July 13th: A Day in Roma Norte & La Condesa

 Today I set out to explore Roma Norte and La Condesa. Considering my project is based on how different areas in Mexico have more or less evidence or Mexican culture, I felt that exploring these two neighborhoods would give me some perspective. Our group began our visit to Mexico in Puebla which felt full of culture, then we moved hotels and were located in El Centro in La Ciudad de Mexico which also felt rich in culture. Roma Norte and La Condesa, on the other hand, are notorious for being gentrified. 

Before making my way to Roma Norte, I stopped at La Artesanias Ciudadela. In all honestly, I thought that this market was located in Roma Norte, but it is located in the El Centro. The market was full of traditional Mexican artesans and vendors. From clothes, to jewelry, and houseware to souvenirs, there was something for everybody at this market. Prior to visiting Mexico, I was most excited about visiting all of the different markets in Puebla and Mexico City. It was definitely hard not to buy everything that caught my eye in this market, but I was grateful to experience walking through the market and talking with multiple different vendors. One vendor that I spoke with was an older woman, who's name I didn't get, but she helped me pick out a hair clip for my mom. After purchasing a hair clip, she gifted me two bracelets. One for me and one to give to my mom.

After leaving La Artesanias Ciudadela, my friend Van and I made our way over to La Condesa. Prior to visiting Mexico, I had no experience in navigating subways and bus systems. I had actually never been on a subway at all before this trip. Navigating Mexico's transportation was an experience in itself. The metro system was not hard to navigate and I think it would be beneficial for more large cities in North Carolina to utilize similar systems.

Van and I got off the bus in Roma Norte and walked through Parque Mexico. While walking through Roma Norte there was not nearly as much foot traffic as there was in El Centro of Mexico City until we arrived to Parque Mexico. There were many families and groups of friends enjoying the park, walking their dogs, riding bikes and taking photos. It was nice to see people out and about enjoying the weather and it was even more fun to see all the friendly and well trained animals. 

We finally made our way to La Condesa and met up with the rest of our group to celebrate a very special birthday! The restaurant that we stopped at was called Maizajo. When we got to the restaurant there was already a line forming which confirmed that the food was going to be good. We opted to not eat at the actual restaurant that had a separate menu, but we were still able to eat inside of the building. To my surprise, they also cooked the food right in front of us which was such a fun experience. Maizajo is also a Michellin recognized restaurant.

After making our way back to El Centro I was extremely tired and ready to go in for the night, but I met up with another one of my friends I made on this trip named Meghan and went out to search for food. By this time in our two week trip, I was very home sick which resulted in me getting some pizza from Pizza Hut. Eating some American food made me feel a little more connected to home. While I was eating my pizza, I actually thought about my students who are from different countries and haven't been in the US long. I wondered if they felt similarly about American Food. While I loved all the Mexican food I ate in Mexico City, I did begin to miss American Food a lot. After securing my food, I made my way to my hotel room and decided to wind down for the night. Overall, I had a very productive, fun, and celebratory day. I felt and still do feel extremely grateful to be a part of the 2026 CIDRE cohort.

July 10, Anthropology Museum & Modern Art Museum

Morning Activities:

I got up around 7 to shower and get ready to go to breakfast by 8. I had a delicious breakfast of bacon, yogurt, fruit, and orange juice. After breakfast, I had some downtime in my room before the group met up at 9am to begin walking to the subway 🚇 Luckily, the metro was only about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. The weather was also moderate which I enjoyed. At the Metro Station, we hopped the first car on the blue line. We rode 9 stops to Tacuba where we transferred to the orange line. 3 more stops then we got off at Auditorio to begin our walk to Museo Nacional de Anthropología.

 Video of the Metro

Entrance to the Museum of Anthropology

 Art when you first enter the museum

Museo Nacional de Antropologia:

We walked as a group to Museo Nacional de Antropologia in time for our 10:00 AM admission time. Our groups joined free tours in Spanish and English. I did the tour in Spanish to continue to better my Spanish. Although the tour only lasted an hour, I learned so much about Mexican history. Because the museum is huge, I didn't have time to walk the entire thing. I really enjoyed seeing original and restored pieces from both the Mishika (Aztec) and Mayan eras. 

 Beautiful mural

Ancient weaponry

 This caste made me think this person was of African descent

Resource map

 Ancient figures

Assortment of bones

I used Google Translate to live translate while my tour guide was speaking. Some highlights are:

She mentioned things like understanding how fashion and beauty practices insist that facial features are developing and unique but this does not apply to all Mexicans. 

From google translate: "And there's Mayan, like Palenque, like Tikal in Guatemala, like Yaxchilan in Mexico, it would be formed if the bulk of the population is the working social class. No we don't openly talk about slaves"

The museum also had a delicious cafe where I indulged in cheese soup and churros!

 

Museo de Arte Moderno: 

After concluding at Museo Nacional de Antropologia, Kianna and I walked through the park near the museum, picking up a few souvenirs. We then found a spot to sit and watch the World Cup on my phone until we were ready to meet up with other group members as the Museum of Modern Art. I absolutely loved this museum. It was unreal to see The Two Frida's up close. I was able to see all of the Modern Art Museum but I would happily return. 

 

Watching the World Cup while we wait to go to the Modern Art Museum.

 Interesting sculptures

Two Fridas

Alyssa Johnson

July 13th-Chapultepec Park and Lucha Libre

Three words to describe the day: historic, peaceful, and exciting. We walked through Chapultepec Park, explored Chapultepec Castle, and ended the evening cheering at a Lucha Libre match.

We had an early start on July 13, meeting at 7:30 a.m. before walking to the Isabel la Católica Metro Station. After a few stops, we arrived at Chapultepec Station and made our way through the beautiful Chapultepec Park. The park was full of people enjoying the morning—runners filled the trails, and a lively Zumba class. We were a little jealous and wanted to join in!

We met our guide, Fernando, who shared fascinating stories throughout our three-hour tour. We learned that Chapultepec Park is three times larger than New York City's Central Park. The name Chapultepec comes from Nahuatl, the language of the Mexica people, and means "Grasshopper Hill."

To reach Chapultepec Castle, we walked uphill for about 20 minutes. After gasping for breath and a restroom break, we toured the castle. The castle once served as the residence of Emperor Maximilian before becoming the National Museum of History. Inside, we explored paintings, historical documents, clothing, and furniture that tell the story of Mexico's past. Fernando also shared a fun fact: FIFA hosted an exclusive dinner at the castle before the 2026 World Cup. You can spend hours in the museum taking photographs of beautiful staircases, murals, stained glass windows, gardens and incredible views of the city. After the tour, we had a few hours to grab lunch and recharge before our evening adventure.

At 4:50 p.m., we met back at the hotel and headed to Roma Norte for Lucha Libre Night. Before the matches, we learned about the traditions behind this uniquely Mexican sport. Wrestlers play distinct roles: “técnicos” are the heroic, rule-following fan favorites, while “rudos” are the rule-breaking villains. Many luchadores wear colorful masks that represent their secret identities, and protecting those identities is an important part of the tradition. As a souvenir, we each received our Lucha Libre mask. 

The energy in the arena was contagious. The crowd cheered, booed, laughed, and celebrated every dramatic moment. It was the perfect way to end a day that was equal parts history, culture, and entertainment.

Tour of the City of Puebla!

 

Puebla, Mexico 

Today we explored the beautiful city of Puebla, wandering through its stunning cathedrals, browsing the vibrant local markets, and visiting the historic City Hall in the heart of the city. It was a great way to experience Puebla's rich history, impressive architecture, and lively culture, with every stop offering something unique to discover. To the left you will see the Basilica Cathedral of Puebla where we started our tour of the city! Gabby, our wonderful tour guide took us through the importance and history of this cathedral and how it has helped shaped the culture. Below will be more photos as we journeyed through the city of Puebla! 

Take the Tour with us! 

      
These are images from inside the cathedral that display some art, architecture, and the organs!

Here was our next stop on the tour, which was the Zocalo or town center where they have this three dimensional map of the city of Puebla! 

Here are a of the smaller stops on the way through the city! 

.                                     

We eventually made our way to the Palacio de Gobierno, The Government Palace. We were able to complete short tour of the spaces in which the politicians of Puebla meet and make decisions for the city.  

                                      

For our last stop, Gabby took us to the location of the El Parian Market in Puebla. This was such a beautiful city to visit and learn from!

-Kianna Johnson