Visiting the Place Where We Were Born, Mexico City!

by Patricia Vera Cantu
(Phoenix, Arizona)

This summer my husband and I decided to take our three girls to Mexico City. They have lived all their lives in the United States but the first two were born there. The idea of being tourists in our own country sounded amazing. There is so much to do, so much to learn and of course, so much to eat!

We loved to hear them practice their Spanish, little by little they became more confident. Our first stop was the Dolores Olmedo Museum. The girls ran all over the grounds, where they could chase peacocks, and got to see the only Mexican native dog, the xoloscuincle. We took pictures under giant cactus called magueyes, and got to see some really famous paintings by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo.

The next day we went to Xochimilco, where you can choose from hundreds of colorful boats called trajineras, and they take you for a ride through the canals. We were lucky enough to have the company of the girls' great grandmother. These boats have women's names, and we were lucky to find one for almost every girl in our family. We found one called Patricia, Tania,Graciela and Mariana. The only one we couldn't find was Gabriela for my youngest one. So we let her decide on which one we would go and she chose Reyna de Corazones (Queen of Hearts).

Another day we took them to the most amazing site, the Teotihuacan Pyramids! They are huge, almost 300 steps to the top. There are two pyramids, the Sun and the Moon. The Aztecs found them next to the completely abandoned city. It remains a mystery to this day.

On our last day we went to the great Anthropology Museum, they have every sculpture the Aztecs and Mayans made. We learned so much, they were exhausted because it's a big museum, but they had a really good time.

We made an excellent decision, it is so important for our children to know their country,its history and traditions. Mexico City is a great destination for family fun. People there are kind and helpful. The food is amazing and there is so much to do, we'll need to go back!