More to Mexico than violence portrayed in US press

Mexico City
The Splendor is Back
By Jorge Chino

Bésame, bésame mucho
Como si fuera esta noche la última vez
Bésame, bésame mucho
Que tengo miedo a perderte, perderte otra vez…
—Consuelito Velázquez
On Valentine’s Day of this year, 40,000 people sang to the famous tune by Consuelo Velázquez, of “Bésame mucho,” and locked lips afterwards. Mexico City had set another world record. Considered by many a City of Palaces, Mexico City has a vast network of top-notch restaurants, delightful museums and trendy nightclubs. Built on a volcano-studded lake, the city lies nearly 8,000 feet up and is home to more than 25 million highly creative, industrious, colorful, romantic individuals with melodramatic tendencies.

Mexico City is a place that makes me laugh, think and cry, all at the same time. But that is another story. It has always been a cultural and entrepreneurial Mecca, the intellectual and power hub of the country. This city built on an oval-shape lake has been many cities throughout its history. As one of the largest urban centers of the Pre-Hispanic New World, it had a high degree of centralized planning, a common grid orientation, ceremonial avenues, and standardized temple complexes.

Often times, the much-publicized crime, flu and traffic, hides the real jewels that a city with more than 350 distinct neighborhoods can create, many of these neighborhoods were villages not too long ago, small towns swallowed up by the burgeoning metropolis. The smiling faces, the warm hearts, the hospitality you hardly see in news reports was everywhere for everyone to see.

The City of Palaces has been a place where many diverse communities have thrived, amongst them, the 50,000-strong orthodox Jews, who have become a global business powerhouse generating countless financial transactions from their luxurious offices in the elite cosmopolitan neighborrhood of Polanco. And, as people say there, when you are rich in Mexico, you’re insanely rich. And, the richest of all, Carlos Slim Helú, the pride and joy of the Mexican Lebanese community, is a Chilango, a Mexico City dude.

But you don’t need to be a millionaire to enjoy Mexico City: with just a few pesos in your pocket, you can view world-renowned art inside old buildings, wander through Aztec ruins in the heart of the city, and sip tequila at any bars of the cool bars in colonial Coyoacán, the neighborhood where Frida Kahlo used to live and paint.

Nikko Hotel Presidential Suite and Lounge, Mexico City

Back in September, Mexicana Airlines and a few government and trade entities brought journalists and travel agents from around the world for a taste and a touch of the city of grandeur, a city that is a brew of culture, tradition and sophistication. Visitors from Chicago stayed at the Nikko Hotel, a hotel with a stunning view of the Chapultepec Park’s nearly 1,700 acres of lawns and superior accommodations for business travelers and their families. From the Nikko Hotel, guests can walk to the gardens of Chapultepec, the Museo of Antropología e Historia, to the Auditorio Nacional, and a set of restaurants that is truly international.

El Gran Hotel de la Ciudad de México is another place you don’t want to miss when visiting Mexico-Tenochtitlán. Its building evokes the elegance, the grandeur of 19th century and early 20th art nouveau decoration. It features panoramic elevators and a beautiful Tiffany stained glass ceiling from the French Jacques Gruber. The view from El Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico is an imposing spectacle, a place where Mexico history and culture come together. This is a point of reference, of ritual in the heart of Mexico City.

Chicago Visitors with Tour Guide Sonia Waldo Licea (fourth, left to right)

From the hotel’s terrace, visitors can see the Metropolitan Cathedral and its sun-bathed baroque and neoclassical façade. On a Friday afternoon, my fellow tour visitors and I entered the ethereal half-light of cathedral and enjoyed looking at its five separate naves, its chapels and its revealing religious paintings. Looking at its Altar of Forgiveness, the Altar of Kings and its many murals was like traveling through centuries of outstanding architecture and historical events.

With Gregorian chants were still reverberating in my head as I walked around the Cathedral towards El Templo Mayor. I came back to the 21st century when I passed by the Aztec dancers performing next to a scale model of El Templo Mayor. The dancing dark bodies were enveloped in a cloud of smoke from the incense. The rhythmic beating of drums and the ankle-rattles of the dancers was the perfect background music to listen to while looking at the artifacts unearthed by the excavations at archeological site.

In 1521, Hernán Cortés found a city of splendor, and certainly set off a culture clash. The Spanish brought with them their beautiful Spanish language, their tile buildings, cobblestone streets and plazas. They one city and created a magnificent city that merged two different visions of the world; a Spanish perspective that looked inwards as in their religious temples and the ancient one looking outwards from the top of the ceremonial pyramids.

Our last evening in the city, we all had to go to dinner at Restaurante Aguila Real, located in the warm heart of the city. The torrential rain that precipitated over the city brought the traffic to a standstill. Being inside a bus for almost two hours in a trip that would normally take twenty minutes was not comforting, especially when getting off was not an option. The pouring rain was too heavy for us to even try to get there walking. Frogs, snakes and crocodiles were expected to fall from the grey sky at any moment while being stuck inside an enormous elephant that seemed to be tied to a tree.

Banda was the only music in the driver’s repertoire and there were no storytellers in the house. I knew we all were hungry when someone began munching on a chocolate chip cookie and everyone started starring at her. Unable to penetrate the traffic ahead of us, our old elephant took a left turn and went north, then took another left turn to go west for several blocks; then, it took yet another turn to go south and another one to go east again. Unlike the cities in the north, downtown Mexico City was a swarm of activity and many stores and restaurants were opened for business. Despite the deluge and the slow traffic, our elephant was moving; it seemed like a miracle.

We were about to loose hope of ever getting to our destination when driver José announced that we had arrived. The bus let us off right at the corner and we only had to walk a few steps to the restaurant door. A line of servers extended from the door to the stairs that lead to the main dining area on the second floor. The smiling faces and the words of welcoming made us feel right at home. The restaurant’s ambiance was of such enthusiasm that felt like we had arrived at a paralleled world, a different one from the chaotic one outside. All of the sudden, all the problems, all the anxiety evaporated in a matter of seconds with the servers’ clapping at our arrival. The smell of good food, the smiles and the sound of a real 18-member mariachi made us feel like we were home. We had reached paradise; happiness entered our bodies as we sat at a table, and food and drinks began arriving. By the third tequila, my ears got warm and Mexico’s charm began working like magic.

That Sunday night at Restaurante Aguila Real, housed in an elegant building with a colonial façade, and walls of wood, quarry and volcanic rock, the restaurant was fascinating. Once the tequila, the wine and the food began arriving, the conversation turned into music, films, the succulent plates being served; the troubles of the difficult world seemed too far behind to be able to remember them. The Colombians, the Venezuelans, the Cubans, the Londoners, the Canadians were toasting to their good fortunes, celebrating as if there was no past nor future, only the moment at hand. Without a doubt, it was the Mexican hospitality that has no comparison around the globe.

Mexico Alive
Mexico Welcomes You With Open Arms

There is a lot more to Mexico than the violence the media likes to portray the land South of the border. Experts predict that more than three (3) million people will move to Mexico within the next ten years. Do you want to know why? Because, whether you like its beautiful beaches, its delicious food, its secure environments, its relaxed atmosphere, and an affordable cost of living, Mexicans are the most welcoming people on the planet.

In a place like Puerto Vallarta and San Miguel de Allende, you will be surrounded by artists, poets, and musicians. In Mexico you can practice your painting, writing, cooking, yoga, dancing, massage, sports, and other recreational activities. You can even start the business you always wanted to be in. Thousands of people have started new businesses creating new jobs, taxes for municipalities and a more diverse and exciting environment.

In Mexico, you can reinvent yourself and live in a place near the ocean. Your life can acquire a new meaning, a new purpose by challenging yourself to learn new skills, new perspectives and even a new language. Places like Punta de Mita or Nuevo Vallarta on the Pacific Ocean or Playa del Carmen on the Riviera Maya are populated by people like yourself, talented individuals who can appreciate the finer things in life.

Foreigners are attracted to these places places because it has a secure environment with temperate climate, affordable cost of living, and you can even afford to be adventurous. There are over 50,000 Americans living on the shores of Lake Chapala. The first inhabitants of the lake have been indigenous people, who first viewed the lake area as a “healing place,” a source of energy to inspire their lives.

But there are also educational opportunities for those who are looking to broaden their perspectives. “Our daughter is now going to University in Morelia and she is extremely happy,” says Suzanne Marie Bandick. There are presently more than three million English speakers living in Mexico, people who have been welcomed with open arms.