Mexico City

Yesterday I wrote about a new book, National Geographic Society Exploration Experience: The Heroic Exploits of the World's Greatest Explorers, that includes reproductions of historical maps inserted in pockets with nearly every article. One of the maps I enjoyed was this one, attibuted to Hernán Cortés, of Tenochtitlan, the capital city of the Aztecs.



It reminded me that I have not shared all of the map postcards I brought back from my trip to Mexico last August. (The others are here, here and here.)

Below is a map postcard of the Centro Histórico. Our hotel was on Avenida Cinco de Mayo, and the rooftop restaurant had a terrific view of the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Federal Building both on the Zócalo, a large central plaza. It was a short walk to many of the other important and interesting sights.



To get to other parts of the city, we did not hesitate to take the city's underground metro system. It was less expensive, sometimes quicker, and generally more safe, than taking a taxi.

Tenochtitlan

While I was in Mexico recently, I looked for map postcards, but only found a few. Here are two focusing on Mexico and Mexico City before the Spanish conquest.

Mexico City, or Tenochtitlan, was the capital city of the Aztec civilization. The city was centered around the main temple, the Templo Mayor.



The remnants of the temple have been excavated (circled in red) in what is still the center of Mexico City today:



It is hard to imagine that where this modern city sits was once a large lake.



Of course, the Aztecs were just one of many mesoamerican civilizations

Tepoztlán

On my first full day in Mexico last month, Mrs. Cartophiliac took me to the little touristy town of Tepoztlán.



The highlight, literally high, was our climb up the steps on the side of a mountain to see the Tepozteco Pyramid.



The Tepozteco is thought to have been built in the early Aztec era (AD 1100-1350). The structure is dedicated to Ometochtli-Tepoxtécatl, god of pulque (a drink made of fermented maguey native to Mexico), fertility and harvest, and carvings depict offerings and sacrifices to the deity.



To reach the site, you must climb a trail that leads off the end of the main street, the climb takes over an hour. The climb is steep and arduous. The pyramid is about 1320 ft. above the base of the valley, starting at over 6000 ft. of altitude.

Mrs. Cartophiliac and I agreed that the climb was one of, if not the most physically challenging things we have ever done. My heart was beating like a bongo drum and I was often short of breath. However, we passed dozens of little old ladies with canes, on their way up or coming down. We figured if they could do it, we could. The climb was worth the effort. The view was spectacular It is possible see the whole town of Tepoztlán from the top of the mountain.

What Happened While I Was Gone?

Mrs. Cartophiliac and I are back from our trip to Mexico. We visited Mexico City and several nearby sites, Including Teotihuacan:



I found a handful of map postcards, but not much else in the way of map memorabilia. I'll post a few things in the next few days.

Normally, I like to keep tabs on the news, and of course most of the news I saw was in Spanish, so I wasn't always sure what was going on... however, clearly the two biggest news stories of the last two weeks have been the Olympics and the fighting in the former soviet republic of Georgia. Since returning home I have been doing some catching up... so some of these images may be old news for you...

The New York Times has this terrific Olympic cartogram, that compares the number of medals won per country, at every Olympic Games from 1896 to the present:



Via The Map Room

Also via The Map Room is this embarassing Google News map goof:



Jon Stewart of Comedy Central's The Daily Show makes light the average American's ignorance about World Geography:



"War. God's way of teaching Americans geography."



The Princess Sparkle Pony Blog was more than a little tired of the media's repeated allusion to the Ray Charles song, Georgia on My Mind.



FWIW

I do not find humor in the loss of life in this conflict between Georgia and Russia, but I cannot help but find ironic humor in the silly and ignorant responses to the tragedy.


#238

Hasta la vista, Baby!

As noted earlier, Mrs. Cartophiliac is in Cuernavaca, Mexico, studying Spanish. Señor Cartophiliac es muy solitario, however, not for long. I will be joining her this weekend, and we will spend the next week or so exploring Mexico City and its environs.

What a sweetheart! Yesterday, in the mail, I received not one, but TWO map postcards from the state of Morelos, where Cuernavaca is located:



Señor Cartophiliac es un hombre afortunado!



Aside from a few visits to Canada, this is my first trip outside of the United States since my trip to Taiwain in 1980! Needless to say I'm a bit excited. I hope to come back with interesting map memorabilia, but I won't likely be posting here from Mexico (why would I waste my time on vacation in an Internet cafe?). If I have some time before I leave, I may pre-program a couple posts to keep things from becoming completely dormant...

Hasta la vista!


#234

Señor Cartophiliac es muy solitario

Mi esposa, La Gringrissima, ha ido a México para las tres semanas próximas a estudiar español. La ensamblaré durante la cuarta semana.

My wife, La Gringrissima, has gone to Mexico for the next three weeks to study Spanish. I will join her during the fourth week.

She has been studying Spanish for several years, both in the classroom and on her own. Not only does she enjoy learning languages (she also knows a smattering of Italian, German and Russian) but Spanish could become more useful in our community, where we have seen a marked increase in the Hispanic Community.

The green parts of this map highlight the area where she could likely find Spanish speakers:



Senora Cartophiliac will be attending the ENCUENTROS school in Cuernavaca (south of Mexico City) where she will experience a three-week immersion. She will spend time in the classroom, take field trips and live with a local family. She anticipates that this experience will "get he over the hump" and help her be more fluent.



Next month Mr. Cartophiliac will join her there. This will be the first time I have been out of the country (not counting Canada) since 1980 when I spent four months in Taiwan pretending to learn Chinese. I expect La Gringissima to be an "old hand" and fluent in the language, so she can guide and translate for me.

I also hope I'll bring home some nice maps...


#223

Absolut World

As reported in La Plaza, a Los Angeles Times blog about Latin America:

Mexico reconquers California? Absolut drinks to that!

"The latest advertising campaign in Mexico from Swedish vodka maker Absolut promises to push all the right buttons south of the U.S. border, but it could ruffle a few feathers in El Norte."



"In an Absolut World"... Mexico didn't lose half their territory in a war with the United States in 1848.

Apparently there are a few Americans getting bent out of shape over this... I say, get a sense of humor... you won the war, remember?



Thanks to Jerad for the heads up!