Mexico City Memories - Through A Child's Eyes
Many years have passed, but my childhood memories of Mexico City are still clearly imprinted in my mind, and the beautiful people and places I visited will always remain a part of me. In August of 1977, my parents, four sisters, and I took a trip to Mexico City to visit my father’s family. I was ten years old, and it was the first time my sisters and I would be traveling to Mexico City. We were very excited because it was also the first time we had ever flown on a plane. My father hadn’t seen his brother or sister in over twenty years, so this trip to México meant a lot to him too. On an early Saturday morning in August, with our many suitcases in tow, my family and I headed for the San Francisco International Airport. Seven and a half hours later, we arrived at the Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juarez, which is the main airport in México.
We then took a cab through Mexico City, along Av. Iztapalapa, where my father’s family still resides. During the drive through town, my father sat quietly staring aimlessly out the window of the car as I wondered, “What could he be thinking about and feeling at this moment?” My father had left México as a young man, leaving behind his older sister and youngest brother, and now they were all grown up with families of their own. His family was waiting anxiously at their home for our arrival. My Tia Isabel, my father’s sister, must have heard the car’s engine because she was already half way out the front door when we pulled up the dirt path to the house. I will never forget the look on my Tia Isabel’s face as she hurried out of the house to embrace my father as he stepped out of the car. She tenderly cupped his face with her palms as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“¡Le amo hermano y le he echado de menos tanto!” [1] my Tia Isabel said.
When my father saw his brother Méliton, he hugged him tight and said, “¿Cómo ha sido usted, mi carnalito? ¡Mucho tiempo ha pasado, pero usted parece bien!” [2]
As they stood there smiling together, his brother Méliton replied, “Sí, estoy bien mi carnal. ¡Realmente estoy excitado para ver usted y su familia! Está bien usted está aquí.”[3]
At that same moment my many cousins, whom my sisters and I had never met before, came running out of the house to greet us. We were suddenly surrounded by a lot of unfamiliar and nervously smiling faces. I thought we had a lot of cousins back in California, but we were outnumbered in México. My Tia Isabel had eight children and some of her older children already had children of their own, so it was a fairly large crowd. After we gathered our emotions from our first introduction, we all went into the house to settle in and relax. Later that evening, while my sisters and I mingled with our newly acquainted cousins, my mother, father, and his family sat together reminiscing about their past times in México. My parents also talked with my aunt and uncle about the different places they wanted to take us to visit during our stay in México.
The very next morning, my father decided that we would go to El Centro Histórico, which is the historical center of Mexico City. At El Centro Histórico, we saw many colonial-era buildings, including the magnificent historical cathedral called La Catedral de México. The harmonious Spaniard style exterior of La Catedral with its many steeples sits in the center of town offset by its urban landscape.
The following day, my father took us to an amusement park called Parque de Chapultepec. My sisters, cousins, and I walked around the park and rode on some of the rides. While there at the park, we took advantage of all the many goodies that were offered for sale. My sisters, cousins, and I feasted on slices of cucumber called “pepino” and mango which were sprinkled with chile and lemon juice served on a skewer. My favorite was the corn on the cob, which was also served on a stick, spread with mayonnaise and sprinkled with a grated dry cheese and chile. We also ate caramelo and marzipan candies, and sipped on fruity ice drinks called “razpados.” Some of us ended up with stomachaches because we ate too much, but otherwise we had a lot of fun.
We spent the next day at a town called Xochimilco, where we shopped at the town square buying many gifts for our friends and family back home. We had dinner as we sat on these bright, colored canoe-like boats called “chalupas,” which floated along a man-made canal. A musician played Spanish melodies on his guitar as he rode along with us on the boat.
Our plan for the next day was to visit an old town called Puebla, so that we could see the Toltec ruins. We traveled to Puebla by car. However, in order to reach the Toltec ruins we had to walk on foot for what seemed like miles. But it was worth it, for when we reached the top of the mountain, we encountered an ancient Toltec village. It looks today much as it did 1,000 years ago. It was abandoned 300 years before Cortes. In this village, there was a religious temple with many stone steps that you had to climb in order to reach it. I remember climbing all of those stone steps, one by one, and then entering into this amazingly ancient place overlooking the vast valley below. After a wonderful day of sightseeing, we arrived back to my family’s home exhausted and hungry. As we settled in for dinner, we were all struck by the news on radio that Elvis Presley had died. As a child, his death must have left an impression on me because I still remember the date. It was August 16, 1977, and I remember his death was big news in México. It was printed all over the Spanish newspaper and everyone there was talking about it.
As the last day of our trip came to a close, I was both saddened to be leaving a family that I might never see again, but also excited to be going back home to a familiar place. I can never thank my father enough for allowing us the opportunity to visit such a beautiful place, and although a lot of years have passed and I have not been back to visit Mexico City, I will always cherish the memories that I spent there as a child with my family.
[1] “I love you brother and I have missed you so much!”
[2] “How have you been, my brother? A lot of time has passed, but you look good!”
“Carnal, or “carnalito” is a term of endearment used as another form for “brother.”
[3] “Yes, I am well my brother. I am really excited to see you and your family! It is good you are here.”
We then took a cab through Mexico City, along Av. Iztapalapa, where my father’s family still resides. During the drive through town, my father sat quietly staring aimlessly out the window of the car as I wondered, “What could he be thinking about and feeling at this moment?” My father had left México as a young man, leaving behind his older sister and youngest brother, and now they were all grown up with families of their own. His family was waiting anxiously at their home for our arrival. My Tia Isabel, my father’s sister, must have heard the car’s engine because she was already half way out the front door when we pulled up the dirt path to the house. I will never forget the look on my Tia Isabel’s face as she hurried out of the house to embrace my father as he stepped out of the car. She tenderly cupped his face with her palms as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“¡Le amo hermano y le he echado de menos tanto!” [1] my Tia Isabel said.
When my father saw his brother Méliton, he hugged him tight and said, “¿Cómo ha sido usted, mi carnalito? ¡Mucho tiempo ha pasado, pero usted parece bien!” [2]
As they stood there smiling together, his brother Méliton replied, “Sí, estoy bien mi carnal. ¡Realmente estoy excitado para ver usted y su familia! Está bien usted está aquí.”[3]
At that same moment my many cousins, whom my sisters and I had never met before, came running out of the house to greet us. We were suddenly surrounded by a lot of unfamiliar and nervously smiling faces. I thought we had a lot of cousins back in California, but we were outnumbered in México. My Tia Isabel had eight children and some of her older children already had children of their own, so it was a fairly large crowd. After we gathered our emotions from our first introduction, we all went into the house to settle in and relax. Later that evening, while my sisters and I mingled with our newly acquainted cousins, my mother, father, and his family sat together reminiscing about their past times in México. My parents also talked with my aunt and uncle about the different places they wanted to take us to visit during our stay in México.
The very next morning, my father decided that we would go to El Centro Histórico, which is the historical center of Mexico City. At El Centro Histórico, we saw many colonial-era buildings, including the magnificent historical cathedral called La Catedral de México. The harmonious Spaniard style exterior of La Catedral with its many steeples sits in the center of town offset by its urban landscape.
The following day, my father took us to an amusement park called Parque de Chapultepec. My sisters, cousins, and I walked around the park and rode on some of the rides. While there at the park, we took advantage of all the many goodies that were offered for sale. My sisters, cousins, and I feasted on slices of cucumber called “pepino” and mango which were sprinkled with chile and lemon juice served on a skewer. My favorite was the corn on the cob, which was also served on a stick, spread with mayonnaise and sprinkled with a grated dry cheese and chile. We also ate caramelo and marzipan candies, and sipped on fruity ice drinks called “razpados.” Some of us ended up with stomachaches because we ate too much, but otherwise we had a lot of fun.
We spent the next day at a town called Xochimilco, where we shopped at the town square buying many gifts for our friends and family back home. We had dinner as we sat on these bright, colored canoe-like boats called “chalupas,” which floated along a man-made canal. A musician played Spanish melodies on his guitar as he rode along with us on the boat.
Our plan for the next day was to visit an old town called Puebla, so that we could see the Toltec ruins. We traveled to Puebla by car. However, in order to reach the Toltec ruins we had to walk on foot for what seemed like miles. But it was worth it, for when we reached the top of the mountain, we encountered an ancient Toltec village. It looks today much as it did 1,000 years ago. It was abandoned 300 years before Cortes. In this village, there was a religious temple with many stone steps that you had to climb in order to reach it. I remember climbing all of those stone steps, one by one, and then entering into this amazingly ancient place overlooking the vast valley below. After a wonderful day of sightseeing, we arrived back to my family’s home exhausted and hungry. As we settled in for dinner, we were all struck by the news on radio that Elvis Presley had died. As a child, his death must have left an impression on me because I still remember the date. It was August 16, 1977, and I remember his death was big news in México. It was printed all over the Spanish newspaper and everyone there was talking about it.
As the last day of our trip came to a close, I was both saddened to be leaving a family that I might never see again, but also excited to be going back home to a familiar place. I can never thank my father enough for allowing us the opportunity to visit such a beautiful place, and although a lot of years have passed and I have not been back to visit Mexico City, I will always cherish the memories that I spent there as a child with my family.
[1] “I love you brother and I have missed you so much!”
[2] “How have you been, my brother? A lot of time has passed, but you look good!”
“Carnal, or “carnalito” is a term of endearment used as another form for “brother.”
[3] “Yes, I am well my brother. I am really excited to see you and your family! It is good you are here.”
posted by Spirituality4YourSoul at 4:27 PM
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