What’s happening in Mexico City

Five Diego Rivera exhibits, six Day of the Dead altars
By Jim Johnston

Photo credits: George and Audrey DeLange

Even as he is becoming better known as Frida Kahlo’s husband, Diego Rivera is considered by many to be Mexico’s most important artist. Renowned as a muralist, Rivera used his art to glorify Mexico’s pre-conquest past. Fifty years after his death, he is being honored by several exhibitions of his work in the city. 

Aerial view of Palacio de Bellas Artes

A show of his mural at the Palacio de Bellas Artes opened on September 28 (closing date not yet announced). Several murals never seen before are on display.

The Palacio is on the east side of Alameda Park, a massive neoclassical building begun in 1904. It has an art nouveau style and its facade is made of marble from Carrara. In its interior, a crystal curtain is carved with the images of the Iztlaccihuatl and Popocatepetl volcanoes. There are also some frescos by Orozco, Siqueiros, Rivera, Tamayo and Montenegro. 

The Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño, located in a beautiful garden setting in Xochimilco, will show portraits by Rivera from October 20 to January 2. Formerly the grand Hacienda la Noria of art collector and philanthropist Olmedo, the museum features the works of her friend Diego Rivera. At least 137 of his works are here, including his portrait of Olmedo, 25 paintings of Frida Kahlo, and 37 creations of Angelina Beloff (Rivera’s first wife), many of them drawings and engravings. Located at Avenida México 5843, Colonia La Noria. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. 

Next to it is the Latin America Tower with its 47 floors (from which this picture was taken)

At the Museo Mural Diego Rivera, a show called “Nacimiento de un Pintor” opens on November 21 and closes March 30). The Museo houses Rivera’s famous mural Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park, painted on a Hotel Prado wall in 1947. The hotel was demolished after the 1985 earthquake, but the precious mural was saved and transferred to its new location in 1986. The huge picture chronicles the history of the park from the time of Cortez onward. Located at the corner of Balderas and Colón in the Historical Center near Alameda Park. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. 

The Museo Nacional de Arte (calle Tacuba, Centro) will have a show of Rivera’s graphics from November 28 to February 24. The palace-like building is a legacy of the Díaz era—he welcomed visiting dignitaries in the opulent second-floor salon. The National Museum of Art took over the building in 1982. Immense rooms with polished wooden floors contain a wealth of paintings showing Mexico’s art development, primarily from 1810 to 1950. 

The Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo in San Angel presents

“Imágenes Escritas” from December 12 to February 17. The Museo was actually two separate houses joined by a walkway. Frida and Diego lived here between 1934 and 1940, and Rivera returned here to live after Frida’s death in 1954. Now one of the architectural monuments of the area, the building also contains some of Rivera’s art as well as the couple’s personal belongings. Located at Diego Rivera 2, at the corner of Altavista in Colonia San Ángel Inn, Delegacion Álvaro Obregón. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm.

While on your informal Diego Rivera tour of the city, you can include these three places to make the excursion complete.

Casa Museo Frida Kahlo, the family home known as Casa Azul or “Blue House,” is where Frida spent her childhood as well as the final years of her life. The home has been turned into a museum where visitors can admire many of the rooms in the state they were at the time of Frida’s death, decorated with her unique style. Located at Londres 247, on the corner of Allende in Coyoacan. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm.

Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli houses Rivera’s extensive collection of pre-Hispanic art. He designed the building as a pyramid, but it was not completed until after his death. Anahuacalli means “house surrounded by water.” Inside, four rooms are dedicated to the forces of nature. Located at Calle Museo 150, Colonia San Pablo Tepetlapa, Delegacion Coyoacan. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm.

The Palacio Nacional on the east side of the zócalo has been the seat of civil power from the viceroyalty until the present. Several patios, corridors and stairways are graced by Diego Rivera murals. The “Epic of the Mexican People in their Struggle for Freedom and Independence” depicts 2,000 years of Mexican history. Open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm and Sunday 9am to 2pm.

While many people think of visiting smaller towns for Day of the Dead, Mexico City celebrates this most important day in its own grand way. Contests are held for the best altars. Based on last year’s winners and runners-up, here is a list of six of the best places to see Day of the Dead altars in Mexico City.

The Zócalo (the main plaza in Centro Histórico) evokes the ceremonial nucleus of Mexico-Tenochtitlan, bringing together the rhythmic beating of drums, the ankle-rattles of native dancers and the glowing incense of modern-day medicine men. A point of reference, of protest, of ritual and of national celebration, by night it offers an imposing spectacle which culminates in tumultuous festivities on September 15. Inside the underground Zócalo station are reproductions of artifacts unearthed from temple ruins. An adjacent museum houses exhibits of ceremonial offerings, as well as the massive stone representation of the goddess Coyolxauhqui discovered here.

Claustro de Sor Juana (Izazaga 92, near Isabel la Católica in Centro) is a small liberal arts university which has been a pioneer in the “rescue” of Mexico City’s Centro, now a World Heritage site. The Claustro has become a thriving hub of contemporary art and culture.

Plaza San Jeronimo (San Jeronimo at Vizcaínas in Centro) is the square in front of the former Convent of San Jerónimo. The great poetess and painter Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651-95) lived and worked here, and her remains were recently discovered in the church. 

Museo de las Culturas (Calle Mondea 13, Centro), the Antigua Casa de la Moneda, is a building with an attractive patio which housed the government mint from 1734 onwards. It now contains the Museum of the Cultures, with works of art and applied art from all over the world.

Plaza Juarez is in the historical center, on the south side of Alameda Park, an area severely damaged by the 1985 earthquake. The main public space surrounds the temple of Corpus Christi. Vicente Rojo designed a great fountain with a large water mirror and more than 1,000 red concrete pyramids with air injectors between, which accent the movement of water.

Diego Rivera Anahuacalli Museum (near Coyoacán at Calle Museo 150 in Colonia San Pedtro Tepetapa). A Toltec ball court is reproduced in front of the museum, and the entrance is a coffin-shaped door

The Jamaica Flower Market (Avenida Morelos and Congreso de la Union) is spectacular in color, scent and history; is open all the time; and has been here for almost 50 years. Many proud stall holders inherited stalls from their ancestors. It’s a great place to visit around Day of the Dead. As the city’s wholesale flower market, the quantity of marigolds, coxcombs and other flowers is staggering. Booths set up around the perimeter of the market sell sugar figurines, candles, incense, food and other items used to decorate altars.

Whenever you arrive in Mexico City, buy a copy of Tiempo Libre, a weekly magazine with the best listings of cultural events. It comes out on Thursdays. 

Jim Johnston, a 10-year resident of San Miguel, now lives in Mexico City. His first book, Mexico City: An Opinionated Guide for the Curious Traveler, was published in 2006.

Travel News You Can Use
By Judy Newell

Airline News

Virgin America now flies twice daily nonstop between New York/Kennedy and Los Angeles International. Another San Francisco-New York/Kennedy flight started September 9, and the following week the airline began San Francisco-Washington/Dulles flights. On October 10, the carrier will introduce San Francisco-Las Vegas flights and on October 24 its Los Angeles-Washington/Dulles service will begin.

The EU is pushing for a review of the strict rules limiting the amount of liquids allowed on EU-bound flights, saying that the restrictions do not increase security and are a major inconvenience to passengers. The parliament voted September 5 on a resolution that calls on the EU executive to urgently review the restrictions, which have led to widespread confiscations, confusion and long delays at airports. Lawmakers say that the cost of the regulations may not be proportionate to the added value in terms of additional security. All countries in the EU would have to approve any changes. 

Ten longest flights in the world. Traveling from Singapore to Newark, NJ? Better bring lots of reading material—or Ambien. That’s because you’ll be onboard almost 19 hours. It’s the longest route in the world.

For years, multi-stop trips were the norm for those traveling ultra-long distances. Not so today. That’s because airlines are increasingly using planes with long-range capability, including the Boeing 777, Airbus A340-500 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, soon to be the newest addition to the Virgin Atlantic, Qantas and Continental fleets.

Aircraft have a prescribed capacity weight and, since more fuel is required for nonstop trips, the payload (passengers or cargo which generate revenue) has to be cut to accommodate the weight of extra fuel. Translation: They raise the price of your seat.

An economy seat on Continental’s nearly 16-hour Newark-Hong Kong trip can cost US$1,500 depending on the day; a business or first-class seat will set you back US$10,000. The price difference between nonstop, long-haul flights and those with a layover fluctuates depending on the season. A nonstop, round-trip flight in May from LAX to Singapore with Singapore Airlines costs US$750 more than one with a layover in Tokyo Narita International Airport.

Though the Singapore-Newark flight is the longest, other routes are nipping at its heels. In December 2007, travelers will be able to take the 17-hour trip from Dubai to Houston on Emirates Airlines. Virgin Atlantic announced that it has ordered 15 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners to expand its nonstop, long-haul offerings with trips from London to Perth or Hawaii, both clocking in at around 16 hours. Cabin fever could get pretty bad on these flights, which are among the 10 longest in the world:

Newark to Singapore (or reverse) is 18 hours, 30 minutes on Singapore Airlines. Los Angeles to Singapore is 17 hours, 30 minutes on Singapore Airlines, while the return is about an hour less at 16 hours, 20 minutes.

New York to Bangkok on Thai Airways is 17 hours, 10 minutes, with a return of 16 hours, 55 minutes. Thai Airways flies from Los Angeles to Bangkok in 17 hours, returning more briskly at 15 hours, 30 minutes. Either Continental Airlines or Cathay Pacific will get you from Newark to Hong Kong in 15 hours, 50 minutes, with a similar return at 15 hours, 40 minutes.


International News

Euros & Pounds—What some pundits forecast

In the Daily Telegraph business section on September 28, the US investment bank Goldman Sachs said that it expects the Euro to fall back to $1.35 against the dollar over the next year and sterling to tumble to $1.88 as the Bank of England pushes through three rate cuts.

On October 5, HSBC, Britain’s biggest bank, warned that the country faces a stark “de-rating” triggering a mass exodus of “hot money” from the city. They expect the pound to fall from its current level of around $2.04 to $1.76 against the dollar over the next 18 months.

Keep your eye on the exchange rate because in a few months time, the situation could look a lot better for Americans filling UK bound flights.


BBC Worldwide Acquires Lonely Planet

BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the British Broadcasting Company, has acquired a 75 percent stake in Australian-based Lonely Planet, the world’s largest publisher of guidebooks. 

Both parties emphasize synergies in electronic media; for example exposure of Lonely Planet readers to BBC content such as “Planet Earth” and “New Europe” and TV and video produced by Lonely Planet Television including the series “Lonely Planet Six Degrees” for Discovery Networks.



Cruise News

Hank Aaron Joins Crystal Serenity in 2008

Hall of Fame baseball legend Hank Aaron will sail with Crystal Serenity on its first cruise in 2008 as part of the Crystal Visions enrichment program that brings noted lecturers aboard for discussions on a variety of topics. Aaron will share stories about his life and playing days on the ship’s 15-day, January 4 Panama Canal itinerary from Miami to Los Angeles. Fares for the cruise start at US$4,495 per person.


Sources: ARTA, Forbes, Travel Age West, Modern Agent, OSSN, USA Today, The European@International Living


Judy Newell, a writer and travel industry executive, heads the custom tour company Perfect Journeys that specializes in luxury and adventure travel. Contact her with comments or suggestions at JudyNewell_03@msn.com  or go to her website www.PerfectJourneys.net .



Stay tuned, Atención will be featuring Judy’s writings on her recent trip to Egypt in future editions.