Trip to Mexico: Day 3

 

Saturday in Mexico City was again mostly spent at Chapultepec Park, this time at the Museum of Anthropology. First thing we came across even before entering the park grounds was a memorial in honor of Mahatma Gandhi. Around the monument were a few young men and women doing yoga. By sheer coincidence my saree for today was a hand spun, handloom weave in ahimsa (eri) silk from Assam. 

The museum is by far the largest of its kind I’ve seen as well as the most beautiful one. The exhibit halls are created all around a central square courtyard. The courtyard is highlighted with a large shower/ fountain that drops water from a specially created high ceiling before we move into an open area where there is a large koi pond. 

The walls of the surrounding buildings are covered with stone tiles in light blue with a light touch of pink and yellow much like the colors in my saree today. Again, sheer coincidence. 

The exhibits in the museum are exhaustive, extraordinary and extremely enthralling. Starting with the history of mankind to the history of early humans in Mexico and their art and lifestyles, the museum covers everything in great detail. The textiles and pottery of various regions of the country are simply awe inspiring. Sculptures from ancient periods abound throughout the museum. The paintings and murals have to be seen to be believed. Tools and jewelry made from various materials such as obsidian, alabaster, bronze, stone, jade, amber, gold are abundant and exquisite. All the displays are impressive as is the cleanliness. There are easily accessible restrooms throughout the premises as well as a very good restaurant on its grounds. We were one of the earliest visitors to the museum and had walked nearly 10k steps and spent five to six hours there. I was surprised to see how long the lines were to enter the museum even as we were leaving the place.

From the museum we took an Uber to the exclusive neighborhood of Polanco. Our daughter wanted to explore this area. We walked around the Avenida Presidente Masaryk, the main street of the area and then to this Indian restaurant called Suvai. It had a very elegant ethnic decor. Food was good. The staff was friendly. I personally prefer to try local specialties when I travel but hubby was happy to have his staple Indian fare. It rounded up a nice day. 

Saree is a weave from Assam made out of hand spun yarn of eri silk( ahimsa silk) woven on handloom. The periwinkle body is highlighted with motifs in fluorescent pink and yellow.