A TRIP ROUTE
IT IS WORTH KNOWING
Frida Kahlo is the most famous Mexican painter, known primarily for her personal symbolism of self-portraits. She was born in Coyocan, a small town on the outskirts of Mexico City. At the age of 18, she had a very serious traffic accident. During the long months of re-education, she became interested in painting and began to paint. Soon she married her mentor, Mexican painter and architect Diego Rivera. She spent almost all her life in La Casa Azul - the blue house that now houses a museum dedicated to her life and work. As an artist, she was recognized only after her death, in the 1980s. A wider audience got to know her turbulent life and numerous romances thanks to the biographical film from 2002 "Frida" directed by Julie Taymor. The role of the famous painter was played by the sensational Salma Hayek, who particularly strove for this role.INTERESTING FACTS
Our countrymen appeared on Mexican soil after Poland lost its independence. The Napoleonic officer, Karol Beneski, fought in the liberation war against the Spaniards in 1822 and belonged to the circle of close associates of Emperor Augustin Itribude. A participant in the November Uprising, Seweryn Gałęzowski ran a medical practice among the poor Indian population, and after the outbreak of the Mexican-American war in 1846, he fought on the side of Mexico. The bonapartist Konstanty Malczewski, who ended his career as a general in the Mexican army, did a similar thing. During the intervention of France in 1862-67, they fought on the side of Emperor Maximilian, among others. Stanisław count. Wodzicki and Konrad Niklewicz-Łokoć. Mexico was also visited by travelers, researchers and engineers. In 1835, Paweł Edmund Strzelecki made an expedition around Mexico, where he conducted nature research. The botanist Józef Warszewicz took part in a scientific expedition on the recommendation of Aleksander Humboldt, enriching many museum collections. Aleksander Bielawski made great contributions to the construction of the railway, for which the government offered him citizenship and a high military rank.IT IS WORTH SEEING
The astonishing Mayan civilization, and especially their bloody rites of human sacrifice, fired the imagination and aroused curiosity. Meeting the expectations of the audience, Mel Gibson directed a fictional film in 2006 entitled "Apocalipto". The action takes place in the Yucatan, in the declining period of the Mayan Empire, just before their contact with European civilization. The film is based on the text of Popol Vuh, the messages of Spanish missionaries and the suggestions of anthropologists. It is a bloody story showing the life of the Maya civilization, their hunting, tribal wars and human blood sacrifice. The characters from the film are played mostly by Mexicans, descendants of the indigenous people of this area, and the language used in the film is an old Mayan dialect - yucatec. (wikipedia.pl)January 2015
Mexico was another country whose history and monuments I read a lot as a teenager, not even having the courage to dream about such a trip. However, times change and what once seemed unreal becomes reality. When planning my trip, I also decided to visit Guatemala and Belize, hoping to get to know these exotic countries at least briefly.
If you want to get to know a country as big as Mexico, you have to make choices, because you can't see everything. So I planned to visit Yucatan and Mexico City, focusing on the culture of the Maya and Aztecs. Due to the short duration of my stay and long distances between the capital and the Yucatan, I bought a plane flight. Traveling around these countries was a great adventure in itself, because I used local means of transport and dealt with ordinary people. Unfortunately, it was not without complications. Twice doused by downpours in Mexico and Belize and cooled by air conditioning in buses and planes, I fell ill with pneumonia after returning home.MEXICO
Mexico City
Built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan, Mexico's capital city is huge, exciting and unpredictable. The agglomeration, with over 20 million inhabitants, is simply teeming with life. The city center with remarkable monuments of Spanish, French and American architecture is a combination of the business district, bazaar and colonial hovels. In Mexico City, I admired the magnificent Metropolitan Cathedral, saw the famous murals of Diego Riwera, witnessed religious exaltations in front of the image of La Virgen de Guadelupe, and also visited Frida Kahlo's home in quiet Coyocan.
Teotihuacan
Teotihuacan in Nahuatl means "place where people become gods". It is not known what kind of people started the construction of this great religious center in the 2nd century BC, but it certainly did not lack fantasy. Even today, the ruins of a city that once numbered 200,000. residents, make an amazing impression. When I reached the end of Avenida de los Muertos in the early morning, I knew that a fascinating adventure awaited me. The ruins of temples and palaces, the citadel, the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon standing in the middle of the barren desert did not disappoint me.
Acapulco
So far I have associated Acapulco only with the hit Ricchi E Poveri. It turns out, however, that this inconspicuous city was from the 17th century the main transshipment port in trade between Spain and the Far East. It may be a fault to expect too much, but the Acapulco beaches seemed quite ordinary to me. On the other hand, I was really impressed by the spectacle given to tourists by daredevils jumping from over 40 meters of La Quebrada rock. Due to the perfect synchronization of the force and angle of break-out, falling time and wind speed, their jumps do not end in death.
Palenque
Palenque is the first Mayan city I have visited, so it was amazing. The ruins lying in the middle of the jungle are inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List, but the most spectacular object of the complex is the Temple of the Inscriptions. The sarcophagus of Pakal the Great, the ruler of Palenque in the 7th century, was found there. To my great disappointment, the crypt was inaccessible to tourists and I did not see the famous relief plate depicting Pakal, supposedly inside the spacecraft.
Riviera Maya
Riviera Maya is a large piece of the Yucatan coast lying on the Caribbean Sea. Everything you would expect from a vacation in Mexico is here - romantic beaches, water sports centers, cafes and taverns, jungle, cenotes and of course Mayan ruins. In this picturesque corner, the cenotes, i.e. natural karst wells formed in the limestone rock, seemed to be the most fun to me. Due to a cold, I gave up diving, but I went for a swim in Gran Cenote.
Merida
The inhabitants used to call Merida the "Paris of the New World", but today little remains of its former glory. Apart from the very center with the cathedral, monastery and several representative buildings, the city made a depressing impression on me. A huge chessboard of streets filled with nondescript houses and crowds of Mexicans. I spent four nights here, as Merida was an excellent base for exploring the Western Yucatan.
Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza is perhaps the most visited archaeological site in the Yucatan. I have not seen such crowds anywhere else in Mexico. Thanks to the unique monuments, the creators of which were the Mayans and the Toltecs, the ruins of the city were included on the Unesco World Heritage List. The Temple of Warriors and El Castillo are really impressive, but the biggest impression on me was made by the huge Juego de Pelota or pelota pitch, the largest and best preserved in all of Mesoamerica.
Celestun reserve
The Celestun Reserve is famous for its flamingos, pelicans, herons and cormorants. The local beaches are also a breeding ground for sea turtles. During the trip, I was able to see huge flamingo colonies, consisting of thousands of individuals. The pink mass of birds feeding in the shallow waters of the lagoon and the ubiquitous cackling and trumpeting from thousands of throats make an amazing impression. During the trip, I also had the opportunity to admire the magnificent mangrove forests that cover a large part of the reserve.
Uxmal
The UNESCO World Heritage site of Uchmal is as spectacular as Chichen Itza, but fortunately there are not as many tourists here. Only the ubiquitous lizards disturb the idyllic atmosphere of sightseeing. There are pyramids, palaces and temples in Uchmal, but what caught my attention the most was the Quadrilateral of the Nuns, a magnificent royal residence built in the Puuc style by the Spanish.
Campeche
After visiting Uxmal, I had a lot of time so, following my impulse, I took a bus to Campeche, a city on the Gulf of Mexico. It turns out that spontaneity does not always pay off. The journey was terribly long as I hit a local bus stopping in every village. I got to Campeche late in the evening, but it was worth it. After a short walk in the center and taking a few photos, I started my way back to Merida.
GUATEMALA
On the way
Preparing the route of the trip, I could not understand how I would cross the border with Guatemala driving the road from Palenque to the southeast, because there was no such connection on the map. Fortunately, the matter was clarified on the spot. I took the bus to Frontera Corozal, and then took a boat to the settlement of Bethel in Guatemala. Crossing the jungle border of the Usumacinta River was a great experience and for a moment I felt like Tony Halik. On the other hand, the further journey by bus is a real horror, because even the locals called this route the "St. Trzęsionki" road.
Flores Island
Flores is located on an island in Lake Peten Itza and is the starting point for the ruins of Tikal. In pre-Columbian times, it was the main Mayan city of the Itza group. As the last refuge of their civilization, it was conquered by the Spaniards only at the end of the 17th century. The small area of the island makes it possible to visit it within an hour's walk. The labyrinth of picturesque streets of Flores delighted me, while the flooded boulevards made me feel nostalgic about the fragility of human existence.
Tikal
The vast Mayan complex in Tikal, Guatemala, is located in the middle of an unspoiled jungle which makes it look even more mysterious. The power of nature is amazing. Even cleared alleys grow overgrown very quickly, and some pyramids are directly engulfed by tropical vegetation. The entire archaeological site is on the UNESCO list. In fact, the soaring pyramids, the Acropolis buildings, the temples and the sacrificial stones in the Grand Square make an amazing impression.
BELIZE
Belize City
The former capital of the country, Belize City, made a depressing impression on me. Neglected streets, jumbled houses and the practical lack of any attractions completed the feeling of disappointment. The only capital here is people, but they look completely different than those I met in Mexico and Guatemala. They are more like the inhabitants of the Caribbean, they laugh often, they are helpful and friendly towards visitors.
Coral Islands
A trip to Caye Caulker and Caye San Pedro was a trip to a tropical paradise. There you can find everything that an average inhabitant of Europe dreams of - tropical palm trees, turquoise water, golden sand under your feet and a cold drink in your hand. In fact, the small, sandy cayes islands formed on coral reefs made an amazing impression on me. It was also not without fear when I accidentally took a photo of a local pot seller. Politely asked, I had to delete the ill-fated photo in these shoots.
AUSTRIA
Vienna
Vienna was the starting and ending point of my trip to Mexico. As I was leaving early in the morning, I arrived in the Austrian capital the day before with an ambitious plan to visit the city in one day. Of course, it turned out to be unrealistic and ended with a walk through the old town and a visit to the Belvederegarten. To my surprise, the monumental architecture of the city, which made such a depressing impression on me in Madrid, did not bother me at all here.