Day 6 in Chapultepec Park

This is my last day with Gail… She is a fantastic travelling companion. She has a real commitment to joy that is a must for exploring. We decided to spend much of the day in Chapultepec Park before Gail went to visit with family later in the afternoon. Sheryl and I had done lots in the park but not the castle and the Anthropology Museum.

Chapultepec Castile was built atop important Aztec ceremonial grounds (of course). It is the top of the hill. We slogged our way up and up and up. We were rewarded with a spectacular view of the park and city as well as another history lesson. You got your murals, your paintings, your statues of heroes and villains. What is clear is that Mexican history is full of wars. Fighting the French, British, and each faction, and factions of factions. Pancho Villa and Zapata were allies at one point and then enemies. I, frankly, can’t keep it all straight. I’m kind of ok with that. I will need another visit to try to get a better understanding of what happened and why and who were the revolutionary figures that actually helped the people and who were not. Next trip.

One story about a painting below. The colonists understood hierarchy and “royalty”, so they commissioned a painting depicting the chiefs from the various communities that were cooperative/useful to the colonialists. They look like stately gentlemen in their traditional garb and headdresses. To be sure, as soon as their usefulness was no longer needed, I’m sure they were disposed of like the rest of the indigenous peoples.

In the afternoon, I went on my own to the Anthropology Museum. I soothed my aching feet with a tasty lunch and mental break. While it seems that we are doing a ton of stuff, I do feel like we have had the time to also wander and wonder. I’m physically tired but mentally and emotionally recharged.

I started at the beginning and zipped right through the rudimentary evolutionary lesson of man and the planet. From there, the museum was organized in chronological order by civilizations. It wasn’t until I reached maybe the 4th or 5th room where there were any artifacts depicting women. These were from the Veracruz area and were remarkable. Again, description after description spoke of the constant war that pervaded - it seems pre- and post-colonialism were marked by unending violent conflict. Can we imagine what our world would be like without armed enemies always present?

I couldn’t possibly make it through the entire museum. It is ginormous. I took an Uber back to the apartment and ate some tasty leftovers. Gail arrived back with her belly full of homemade pozole (jealous) and some stories. She finished packing for her flight tomorrow. So, we were both leaving the house at 6am. Time to sleep.Read more