Elizabeth and I took several trips to Mexico starting in 1986, usually with the kids. We went by ourselves to the Yucatan in 1986, made 3-4 trips to Mexico City (at least: once alone, once with David and Dora and once with just Dora), all 4 of us went to Oaxaca (from Mexico City) and Ensenada (from Palo Alto).
I seem not to have any pictures from Ensenada, and at most one from Oaxaca (of Monte Alban), below are pictures from Mexico City and the Yucatan. These are really nice pictures, but they don't really capture the charm of Mexican street life, culture and cultural institutions, which are a much bigger attraction for us in Mexico, especially Mexico City.
Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan. Teotihuacan, outside of Mexico City, is in my top 5 most-amazing places I've ever been.
Dora and Elizabeth climbing the Pyramid of the Sun.
From the Pyramid of the Moon, showing the Avenue of the Dead and Pyramid of the Sun.
This one is from our first trip to Mexico City. I had the standard chicken dish at the nearby restaurant La Gruta. Elizabeth had the same dish, but mine must have been really bad. By the end of the bus trip back to Mexico City I was getting really sick. For a few days, I was as sick as I've been in my life. Elizabeth was ready to take me to the hospital.
Elizabeth thinks this must be from Monte Alban.
Our first trip to Mexico was to the Yucatan in 1986 (just Elizabeth and me). Mostly we stayed at the not-quite developed yet beach resort of Aventuras Akumal on the "Mayan Riviera" (now a major destination, not then).
On our visit to the amazing Chichen-Itza, I wanted the traditional picture of us sitting on Chac Mool, with the big pyramid behind us. So I handed the camera to a random Italian tourist, and asked if he would do it. As he was about to snap, he stopped: sun going behind a cloud. Then, when the sun came out, he didn't like how many people were climbing the pyramid, and where they were positioned. Etc. Etc. Finally he took the picture. Handing back the camera, he said, really, "The photo, she is very important." Sure enough, he took a great picture that we really love.
At the ever-popular Mayaland Hotel.
Tulum, just South of Akumal. The only coastal major Mayan ruins.
I believe in the National Museum of Anthropology. I wear Moctezuma's hat.
Dora in el mercado.
Ruins of the Aztec capital (now significantly excavated, only a little then) next to the Cathedral.
Our last trip was during a period of economic crises. We stayed in the Hotel Majestic on the Zocalo, which had pretty much been taken over by a leftist protest/tent city/truck drivers strike. It was all very colorful and safe-while-dangerous.
One night we went to sleep with the protest in full-force. During that night we heard lots of loudspeakers and a lot of chaotic-sounding activity. When we woke up, the protest was completely gone, and the entire Zocolo had been taken over by thousands of troops, with tanks, etc. We imagined that there had been a Tlatelolco Massacre (1968 Olympic massacre of protestors), or something like that during the night. How did they get all those people out of there? Eventually, we saw a big banner, "El Dia de la Bandera". It was Flag Day, there was a big ceremony, and I read later that it had been agreed-upon for a long time that the protest would end during that night.
Finally, I can't resist, my Uncle Paul during his looking-maximally-Mexican phase (he lived in LA).
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