Benito Juarez

Ciclovia RecreActiva! CDMX. We picked up our Bici bikeshare bikes nearly right outside our door and hopped on the Plaza Reforma. This is a hugely wide street with sculptures, grand circles with fountains and statues. Everyone was out riding, running, taking exercise classes. It was super fun to be out on a bike in the middle of the city.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Ciclovia RecreActivas, cities all across Latin America close kilometres upon kilometres of major roadways for people to bike, walk, run, skate, exercise and generally get moving with their families and friends. Held every Sunday morning usually from around 7am to 2pm, cars seem to be nonplused by it all - it’s only a few hours on Sunday and you can still cross.

Mexico City has done a great job putting in bike lanes and these median walkways/bikeways. Most provide a canopy of tree cover. Bici bikes are everywhere, and they look to be well maintained and well used. The bus system works pretty well too. It only costs $8 pesos or about 50 cents US (65 cents CDN). It can be a little tricky finding which bus services which stop, but people are generally quite nice and helpful.

Along the route we encountered some interesting political posters and installations. It was 10 years ago that 43 Mexican students were kidnapped and killed although only three bodies have been found and identified. It is believed they were taken by the local police and drug cartels in collusion with the Mexican army. You can find posters with the students’ faces posted on walls and here in the middle of the major street we pedalled on. I heard about this when I was in Peru for the Ciclovia conference in 2015 or 2016 - I can’t remember. We also saw an installation about indigenous feminists.

Along the route we wandered into a market with a couple dozen booths that had toys - most were superhero stuff - costumes and figurines. Now that is a big thing here. Lucha Libre, which is a part of Mexico’s rich cultural heritage, is the origin of professional wrestling, He wears an iconic mask and costume. Pretty fun. We also happened upon a very packed church with many followers waiting to get in to worship. Not sure what it was about.

After a couple hours riding around, we went over to the big park nearby, Chapultepec, that houses the botanical garden and some museums. As we were walking over to the Modern Art Museum we saw these four men in traditional costumes, one playing a recorder and drum flying upside down on high in a circle! Yes. We googled it as there weren’t any explanations. The ritual is called the Danza de los Voladores (Dance of the Flyers). It is very old and is said to have been a plea to the gods during droughts. It was quite amazing.

We didn’t feel like getting into the enormous Anthropology Museum so we opted for the more manageable Modern Art Museum there in the park. On Sundays many museums are free so that was good. I have to say, this museum was fantastic. Incredibly well laid out, excellent curation of pieces and wonderful stories they told. It was also a modest size so we could actually enjoy all five sections without getting overwhelmed.

A good day.Lue lisää