Mexico City

Buenos tardes,

How is everyone?

I just came back this morning from Mexico City after taking an all night bus ride so I am pretty exhausted. The trip was amazing but very tiring. Last thursday I took an all night bus from Oaxaca to Mexico City with 15 other kids from my program. On Friday we went and saw the Aztec pyramids at Teotihucan, which were some of the most impressive strucutres I have ever seen. The main pyramid which was called the sun pyramid was the largest pre hispanic structure in the Americas. We climbed to the top and had panormic views of the entire valley around it. Also that day we went to the Basilica of Mexico which is the main catholic church in the country and is where the virgin de guadaple originated. That night we went and saw Juanes, a mexican popstar, in concert.

On Saturday we walked around the Zocalo (main plaza) and historic downtown. We also went to the National Palace which houses many of Diego Rivera´s impressive murals. His murals depict Mexican history starting with the indigenous people and continuing through spanish colonization.

For me, the soccer game we went to on Sunday was definitely the highlight of the trip. The games was between Mexico´s two biggest rivals, Chivas and America, and was housed in the sold out 100,000 seat capacity Aztec Stadium. We sat in the very first row next to the field. It was amazing. I wore a Chivas jersey to the game which turned out to be a bad idea. Chivas is from Guadalajara and was not the home team, although there were many Chivas fans. Chivas ended up winning 2 to 1. The energy in the stadium was unlike anything I have ever experienced at a sporting event.

However after the game we had some problems with unruly fans. The America fans were very angry that their team lost. My buddy and I were wearing Chivas jerseys while everyone else in our group was either neutral or wearing an America jersey. In the Metro station on the way back from the game we ran into a gang of drunken America fans (who all looked very young, maybe 15) who were chanting and attempting to attack the Chivas fans. There were riot police who told me and my buddy to stand behind them for our own safety. We did and when the mob passed the police went away. However there was another mob that came after the police left and we had no protection. They came into our group and attacked us. My freind was punched in the face and started to bleed profusely. It was an ugly scene. Luckily I was not hurt. However someone ripped a flag I was wearing around my neck off and tried to light it on fire before the police stopped them. My friend was ok and of course everyone was a little shaken up. I guess this type of thing is the norm here when it comes to soccer. So i guess it was sort of a cultural experience.

Anyway I am happy to back in peaceful Oaxaca and away from violent soccer fans. This week we are celebrating Dia de los Muertos and are making an altar as a group. Next week we are travelling to Puerto Escondido (a beach town on the pacific coast) for two weeks.

I will post another entry soon.

Love,
Max