Mexico: A Tale of Four Cities
Most Americans - especially those living outside the South/Southwest border area - don't know much about Mexico. We know about the beaches, the drugs, and the immigration issues. We think we know about Mexican food. We know about piñatas and Cinco de Mayo (which I found out is not a real holiday in Mexico).
So when I boarded a Delta flight to Mexico City for a work trip, I didn't really know what to expect. I had been to "Mexico" before, but these visits were limited to Cancun and Playa del Carmen... as representative of the rest of the country as Las Vegas is of the United States. Twelve whirlwind days and four cities later, here's what I found out:
Mexico City
There are places that grow on you, and there are places you click with right away. For me, Mexico City was certainly the later. This huge megalopolis - 21 million people! - buzzed with culture and vigor. It reminded me of a heady mash-up of Madrid and Buenos Aires, with some New York City-style creativity thrown into the mix. Uber-ing through town, I kept my face peeled to the window, trying to take in the colorful architecture, street art, graffiti, the city parks, hipster shops, hidden taco stands, and grand, French-influenced boulevards.
Granted, my exploration was severely limited: our days were packed, and so my sightseeing was limited to evening forays and glimpses out the car window. Still, it was enough for me to vow to come back at my earliest opportunity.
And then there was the food. Oh boy... Where to begin? Luckily, my colleague was up for exploring Mexico City's food scene, and so we shamelessly hit up in equal proportion the city's nicest restaurants and its delicious, casual taco stands. We hit up Pujol, the #9 restaurant in the world, where we feasted on baby corn smoked in a gourd with a chipotle-herb mayo concoction and powdered ants, and finished our meal with mole negro that had been continuously cooked for 3 years.
We dined at Quintonil, an up and coming hotspot (coming in at a not too shabby #34 on the World's Best list) that we actually preferred to Pujol. There, we slurped up a surprisingly neon mix of cactus, beat root, and seaweed, and tasted a pork jowl dish so ridiculously tasty that we ordered a second helping.
And, of course, we helped ourselves to plenty of street food, consisting mostly of delicious tacos (veggie, beef, tongue, and chicken), served with a colorful array of fresh vegetables and inventive salsas.
My conclusion: Mexican cuisine, like Italian and Greek cuisine, is defined by fresh ingredients. Therefore, Mexican food in Mexico is exponentially better than the crappy knock-off we get here in the U.S. Mexico has the added advantage of a creative and innovative chefs who are blazing a trail for nouveau Mexican fare.
Oaxaca
After four quick days in Mexico City, our group headed south, to Oaxaca City. Located in Southwest Mexico, Oaxaca is one of the poorest States in the nation, and also one of the most politically and culturally diverse. The State is known for its indigenous groups, who have kept up their traditions more successfully than peers in the North and West of the country. It's also known for the Zapatistas, a revolutionary leftist group that drew its influence from Che Guevara and continues to exercise significant influence in the region.
Oaxaca State's eponymous capital city is ancient, and steeped in history. It's known for its beautiful baroque churches, its mole, its chocolate, and, of course, its mezcal.
A word on mezcal: for those who don't know, this ain't your daddy's tequila bottle with the worm at the bottom. Mezcal is a bona fide cultural phenomenon in South/Southeastern Mexico, and has been steadily gaining popularity in the United States. It's distilled by hand from Agave - in fact, Tequila, made from blue Agave, is a type of mezcal - and has been part of this region's tradition since long before the Spaniards arrived.
There are rules for how to drink this potent spirit. First of all - no shots! Proper mezcal starts at approximately 90 proof, and is meant to be sipped. Second - unless you've had a whole bottle of the stuff, the hallucination stuff is a myth. Though, to be fair, a few small glasses are enough to give you quite a buzz. According to purists, the proper sipping protocol is to take a first taste, roll it around on your tongue for a few seconds, swallow, and wait a minute or two before taking a second sip. Each sip should taste slightly different, as your senses open up to the mezcal and your body absorbs its aroma and potent kick.
Sound trippy? Try mezcaleria hopping through a thousand year old city, trying to communicate in Spanish only, and you'll start to approximate our feeling.
After recovering from our mezcal night, we decided to wander around the town. The thousands of years of history were evident, from the labyrinthine cobblestone streets to the rich, bitter chocolate, still made according to traditional methods. We wound our way through the market, where I picked up a snack of fried grasshoppers, and perused Alebrije, brightly colored fantasmical animal carvings that seemed inspired by one too many Mezcaleria trips.
Juchitan de Zaragoza
After our thoroughly enjoyable weekend in Oaxaca, we made our way East, over the mountains, to Juchitan de Zaragoza. Juchitan is located on the exceptionally windy Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which has become the epicenter of wind farm development in Mexico. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the poor, fragmented, and politically active population, this development is causing massive conflicts.
Again, not surprisingly, Juchitan felt like a boom town. It was largely utilitarian, with a few bustling streets and a whole lot of car traffic. The town certainly had an edge... walking around, you got that sense that you were being watched, and that things could turn south, quickly. Bizarrely, on our second day in town, we noticed the ubiquitous presence of armed convoys patrolling the streets. Each pick-up truck had 4-6 men on the back, all armed with semi-automatic rifles, which they kept trained on the sidewalks.
Only later did we find out the reason: apparently, the town had recently been overrun by a cartel, which had dutifully published a public hit list, with the mayor of Juchitan's name at the top. The major had quickly fled to Oaxaca, and Oaxaca had called in reinforcements to maintain order.
Suffice it to say, there was not a whole lot of sight seeing in Juchitan.
Mérida
Mérida is the town we got to know the least. It's a big-ish, wealthy, city, occupying the enviable position of capital of Yucatan State. Yucatan's hallmark is security: the State is known as the safest in Mexico, and works hard to maintain this image. Mérida's safety, combined with its relative proximity to the beach, makes it extremely popular with tourists. In fact, this was the first town in which we saw large numbers of Gringos.
What can I say about Mérida? It was well maintained, well manicured, and well serviced by utilities, restaurants, cafes, gelato shops, and hotels. It was easy and modern. Its architecture was undeniably pretty, and there was likely much to see. The old town was beautifully restored, with grand old manors that reminded me of the French Quarter in New Orleans, or perhaps some older parts of Washington D.C.
But ... I didn't feel the heart. It could well have been that we only spent 36 hours in this city, but what I can say is that I didn't fall in love with it immediately, as I did with Mexico City and Oaxaca. Perhaps it was a little too clean. Perhaps I only saw the superficies.
I would absolutely return to Mérida, spend a bit more time, and try to seep into its soul. 36 hours is never enough, and sometimes love happens at second sight.
==
So, what can I say from my whirlwind 2-week trip through Mexico? I can say, unequivocally, that I was blown away. The food, the culture, the architecture, the music... it was so rich, so layered, so invigorating. What an idiot I had been, never to have visited our neighbor to the South.
I can't wait to go back, and to explore this fascinating country further. I would recommend it to anyone. Don't be afraid. Yes, some places are sketchy and you should avoid them like the plague. But please don't don't discount Mexico. It really is a sensational place, warts and all.
