All photos by David Cogswell
Today people are constantly seeking the opinion and advice of experts, but I don't think we should entirely overlook the value of ignorant people. Ignorant people also have much to teach us.
I, for example, recently visited Mexico City for the first time, and it was only after I had arrived that I discovered how ignorant I had been about the place until that moment. An ignorant person has one advantage over an expert in such a situation, because there is so much room, so to speak, to expand. Everything is new. Nothing is old hat.
As an ignorant person, I may be able to be of service to other ignorant people. I may perhaps have a better idea of what to tell them than would an expert, who is so far from an ignorant person it is probably difficult to even imagine that mindset.
I, on the other hand, can easily imagine that mindset because I was that person myself only weeks ago, before I experienced Mexico City for myself. I learned a great deal in a short time, but obviously only so much. I remain highly ignorant of Mexico City. But I am vastly more knowledgeable than I was two weeks ago.
Here are five things I learned about Mexico City, that other ignorant people may find as fascinating as I did.
Cuatro: For culture and history, Mexico City rivals the cities of Europe.
Though Mexico City is in the Americas, it is nearly 500 years old, as it was founded in 1521 as a Spanish colony. When you include the pre-Columbian history, as you would in Europe, the history stretches out much farther. The Aztecs founded their city there in 1325. After two centuries, the city was virtually destroyed by the Spanish, who built their city on the ruins of the Aztec city.
Many archaeological traces of the Aztec city can still be seen in Mexico City both in museums and in the open air. The history of the native groups who lived in the area before the Aztecs can also be traced.
Archaeologists break that history into three parts, Pre-Classic, before the year 1 A.D.; Classic, from 1 to 900, and Post-Classic after 900.
The history since colonial times becomes increasingly rich, as all of the diverse cultural streams blend into a colorful whole and the history passes through a series of tumultuous events as the country formed and defined itself over the centuries.
I was told that Mexico City has more museums than any other city, and I can confirm that it does have more museums than you could possibly visit without living there for an extended period. I can recommend in particular the amazing National Museum of Anthropology, which you could spend years exploring and studying; the Museum of Modern Art of Mexico and the Frida Kahlo Museum.
Cinco: As exotic as Mexico is, it is highly accessible.
Exotic is a subjective term, but to me Mexico City is exotic. It is culturally and geographically remote from the U.S. and has the cultural richness of Europe or Asia, but it is not nearly as hard to reach. As I look on Orbitz today (for reference, I personally would prefer to book through my travel agent or a good tour operator) I see flights from JetBlue for less than $400 roundtrip from New York JFK. There are flights from American, Air Canada and Avianca for less than $500, and from United, Delta and Interjet for less that $600.
The same site is showing nine-night hotel packages for less than $900. That's roughly the range you can expect. The flight from New York was roughly five hours. The time zone was the same as Central Time, so there was no jet lag.
The good news is that you can discover Mexico City for less than you can visit most places in the world, and I highly recommend the experience.
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