Notes on a trip to Puebla area, Xalapa anthropology museum, Oaxaca area, Mexico City national museum, and Acapulco.
This is a report on my travel to the cities of Puebla and Oaxaca in June of 1999, and account of visits to museums and sites of ancient civilizations. Information from these first-hand experiences are shared in my Introduction to Latin American Culture/Civilization classes. I came away from this experience rich in background on Olmec, Zapoteca, Totonaca, and Tlatilco cultures in Eastern and southern regions of Mexico.
Arrived in Puebla on the evening of June 23, one week after a strong earthquake impacted many historic buildings in this area. Checked into Hotel del Portal and had late dinner in the "Max" restaurant in the hotel, which faces the main plaza downtown. To the right of Max (a gathering place for politicians and journalists) was the municipal government building, currently blocked to access or entry because of earthquake damage.
Next morning, breakfast again in Max, arranged tours for next day, then walked over to cathedral on opposite side of plaza from municipal building. This is an incredible building begun in 1575 by order of King Felipe of Spain, and boasts the tallest towers of any cathedral in Mexico. The guide told of a ghost story from the 18th century, that one of the tower bells disappeared, and guards were jailed for this, then the bell suddenly returned, with the aid and appearance of an angel. Hence the name "Puebla de los ángeles." This is in fact, probably the only city actually constructed from scratch by the Spaniards. There was originally in the area a native or Indian village nearer Cholula, but Spaniards chose a different site. Now, one of the cathedral towers is cracked all the way down now, due to this earthquake.
The cathedral is huge, with many chapels inside, about half of the area blocked off now due to the earthquake, but the massive organ is still visible, something built completely here on this continent in the early 1600s. The main chapel area has a painting with the Virgen prominent, also to either side of her paintings of the volcanoes that make Puebla famous. I bought a cassette from the guide which narrates the Cathedral history.
The next day I had my own personal guide (since tourism was down) to two different sites: First Cholula, a famous pyramid site with a huge church placed right on top; then Cacaxtla, a more recent discovery&emdash;a pyramid with the greatest/largest BASE of any in Mexico--not tallest, just largest base, which is essentially all that remains.
The University of the Americas is on the way from Puebla to Cholula, an interesting, self-contained compound. As we came upon the pyramid site (essentially looks like a hill or small mountain to the left of the highway into Cholula, I noticed primarily the huge "manicomio" built into the side of the mountain. It read "1910" in its huge sign. There was a path just above the asylum, where you could walk to access the tunnels, dug into the pyramid in recent years to discover whatever was underneath (although no treasure was found). Now, however, no access was permitted to the tunnels since the earthquake. I looked down into the manicomio wondering if I would see anyone. This must be the place Angeles Mastretta describes in her novel which her protagonist visits as the governor's wife, and then decides to rescue two women. My guide pointed out on the other side of the highway from the manicomio, the remnants of smaller pyramids. I took pictures but the structures are only visible as partially uncovered steps, while alongside there is a colony of shacks built by the poor. This community is essentially built on top of an earlier (pre-Hispanic) main portion of the city.
We drove on to get behind the hill, where the only uncovering of the main pyramid has occurred. We were also on the other side of the railroad tracks which dissect the ancient city. An opening is created to climb up one side of the pyramid to the huge church built right on top. Postcards are made of this site&emdash;an ancient temple with a huge, golden-domed church plopped on top, with the Popocatépetl volcano in the background. Now, tourists can no longer climb up because they say the church is severely damaged, being on top of another structure made it very insecure. As for me, they could knock down the church and finish displaying the ancient pyramid. Of course, they would have to move the asylum, which is essentially built into the side of the pyramid, probably with some of the original bricks as a base. I felt an incredible wave of sadness as I stood on the railroad tracks looking at this one-fourth of the pyramid visible. In the other direction had been other pyramids or temples, the guide pointed out, which now looked like hills. One hill had been cut through to permit the highway to continue. Probably the rest of the indigenous structures will never be revealed, because the community lives on top of and in this area. Cholula is 2000 yrs. old and was the city nearest Teotihuacán when the Spaniards were arriving, with a population of more than 100,000. The city leaders feasted and made Hernán Cortés comfortable, then he slaughtered the majority of the population and destroyed the contents of the temples. Later the Catholic church was built on top of the principal temple site. Now, Puebla--which was built to supplant the indigenous capital of Cholula--is said to have a church for every day of the year. But my guide told me there are really only 138 churches in Puebla, and then if you count the chapels within the churches, there is indeed one for every day of the year. We drove to the main plaza of Cholula, where the cathedral, not a tall but a very wide structure, has 49 bóvedas, nine deep by nine wide. This structure was also closed off because of recent earthquake damage.
We then traveled to the nearby communities of Tonantzintla and Acatepec, where the churches are especially folkloric, or examples of the people's roots. Tonanzintla is incredible, I was able to get inside for a few minutes, despite its being cordoned off for earthquake damage. "Baroque" does not even begin to explain this style, the small church is so chock full of painted designs and porcelain figures all over the walls and ceiling. It is especially colorful, all colors of the rainbow, and it is said the paints were done with dyes made from native plants by the indigenous. I bought a huge post card that demonstrates well the interior of this small church. An old woman, hunched over in her posture, was sweeping the inside of the building. Apparently the locals do not fear possible further falling of chunks of the building due to earthquake damage. The caretaker, an older man, sneaked me in and showed me the interior, asking in return for money for a "refresco" (soda) for his trouble.
In Acatepec I was not able to go inside the church, which is nearly replete with color and artistic design as what I just saw.
The guide then took me, in Tlaxcala direction, to the site of Cacaxtla, which from the distance is apparent on a hillside by the huge roof (like a pole building) built on top of the pyramid (base) to protect it and the mural paintings from sun damage. When we got to the visitor area up the hill, cars and tour buses had a parking area, and one had to continue on foot to the ticket booth and then walk up the hill to the covered site. There were several stands and peddlers in the parking area, selling snacks and crafts, followed by public restrooms, followed by the ticket booth and above it a small museum and store. From there the path continued a considerable distance around and up to the site. It felt that I was away from modern civilization as I walked into this area. Two smaller structures were on the lower ground, protected with a fence around them. Then I began walking up a crude stairway that wound its way to the top of the hill, where a guard took your ticket before entering the covered site. A group of high school students was leaving as I came in and, once inside, I was the only one there. It was near the lunch hour, and a weekday, which probably made it possible for me to be alone. But it also afforded me a very special and spiritual experience; I felt I was alone with the old spirits.
I followed the rigidly delineated pathway around (essentially on top of) the structure; the pathway was made of plywood, I assume setting on top of the ancient structure. Once I got to the back from where I had come in, there was an incredible view downward to a valley and then another hillside with another pyramid on top, this one not covered by a roof. I immediately wanted to visit that site also (Xochitécatl), but knew I would not have time, as the tour guide said he would return for me in an hour and a half. I continued walking and the slope went down a little where one could peer into a cavernous area that was divided by a wall with a latticed window. It was somewhat large, maybe 4x4 feet, and the sign stated it was the only such sculpted window discovered in the ruins of ancient American civilizations (however, I know there are many lattice examples in Central America). I continued walking, and as I turned to the right, saw to my left an entire mural wall that must have been apparent from where I had been walking but I had not noticed. The pictures, the story on the wall, was mainly in blues and reds, seeming to depict warriors and a celebration, and was about 30 ft. long. Some of the top of the mural was crumbled. This is what the 20th century pole-building roof was protecting. Because of all the covering and protection, the mural could not be appreciated from a distance away.
But there was more. As I walked past the mural and further to the right, then down a few steps, I discovered a fenced area protecting four murals on columns that must have been central and prominent, in a hallway or room, in the ancient temple. The murals depict feminine and masculine figures, seeming to tell a story associated with rain and agriculture. There was one final area to discover, climbing up several steps one was then able to look down into a small, open plaza area with four sides with steps leading up to my level, then side doors I guess into the chambers (perhaps bedrooms). All ancient structures seem to have this type of plaza or open, communal area, some with more than one, with rooms leading off from the plaza. Cacaxtla was founded by descendants of Olmecs, who seemed to mix with other peoples in this area and at some point even spoke Náhuatl. This city, or pyramid site, is said to have reached its height (apogeo) in 600 A.D. The site was discovered in 1978 and opened to the public only in 1992.
After this visit I felt much better spiritually than during my visit to Cholula. Returning to Puebla I found lunch in a small cafe (and my first sampling of Puebla mole), and then went to the Museo Amparo to see what it might teach me about these sights. I immediately discovered that it was much too large for me to do in the 2 hours left until closing time. I returned again the next day so that I could spend several more hours.
Apparently this museum is named after the wife of the guy who founded the University of the Americas, who wanted to make a donation and give back to Puebla. However, it is a government museum run by INAH. With three floors, several wings and numerous rooms, it contains an incredible amount of figures and pottery from very early pre-Hispanic to colonial times. A first wing, with a large array of pottery and tapestry, traced the native/indigenous connection with Navajo and other New Mexico peoples.
The figures that impressed me most from this region and the Veracruz-area, were the Tlatilco figures. They have such a way of standing (always standing) with comical expressions on their faces, and they all have very wide thighs.
There was incredible activity in previous centuries in the Altiplano area&emdash;consisting of Puebla state, the state of Mexico and into the Oaxaca area: the Olmec, then the Huasteca, Tlatilco, some Maya, then Totihuacán and finally Mexica all established this area. Seems to have been a travel-through of many influences. The gulf coastal (Atlantic) and north is Totonaca area, where outstanding images are of the figuras sonrientes. Also, the Totonaca have various types of women figures, more than I have seen for the Maya or Olmec.
Now, Puebla may only have a little over a hundred churches, but they make up for it in ex-convents, as these numerous structures are called. Some are used for schools, for museums, even for hotels. The idea of ex'ing a convent dates back to Benito Juárez and the outlawing of Catholic religion. While that part didn't take, it did loosen the church's power, and some of its properties. I visited the Ex-Convento de Santa Rosa, the place they say mole was invented (which is not likely since Oaxaca's mole dates further back). The kitchen in this museum is a beautiful preservation with its fireplaces, tables, dishes and Talavera tile throughout the room. Another room showed the numerous types of pottery, and all the different ollas (cooking vessels) for preparing foods, deep ones, swallow ones, etc., each designed for a specific type of dish. Pueblans love to tell the story that here is the kitchen where supposedly a nun invented mole to create something special for a visiting bishop. Another room in this ex-convent displays numerous weaving styles from the region&emdash;newer works follow ancient indigenous designs.
I was amazed by the Capilla del Rosario, with a beautiful central chapel and several other elaborate chapels, of which the most amazing is dedicated to the Virgen del Rosario. It sparkles and is completely chock full of gold-embossed, Baroque decoration in every nook and cranny of the walls and sloped ceiling. It was breathtaking.
There were many other beautiful buildings in the historic area, some with sculptured designs all around the building, the churches with figures and busts on each floor of the outside of the building. The Concordia, formerly a chuch but now part of one of the colleges, was incredibly damaged on one side including the tower. Each time I passed through this area, I often saw a group of people standing on the sidewalk staring up at the huge fissure crack that went from the top of the tower nearly to the base. Workers had put some type of wire/cord across from one building to hold it. The fame of this building is that the China Poblana is buried here.
Puebla in 1985 was named by the OAS one of the sites of national patrimony, therefore receives more funds to protect old buildings. Before I left, I heard that Spain was sending a large amount of funds to restore earthquake-damaged historic buildings in this gorgeous city. After only four days, I left for Xalapa in the state of Veracruz.
Xalapa, which made a political statement along with several other cities in Mexico in the late 70s of going back to an X in its name like its ancient indigenous name Xallapan (rather than continuing the Spanish use of Jalapa), was only one of 4 cities closely connected (by politics and causeways) at the time of the Spaniards' arrival, but its name was chosen for "the" city the Spaniards founded. Coffee drinks are excellent here, even cold ones, and some they call "exotic" for their various flavorings. People seem to drink coffee all the time. Many coffee shops have their own grinder in the restaurant, and sell the whole bean too. I found the city as lively as ever but more polluted than it was when I spent a summer here six years earlier, and especially more crowded. Even the bus station seemed less friendly and served less good food than I remembered. The running track near downtown was still there and avidly used, but gone were the wonderful gardenias I remembered along the side path. All of the bushes are still there, but they are scraggly, with no blooms at all. They had had a rain shortage the previous year, and rainy season was so far late arriving. In fact, during my week there it only rained once, and in Puebla it had rained almost every day.
The used bookstore, La rueca de Gandí, was still there, and I bought 12 books for 129 pesos, a little more than a dollar a book. That was great. Could have bought more, but hated to carry the weight. A new "Diego Rivera", tiny museum was open, due to a donation left the university by someone deceased. It had some older pieces of his, one interesting view of the Pico de Orizaba. Another of Angelina Beloff in 1909, and another of Lupe Marín, looking somewhat mean, but I think meant to be realistic.
But what I really came to Xalapa for was the anthropology museum; it was excellent as ever. I also found several books in the museum store on Olmec culture. Here I realized that Olmec figures that have been preserved are constructed only of stone, no pottery or ceramic figures. And these are huge figures, always sitting or inclining, so that their backs show strong and powerful. They seem to be thoughtful rulers. Now the Totonaca figures tend to sit with their arms resting on uprised knees or on their legs. They have pointed noses, while the Olmec noses are chatos. I spent the entire day here; after lunch, as I sat resting and listening to a guard tell me stories of how he and his village got involved in politics and fighting the PRI in the early 80s, I looked behind him and across the room at the power Olmec figures and wondered if they listened to us, and inspired us in our contemporary lives.
This museum has many of the figuras sonrientes, smiling Totonaca figures. Several sit in swings; they must have been a very happy, comfortable people. All of these figures are found only in Veracruz. Eventually theirs and the Huastecas' civilization was overcome by Teotihuacán and then the Mexica.
On Friday night before I left I heard live Jarocha music from a three-man band in a coffee shop, where I was having an iced, mocha capuccino. They sang a long ballad about a gay son whose father wants to make him a macho. The chorus kept repeating "no se puede corregir la naturaleza" (nature cannot be corrected).
I left on Saturday at 3pm for Puebla&emdash;that bus station is very dirty and unfriendly people, and the food was terrible. I had a 45min.layover, then boarded a bus for Oaxaca. Soon we started climbing into the mountains, the scenery was beautiful, but unfortunately it was soon dark and I could see no more. Then it started raining and kept on for hours, even hailing at times, as the driver somehow handled the curves and mountain passes very well. We came into the city at 11:30pm, the bus station sits atop a hill and looks down into the breathtaking lights and valley of the city below. The next morning the streets were quiet at 8:30am (since it was Sunday) as I walked the 9 blocks from my first hotel to the main plaza where I found a new hotel and information on tours. I was able to breakfast and catch the tour van at 10 for Mitla.
Mitla is a good 40 miles south of Oaxaca, we passed the turnoff to Benito Juárez birthplace (and a huge billboard announcing the same) on the way, and stopped at the site of a 2000 year-old cypress or "ahuehuete"&emdash;an incredible beauty. Across the street from it was a distillery for mezcal, apparently well-known, with a large photograph on their wall of Pres.Ernesto Zedillo when he came to visit and sampled the mezcal.
Also on the way, the guides pointed out the figures drawn on the mountainside&emdash;figuras rupestres, or ancient cave drawings. Artefacts found in the caves in this region, one said, show that there was a population here 10,000 yrs. ago, the same time as the early ones in New Mexico, and in fact, they are related, it is thought they migrated from northern country. Therefore, Zapotec ancestors are that old. (They are called Yagul.) Now, there are only 16 different languages and ethnic groups in Chiapas and Oaxaca&emdash;40% of the Oaxaca population is indigenous.
The Mitla ruins are small but impressive. Interior rooms off each plaza or patio all intricately decorated with the famous inlay Mitla design. The center patio of the principal structure we saw had drainage for rain water from the patio, so it would never collect in their homes. Also, huge columns in this building are very impressive. There are/were four buildings around a large plaza, but only one is opened up, the others covered with growth with the exception of one opened partially at the base, and one can go down below to see the tombs (or spaces for burial) underneath. Family members were buried in, or below, their homes, and often tombs were opened back up, and other family members added later. The entrances are only about 3 ft. tall, so one has to crouch incredibly low to enter, then can stand up. Across from this area a church is built with some of the bricks from this structure.
It was Sunday, the day of the market, so we went to the village to see the huge "Indian" market that is mounted. Everything was sold there: food ready to eat, produce, and hunks of meat to take home. Tamales made with mole, and with other chiles. Fresh cheeses, and baking chocolate. All kinds of home wares, pottery, clothing, and blankets. The Indians seem to enjoy the social element too, all visiting and talking to each other. I bought a rebozo, Zapotec style. It is black with some lighter tinge in the design (which reminded me of the grecos at Mitla), and quite warm. Also had some guaæábana ice cream, it was more like an icee.
The guides took us to a mezcal factory to sample different types, all fruit flavors, some even tasted like brandy or kahlua. They all seem rather sweet, and several are supposed to be aprodisiacs. I bought a bottle of apple flavor, although considered the raspberry also. Apparently, mezcal is native to this region like tequila is to Jalisco.
Returned at 2:30 and went to lunch, wanting to try Oaxacan mole. "La Casa de la Abuela," upstairs above the main zócalo, was highly recommended. It was lovely, with balconies opening out to the plaza, tablecloths and warm décor. I discovered Rocío sitting there, the hotel sales person from Mérida whom I met at the La Fonda restaurant in Xalapa. We enjoyed a long, leisurely lunch as the rain poured heavily outside. I had chiles rellenos made with chile pasilla, a hotter version than the standard green. Accompanied by guacamole, beans, and thick tortillas. She had the chicken with mole. We had had two beers, then coffee, and it was still raining. The museum was only open from 5 to 7, and it was already 5:30 so I left in the rain, running between building openings. It was only light rain by then. The Santo.Domingo former convent is the Museo Regional for Oaxaca. I had been told it was a beautiful building. Next door is the cathedral, also exquisite inside.
The museum has huge, arched hallways with large windows looking out to the very green hillside and mountains that surround Oaxaca. It is very green and a beautiful place. I only had time to view the contents of two of the tombs from Monte Albán, of which many are displayed here: vast amounts of jewelry, made from gold, silver, stones, jade and shells. Also figurines. There are many steles, announcing events or making statements, taken from Monte Albán, and large, human figure statues.
I walked afterward through the streets, which are more pleasant than Xalapa, and more tranquil. I thought about Cosijo, the name of the rain god in Zapotec, which I had just learned. His spirit seemed to permeate the city.
The next day the guides picked us up at 10am to head to Monte Albán. I had no idea ahead of time how very HUGE this area would be, much more it seems than El Tajín or Teotihuacán. A true metropolis, you could walk for hours from one hillside top across to another, to another, all containing remnants of buildings. Of course, the Mixteca built on to this area, or at least used it for a burial ground, long after the Zapotecs moved on.
I climbed some of the pyramids, essentially bases of former temples and buildings&emdash;not really pyramids like in the Egypt sense because there was no conical type structure, there are always plazas or patios in the center, with stairs on 4 sides, and lots of rooms off the patios, sometimes another set of stairs and rooms. What we see now are only the bases of former buildings. There was often a temple at the top, and the dead were buried beneath the patios. As we walked or climbed, we squished thousands of light green worms, about an inch long. But there were hundreds more at each new structure.
Monte Albán is 40% reconstructed, some of the steles are copies and isntalled there, while the originals are kept in museums. The original murals of the dancing figures on one structure are the highlight at this site, but I don't understand how they do not become further eroded since they are not covered. The guide said that as the city of Oaxaca grows (Mt. Albán is in the highlands just outside Oaxaca) and pushes out to the hills, workers opening land often find stone portions of houses and tombs hidden under the overgrowth. The tombs have remained best preserved because they were underground. I would like to have stayed here for hours, but after the tour of the site they gave us only an hour to walk around and also visit the museum. With only 15 minutes left I entered the museum and found it had quite a few pieces, steles, huge statues, jewelry and pottery. The descriptions were also thorough, unlike at other sites. I went to the store for a complete book on Monte Albán, which I found, but also discovered a Cdrom on ancient civilizations, created by INAH.
That afternoon had lunch at Mi Casita, another restaurant above the zócalo, which was said to be the best for mole. I had an ensalada de nopalitos with fresh tortillas which were excellent, then the black, rich mole with some chicken and rice. I was so full that it helped to walk and visit one of the busy markets afterward, an entire building of booths and stalls. There are several of these markets in the downtown area. They sell the black mole in plastic backs to take with you. Also white cheeses and Oaxacan coffee, ground or in beans, and mezcal and pure vanilla in bottles. I then looked for a bookstore the guide recommended, where the local teachers buy their educational items, and perused videos of ancient civilizations&emdash;most were in the style where you are more aware of the archaeologist or narrator than the artefacts. But I found one that was less self-aware of its narrator with very good close-ups and specifics. It is difficult to find these items in Spanish in the States. And this one starts with the Olmecs and continues the story.
Then I visited the Rufino Tamayo museum, the only one open on Monday (because it is private), all government museums close on Mondays. This was the painter's private collection, acquired from throughout Mexico. It was opened in 1974. There is an incredible amount of figurines and large figures, mostly pre-classic but from several regions or states: Colima, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz, Tabasco. No description, however, just a notation of era and location. It had been a long day; I felt very tired but did not want to leave, I was so inspired by the beautiful pieces I had seen in only three days' time. It was 7pm and raining lightly. I sat and rested on a bench in their patio area, sheltered against the wall. I had to leave the next day and really could have used several more days in Oaxaca.
I walked back, some 12 blocks to the zócalo, where I sat at one of the restaurant portales and had a donut and cup of Oaxacan hot chocolate. It was still raining. People ran or walked by with newspapers or Hefty bags held over their heads. Many peddlers came by. A little boy came up close to my ear and started singing a song. It was a romantic song; he was well instructed in how to charm. I asked him for a song that children sing and he thought hard, then came up with one. Other peddlers swarmed after I paid him, so I hurried to leave. This is the loveliest plaza I have ever been.
The next day, July 6, I returned to Mexico City, this time by plane (my trip began by bus from the Mexico City airport to Puebla). I arrived a day ahead of the conference I needed to attend, so that I could spend some time at the Museo Nacional de Arte, where the visiting exhibit was of paintings--huge paintings done in the first two decades after Spanish conquest of the Mexica empire. The paintings were incredible political statements: an early painting of Moctezuma looking royal, then another where he looks like a captive. A painting of Indians being baptized, they are on their knees in the foreground of a church with the priest to the right. They look small, and are nearly naked. In the background stand several Spaniards looking on; they are richly, heavily attired and in size seem to tower over the others. Several of he first paintings of the Guadalupe apparition were also represented in this exhibit, and some first maps and paintings of the new Mexico City, as drawn up by the Spaniards. These large paintings had been collected from different sources and cities in Europe and Mexico; I would have liked to purchase the book on the special exhibit, but alas it was 60 dollars. I bought a bookmark of two primary figures in the center of a larger painting: Hernán Cortés is kissing Moctezuma on the cheek and looking up into his eyes, while M's eyes are shut. Intriguing. The exhibit was titled "El Origen del Reino de la Nueva España."
Additional trip:
Two months later, happening to be in Mexico City again, I took a side trip to Acapulco because I wanted to learn more about the route to the Pacific out of the famous old port of Acapulco. The museum there was excellent, called El Fuerte de San Diego, the former fort that defended the bay from invaders. The fort at one point was taken over and used by rebels in the early days of the Mexican Revolution. I bought a booklet that describes it and its contents (the museum contains, in several small rooms, artefacts created by the indigenous, books and cooking utensils form the colonial era, a wagon from the revolution days), and also made the following notes:
I learned that "pichilingues" comes from the Dutch word for pirates. In 1660 the Dutch captured the city and fort and held it for a few months. That word is seen all over the place, as names of restaurants, hills, neighborhoods, etc. I also learned a lot about the commerce/travel between the Philippines (named after King Felipe, 1527-1598), where products were sent by boat to Acapulco, then were transported by land across Mexico to the port of Veracruz and traveled by boat to Spain. In the Philippines boats exchanged silver from the Americas for marble, spices, porcelain and silk (the latter two coming from mainland China to the Philippines). China at that time prohibited having embassies from other countries on their land, they distrusted strangers, but the Portuguese and Japanese had established trade relations since the 1550s. The Spaniards who had come looking for gold and other riches in the "East" found them in the Americas, and exchanged some in the Philippine islands, and then found commerce with China and a mostly unprotected Pacific coastline from which to trade for three centuries.
Historical Note: the French pirates ruled in the Pacific the first half of the 1500s, and the English (with the Dutch) from 1560 to 1660, which means it was a dangerous route from the Filipinas to Acapulco. Another Note: the rejas del coro, grille gates in the chorus area of the cathedral in Mexico City, was fabricated in the Filipinas. This Acapulco museum was quite a find! But I also learned cultural history items from the guides and taxi driver.
Downtown Acapulco is also replete with history and political events in the nation from the revolution to some of the significant actions of presidents, so much more than other Pacific coast cities, which have no museums. I thoroughly recommend this museum to students. Wish I had had time to also explore Taxco, which is along route from Mexico City to Acapulco.
Elizabeth Coonrod Martínez, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Modern Languages &
Literatures
Sonoma State University