially at flea markets. 
As soon as we heard about La Lagunilla flea market in Mexico City, we had to visit and unearth some Mexican treasures for our home.
La Lagunilla is a daily market selling everyday items such as clothing. However, every Sunday morning, wheeler and dealers turn up to sell their vintage and second hand goods, turning La Lagunilla into one of the most interesting markets I have been to in a long time. Furniture, art, old toys... anything and everything can be found here. We spent a good few hours wandering around making sure we saw as much as we could before carefully deciding on final purchases. We definitely found some very special items, and could have easily bought so much more! 
If you are in Mexico City on a Sunday, I highly recommend a visit.

details: starting at 9am, the best part of the flea market is located around Comonfort Street and Reforma. We were warned a few times, and I'll pass this on too, to keep an eye on all our belongings and to be very careful as the neighbourhood is not one of the safest. However, we felt safe at all times and we were fine, so I would not let this deter you from visiting. Just be wary of your things and go during the daytime.

Next: Coyoacan and Frida Kahlo's house.

colour everywhere

vintage scientific lab equipment

 

so many wonderful kinck knacks

andy on the hunt