Baroque and Roll

Ventured into the centre of Mexico City today – a total assault on the senses and totally bewildering to boot. On the way here encountered a very disturbing side to the city when we passed a very large group of street children living in the most appalling conditions on the side of the road and running after cars begging. In a city of 25million people we began to wonder how so many could be gainfully employed and we guessed at a million being security guards or policemen, another half-a-million directing traffic/pedestrians (actually standing in groups of three or four in the middle of roads wearing florescent hats and white gloves blowing whistles) another half-a-million waving yellow flags to inform motorists that the parking lot for which they work had places and a similar number sweeping the streets – and the streets are surprisingly litter free – and today the main avenues were car free because it was “Bicycle Sunday”
At the Zócalo (a huge plaza which is the political and religious nexus of the Mexica Empire, Spanish Viceroyalty and the Mexican nation) in the (very) hot sunshine the thousands of people were determined to have a “traditional” xmas including having the tree with “icicles”, the skating rink, toboggan run, snowman making and thousands of colourful decorations. The noise of drums accompanying the “Aztec” dancers mingled with the cathedral bells, the numerous barrel organs and buskers (from a violin and cello duet to a jazz trumpeter). The smell of the huge variety of street foods mingled with the smell of the copal incense of the “Aztec” healers and the far less charming odour of the port-a-loos.
The Baroque cathedral was dripping with gold and ornament – far more than any church in Rome and the crib scene was enlivened by flashing multi-coloured light strings to show the Magi the way to the stable. Needless to say when the Spanish conquerors arrived they built the cathedral on the sight of one of the most sacred centres of Mexica worship. Over the past 30 or so years archaeologists have been unearthing this ancient site and have revealed no fewer than seven pyramids built one on top of the other – Mexica beliefs dictated that a new pyramid had to built for every 52 year cycle. It was fascinating to walk through the site and even see one of the “skull racks” which formed the foundations of the pyramid. Two religious edifices existing side by side and the beliefs they represented intermingled – which one had god on their side? Especially as now, because of seismic activity, the cathedral is sinking and the Mexica Templo Mayor is rising