4th of July in Mexico City. day 5

so many houses all right next to each other.

 we had lunch in the commodore, and then left for our outing.  We didn't want to miss the special 4th of July meal.

the old post office

walking through the traffic like the locals do.

market on a side street.

pretty blue tile now restaurant.

This is a museum and performing arts building. we met a nice guard there and i got lost for 10 seconds. dad rescued me!

o   Palacio de Bellas Artes. Immense murals by world-famous Mexican artists dominate the top floors of this splendid white-marble palace, a concert hall and arts center

We walked through this historical area, filled with crowds of people and shopping.  its nice that no cars are allowed. 

 a beautiful dress display

I didn't take pictures inside this church, but it was really beautiful.  T and Gma were home sick this day, but T would have loved the huge organ.

police presence

waiting for B to come with the car, we saw 2 churches in this plaza.  they were slanted due to sinking ground.

This was a nice artisan market where we could relax and enjoy souvenir shopping with no one haggling us.  many vendors. we found some treasures.

e trying out the reed flutes, but deciding on a little drum.  thanks again Aunt A for your patience.

the school teachers were demonstrating - camping in tents in protest - to better their situation.

police all gone when we came by a few hours later.

·         Plaza de las Tres Culturas

o   So named because it symbolizes the fusion of pre-Hispanic and Spanish roots into the Mexican mestizo identity, this plaza displays the architectural legacy of three cultural facets: the Aztec pyramids of Tlatelolco [the excavations in front], the 17th-century Spanish Templo de Santiago and the modern tower that houses the Centro Cultural Universitario.

nice and peaceful to be back on campus

day 4. Day of rest.

behind Grandma and Grandpa (see how thin they both are), you can see the high security gates to enter the campus.

these palm trees used to be 5 feet high. now there are noisy green parrots flying among them.

the B is for Benemerito.  

The 90 acre campus was a private high school operated by the church known as Benemerito De Las Americas.  closed and reopened as the MTC in 2013.  The B was a modified to a 43 (hard to see in this pic) to honor the students killed by the government in 2014.

Grandma got us lychee nuts. yum! not a real nut, but delicious fruit.

traffic was always interesting to watch.  We took an excursion to the see the temple.

only 50 years ago, this area around the CCM was farmland. rapid change.

 i was told to be patient with this photo.  apparently we do this (make them pose for pictures) to them all day.

CCM

Grandma cutting dragon fruit!  it's like kiwi.

day 3. (eating) crickets in a cave

 What a fancy treat to eat at this restaurant in a cave.  I do not regret that I did not try the crickets. 

 a bit of a wait to get in for the 3pm show.

 T was our main translator (thank you!) we were so hungry.  he and the waitress were both relieved when Benjamin arrived and took over that role.

   In cities that she would visit, my mom used to take a picture with a phone booth (harder these days to find phone booths).  I take pics of street signs.  Here either straight to Mexico City or exit to Teotihuacan.

 driving back to the city, again we see it bursting at the seams, and houses climbing the mountains.

 From C: this mural in the Administration building is left from the time when the MTC was a school  it says Intelligence, Truth, Power, and Light.

e and his collections.  we did get through customs with his bag of findings: soft petals, tree leaves, and seed pods.