Right now it is 6 pm and a symphony of sounds is coming from my hotel window over looking the plaza.  The soldiers are lowering the flag to the accompaniment of military drums and trumpets.  Then to one side of the plaza are dancers dressed in Aztec costumes complete with feather headdresses dancing to the beat of Aztec drums.  At the same time, the bells of the Metropolitan Cathedral are chiming while the cars that circle the plaza are honking.  The acoustics of the plaza are such that all of these sounds are LOUD.  Last evening we were  blasted by celestial new age music while throngs of people mingled around displays for an astronomy fair. 

Today we started at the Museum of Modern Art which featured just Mexican artists.  I confess that these are not my favorite artists so I breezed through the permanent collection of Riveras, Orozocos, and Siqueiros and spent my time instead in a special exhibit of the work of Alan Glass, a Canadian born artist who has lived in Mexico City since the 1960's.  Glass makes assemblages in the manner of Joseph Cornell except Glass' are bigger and edgier.  The exhibit contained a great many works, and each piece contained lots of stuff to digest - toward the end I was getting overdosed!  I did not take pictures but found the two examples below on-line.  Glass also does incredibly detailed surrealistic watercolors and drawings that contain a wealth of minutes images inspired by a very imaginative mind.


Glass, Memory                                                                     Glass, The Vineyard

Next we visited the Rufino Tamayo Museum of Contemporary Art where I found their permanent collection of international modern art more to my liking.  Both of these museums are in a large park, Chapultepec Park, one of the largest parks in the world.  It was a gorgeous, cloudless and warm day so the park with filled with families, street performers, and vendors offering an array of food, toys, souvenirs, clothings, etc.  Often vendors have displays of Mexican wrestlers' masks like these.



In a few minutes I will begin packing in preparation for the bus trip to San Miguel de Allende tomorrow.  Some reflections on Mexico City include:
*Although the buildings are dirty from pollution, the streets and subways are litter free.  Many street cleaners can be observed everywhere.
*The subway system is efficient and very easy to use - only 2 pesos (less than 20 cents) per ride.  Vendors on the subways peddle everything from snacks, to CDs to flash lights and nail clippers!
*The people are very friendly.  We were approached several times and asked in English if we needed help finding our way.
*In 2010, Mexico will celebrate the centennial of its Independence.  The country is already preparing for the event, and in the plaza is a big clock counting down the days.