February just started…with awful weather that includes wind and constant rains. However, stores all over Mexico City do not waste the opportunity to celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day, offering colorful gifts for people in love. Meanwhile, the Chilango GLBT community is planning a march next Saturday to defend gay marriage and the right of adoption for gay couples in DF. Will Saint Valentine help a little bit in this matter?

Here, a huge teddy bear on the corner of Isabel la Católica and Regina, one of the newest trendy streets of Centro Histórico.

Today’s been sunny and bright in Mexico City; the sky is so clear that you can actually see the volcanoes from wherever you are, people seem relaxed, going home to prepare dinner, letting the city feel emptier and emptier….

DF has always had great weather in winter; however, the stereotype of this season as a time when snow and ice should be part of Christmas makes some chilangos long for temperature below zero. At least that’s how it feels if you go to Zócalo, where children can enjoy a well supervised snowball fight (wearing helmets), an ice ring (the biggest of the world), or make a snow-man by stuffing with actual snow something similar to a plaster cast in the shape of a little snow-guy.

(And I wonder, is global warming driving us crazy?)

Merry Christmas, Machas!

the palacio nacional at night

At over two hundred meters long, the baroque facade of the Palacio Nacional stretches impressively along the entire eastern edge of the Zócalo. It is from the main balcony of this august building that the president shouts the “Grito de Dolores” on the eve of Mexican Independence to the tens of thousands of people crowded below. Despite the beauty of the building, particulary at night when it is handsomely illuminated, I had never considered venturing inside the complex, which houses several small museums, the national archives, as well as the president’s office.

admirers of rivera's mural

How foolish I was; as any guidebook will tell you, the Palacio Nacional also boasts a breathtaking triptych of Diego Rivera murals. The series, collectively known as “The Epic of the Mexican People” dipicts centuries of Mexico’s history, from pre-Hispanic myths and cultural traditions, through the violence of the conquest and Independence, up through the early twentieth century. These murals are incredible; a person could spend hours examining the endless details, each fragment of a scene revealing something else about Rivera’s take on Mexican history. Currently, the murals are undergoing a renovation, but they seem to only be working on one section of the triptych at a time, leaving the others exposed for the public.

prior to the construction of the third story

The site of the Palacio Nacional is itself historically significant: here was the palace of Moctezuma II, known as the “New Houses.” After the fall of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec palace was nearly destroyed, and Cortés ordered a new palace for himself constructed on the same spot, supposedly using some of the very same red volcanic tezontle stones. After the death of Cortés, the palace became home to the viceroy and was nearly destroyed again when it was lit on fire by supporters of a rival archbishop. It was reconstructed and then went through a new renovation in the late seventeenth century, softening it’s fortress-like appearance into the stately facade we see today. (Although, interestingly, the third floor wasn’t added until the 1920s under Plutarco Elías Calles.) Anahí says that it’s rumored that the plans for the palace were mistakenly interchanged with those of a prison in Peru, and although I haven’t been able to substantiate this myth, it’s easy to imagine this imposing building being used for incarceration.

detail from "the epic of the mexican people"

I suspect most tourists who visit the Palacio Nacional don’t go much further than the Rivera murals, but the complex actually extends back several blocks east of the Zócalo. Beyond the murals, the people wondering around the grounds are an odd combination of soldiers and bureaucrats, with a sprinkling of well-dress families admiring the church that lies at the center of the palace. I was pleasantly surprised to find a small, but lovely garden of indigenous Mexican plants. We also discovered a small gallery featuring rotating exhibits on Mexican art and culture. Unless you’re really in a bind, I would skip the unimpressive gift shop, where you can buy such incongruous gifts as a traditionally embroidered neck-pillow for airline travel.

The Palacio Nacional also is home to the Benito Juarez museum, where you can visit the offices he kept when he was the president. Hailing from a peasant family in Oaxaca but eventually becoming the first (and only) indigenous president fo Mexico, Juarez is a fascinating historical and political figure. I was therefore frustrated to find that the museum was closed, with no useful information about how or when the museum is open to the public.

Despite my disappointment, the Palacio Nacional is definitely worth visiting, not just for the impressive Rivera murals, but for the history of the building itself. As you wander through the grounds, it’s easy to imagine the different historical periods reflected through each renovation. Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes described the palace as “both a traveling and an immobile construction” in how its architecture contains design elements that span continents and centuries. Reading this description, however, I chuckled, thinking of the limits of this immobility: like many builings in the Centro Historico, the palace is sinking, with many stone door frames that had once been at right angles now visibly askew.

Palacio Nacional; Zócalo (eastern end); Centro Historico. Tourists are limited to entering and exiting from the main gate on the Zócalo where they must pass through metal detectors and show identification, so be prepared. Free admission.

Here is the huge eagle eating a snake that is now being in exhibition at the Zocalo. The brigthy sculpture is part of the decoration of one of the most visited places in Mexico City, and it’s a reference to the old legend about how the Aztecs found Aztlan: the eagle was the sign sent by the gods to the Nahuas, so they would know the place where they could settle their own city–after a long period of wandering in the Mesoamerican territory. This image is now on the center of the Mexican flag, as a symbol of the foundation of Mexico.

Gertrudis Bocanegra as portrayed by Ofelia Medina

Gertrudis Bocanegra, known as “La Heroína de Pátzcuaro” was a criollo woman born to wealthy peninsulares (Spanish born parents) in Michoacan in 1765. Although her husband was originally a soldier in the Spanish army, when the War of Independence began they both joined the fight against Spain. She worked as a messenger, aiding communication between different fronts, but was finally captured in her hometown of Pátzcuaro. The myths around her execution include the claim that although she was tortured, she never gave up the names of her fellow rebels, and that she continued ranting against her executioners until she was shot by a firing squad. In the 1992 Spanish-language bio-pic Gertrudis, she was portrayed by Ofelia Medina, who also co-wrote the screenplay. A library named for her stands in Pátzcuaro, and contains a mural by Juan O’Gorman depicting Mexican history from the pre-Hispanic era to the Mexican Revolution.

Maria Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez

Maria Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez, known as “La Corregidora” (the corrector), was a wealthy criollo woman born in 1768. Although her parents died when she was still a baby, she was raised by her older sister, and educated at the then-prestigious Colegio de las Vizcaínas. As an adult, she hosted secret literary salons to read and discuss works of Enlightenment philosophy banned by the Catholic Church. Although her husband had been appointed a corregidor (magistrate) in Querétero, Josefa Ortiz maintained close ties with rebel organizers. The rebellion wasn’t scheduled to begin until December, but Spanish Royal troops began searching Querétero in September, where Miguel Hidalgo was hiding. Already suspected to have sympathies with the rebels, Josefa was ordered locked in her bedroom during the search, but she managed to get a message out to the mayor of the town. A rebel supporter, he informed Hidalgo of the search, effectively moving up the start of the revolution by three months. As punishment, Josefa was incarcerated in a convent until the end of the war. After independence, when Agustín de Iturbide became the emperor of Mexico, Josefa was offered the position of lady-in-waiting to the empress. A total badass who supported a Mexican republic instead of an empire, she rejected the position, as well as the imperial title “woman of honor.” A sculpture of Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez stands in the Plaza de Santo Domingo in the Centro Historico.

Leona Vicario

Leona Vicario was born to a rich criollo family in Mexico City in 1789, but was placed in the charge of her uncle after her parents died when she was a teenager. After he forbade her to marry insurgent Andrés Quintana Roo because of political differences, she fled to Tacuba, then a small down outside of the city, where she founded a group of women supporters of the independence movement. Later, she used her fortune to help fund the rebellion, and transmitted information to the rebels, acting as a spy through her connections in Mexico City, and co-founding a secret organization known as the Guadalupes. She was imprisoned in a convent for her involvement in the War of Independence until she was able to escape to Michoacán, where she was finally able to marry her husband. Her remains are easy to visit where they are interred within the column of the Ángel de la Independencia.

These are only three of the countless women who were no doubt involved in the struggles for Mexican indepedence, most of whom will never be recognized for their contributions. Of course, it’s no coincidence that the three most well-known women were wealthy and of Spanish (not mestizo or indigenous) ancestry. Additionally, it’s worth noting that although Mexico’s independence from Spain granted rights to criollos and some mestizo Mexicans, for poor and indigenous Mexicans, many of whom were still enslaved through indentured labor, things didn’t get too much brighter when “New Spain” became Mexico. In that spirit, I’ll be spending this Dia de la Independencia thinking about contemporary justice movements and whose voices continue to be erased.

Macha Mexico has been neglecting this exhibit for no reason, but fortunately it’s still time to go. Tamara de Lempicka was a talented Russian painter from the 1930′s, who rubbed elbows with Josephine Baker, Amedeo Modigliani, and Diego Rivera, among others. So there couldn’t be a better place for this exhibit than the building of the Fine Arts Museum, which was built during the same years when Lempicka created the best part of her work.

Described as an independent woman and committed with her artwork, Lempicka was extremely skilled to portrait other women in a glamourous way, showing how strong and sexy can be a female body. During the nineties, Tamara de Lempicka became an icon among Hollywood stars after Barbra Streisand bought one of her paintings. Madonna used one of Lempicka’s images in the opening scene of the video “Open Your Heart”, and was inspired by Lempicka’s paintings to create the aesthetics in the video “Vogue”.

Lempicka lived in a long series of cities in Europe and after the war, she moved to New York where she became a successful artist. But she spent her last days in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where she was trying to deal with the effects of arteriosclerosis that affected her at the end of her life. When she died in 1980, her ashes were scattered over the volcano Popocatépetl–a beautiful way to say goodbye to a life full of exquisiteness.

Tamara de Lempicka; Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, Avenida Hidalgo no. 1, Centro, 5521 9251‎, Bellas Artes Metro station; from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Sundays the entrance is free. Until September 2009.

This year, the gay parade in the Distrito Federal will be different. No queens and no kings showing off their dresses on a stage. Neither no ambassadors, nor sponsors targeting the gay community. The motto is Dignity and Pride.

Over the years, many political groups, and participants as well, have complained about the exaggerated festiveness of the parade. From their perspective, much of the political meaning of this act has disappeared–transforming it into a carnival where enterprises with mischievous intentions find the best chance to place their products in the largest GLBT community of Mexico.

To outline some of the context, the critics appear in a year of midterm congressional elections, when some Mexicans have joined to the voto nulo movement. This pacific protest promotes to deliberately render the ballots, and show how angry  the citizens are with the corruption that poisons the Mexican government. At the same time, less than a month ago Agustín Estrada Negrete was subject of a major expression of  homophobia from the government of the State of Mexico, which is a clear example of how the political system is rotten to its core. In this regard, only Enoé Uranga, one of the two openly-gay females candidates, has supported Estrada so far (the other is Lol Kin Castañeda).

So, this parade will probably show if modesty and solemnity are useful political weapons. If you want more information about all the ups and downs of the organization, check out directly with Red Orgullo 31, the group in charge of the logistics.

Gay Parade in Mexico City. Saturday, June 20th, 11 a.m., from the Ángel de la Independencia on Reforma Av. to Centro Histórico.  At 3 p.m. there will be a political public statement and some live music.

As part of the annual GBLT Cultural Week, a series of activities will take place in Mexico City starting this month.

This annual event has had to deal with a series of obstacles since 2003, including the death of its original organizer, the activist José María Covarrubias, and the refurbishment of the Museo del Chopo, its original venue. The upside of this situation is that, over the years, the organizers had to look for other spaces taking the GLBT Week  to a broader cultural scene in the city.

This year, the program features photography, discussions about queer theory in Mexico, and the celebration of the Vampiro de la Colonia Roma, the traditional gay novel, writen 30 years ago by Luis Zapata. The entrance for all the activities is for free.

Here are some of the highlights:

Familias Mexicanas, by Óscar Sánchez, photographs documenting GLBT families in Mexico. Galería del Centro Cultural José Martí, Avenida Hidalgo y Doctor Mora, Metro Hidalgo. From June 5th to June 28th.

Lectures on Queer Theory in Mexico. Lecturers: Francesca Gargallo and Elsa Muñiz. Centro Cultural España, Guatemala No. 18, Col. Centro, right behind the cathedral, June 18th, 6 pm.

Happy Birthday, Vampiro, celebration of the 30th anniversary of El vampiro de la Colonia Roma, by Luis Zapata, Salón Marrakech, República de Cuba 18, Col Centro.

If you want to see the whole program, click here.

Photo: Emilio Rapp

A year ago, three guys decided to open a bar for queer people who wanted to have fun, chill out, and dance to all kind of music in a place where the decoration would be inspired by the purest quirky pink.  What the three guys had in mind regarding the location was Centro Histórico, a neighborhood that has evolved over the last ten years from being an abandoned, dark, poor area of Mexico City to a lively, buzzling, welcoming place for youngsters–both on night and day.

Ironically, the opening of the Salón Marrakech took place during a series of raids in the Zona Rosa in order to control drugs and teenagers drinking inside bars. These were the times when the local government issued the controversial smoke ban in bars and restaurants, as well as the use of the alcoholímetro trying to control the nightlife in the Distrito Federal. And yet, twelve months later, the now famous Marrakech has proved to be part of a shifting nightlife in Mexico City where young people look for places where having a good time is a priority.

Next Thursday, Salón Marrakech will be celebrating its first anniversary with the motto “no cover and a lot of fun”. No wonder, that this will be best time to celebrate the night in the gayest street of the Centro Histórico.  I am sure that the party will last all night, and even someone will suggest an after party.

Salón Marrakech First Anniversary , República de Cuba no. 18, (a block from Eje Central), Col. Centro. No cover.

I spent two nights alone at the hotel (at a rate of 230 pesos per night) back in 2006, before I was joined by a friend and spent five days in a larger room (350 for the double). Alone and visiting Mexico City for the first time, I relied heavily on the hotel’s taxi service when I traveled around at night. He charged me more than twice what a normal street taxi would, but I was paying for peace of mind, as well as for conversation. I don’t know if their night taxi is driven by the same man three years later, but he was a kind older gentleman (as are most street taxi drivers, to be clear) who made suggestions of what neighborhoods would be fun to visit at night. (More info on taxis in Mexico City through this link.)

The rooms I saw (both the two I stayed in and those I peeked at while they were being cleaned by the housekeeping staff) all had dramatically high ceilings, but otherwise were very humble. Walls were painted neutral tones, floors were clean, beds were neat, mattresses firm. That bathrooms had showers, not tubs, that flowed into drains on the tiled floors. (This is a common set-up in inexpensive hotels in Mexico.) There was a faint musty smell in the bathrooms of both rooms I stayed in, but nothing too unpleasant. The furniture is far from fancy, but unlike other cheap hotels I’ve seen in Mexico City, the sheets on the bed were not paper thin.

The hotel is connected to a restaurant and bar that offers moderately priced food and drinks if you are too weary to go out to eat at the end of a busy day. I didn’t have a chance to eat at their restaurant (especially since there are so many other delicious options in the area), but other guests had positive things to say about it. Computers with internet access are available in the lobby. At times there was a short wait since there were only a couple of computers, but never longer than a few minutes. The staff was friendly and helpful. I can’t speak specifically to how gay-friendly the staff is, except to say that the hotel seems to be popular among young travelers, including gays and lesbians. Also, although the friend I stayed with in the hotel was not a girlfriend, I suspect that we did look like a lesbian couple on vacation, and no one in the hotel even batted an eye at us.

Hotel Isabel is located a short walk from several metro stations, the nearest of which is Isabel La Catolica, and many popular tourist attractions, such as the Catedral Metropolitano, Palacio de Bellas Artes, and the Torre Latino (Mexico’s first sky-scraper). It’s also a stones throw from El Moro, a fabulous churrería and a great place to go for a cup of Mexican hot chocolate, and La Pagoda, which has excellent and inexpensive chilaquiles and comida corrida. The streets around the hotel get pretty empty late at night, but during the day, the streets are crowded with tourists and locals.

I recommend this hotel without hesitation to those who are not picky about luxury accomodations and are looking for an affordable hotel in the Centro Historico.

Hotel Isabel; http://www.hotel-isabel.com.mx/index.html, Isabel La Católica 63 (corner of Republica del Salvador), Centro Histórico; phone: (0155) 5518 1213, fax (0155) 5521 1233; email: reservaciones@hotel-isabel.com.mx