Set over 2400m up in its shallow
mountain bowl and crammed with over
20 million people (from fewer than
five million in 1960),
MEXICO
CITY is one of the world's most
densely populated urban areas, said
to receive a thousand immigrants
each day from the rest of the
country. At times frustrating, the
longer you spend there the more
rewarding it can become, with
unstructured wandering throwing up
all sorts of surprises, and in a few
days you can get around the main
sights and soak up a good deal of
the vibrant atmosphere. Despite a
certain seediness found amidst the
elegance of the new quarters and the
genteel decay of the older parts of
the city, the capital is nowhere
near as intimidating as you might
expect. Nonetheless, you may still
prefer to take in the city a couple
of days at a time, taking off in
between to the smaller neighbouring
colonial cities to recharge. You'll
also find the city easier still if
you acclimatize to the country first
- if at all possible try not to
spend too long here when you first
arrive.
As you fly in or arrive by bus
over the mountains, you'll catch
glimpses of Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl,
the volcanoes which every visitor
used to admire, and which Sybille
Bedford, author of a book on Mexico
in the early 1950s, described as
"Japanese-contoured shapes of
pastel blue and porcelain snow, and
thin formal curls of smoke afloat in
a limpid sky". These days,
"Popo" is more often
perceived as a threat, with the
international press depicting its
recent activity as a major menace to
the capital. In reality, the volcano
is 65km away, and though dust may
temporarily close the airport during
major outpourings, the city is
highly unlikely to get smothered.
The volcanoes are now rarely visible
from the centre, courtesy of the
city's pollution, which compensates
by diffracting the light and
producing wonderful golden sunsets.
