Mini Gallery: El Mercado del Bosque de Chapultepec
Last November Hannah and I visited Mexico City for a week, immediately following a work-related trade show in Las Vegas. We both took loads of photos but these five made in the vibrant, raucous Chapultapec weekend market were particularly special to me. I don’t do very much street photography because I tend to be less inspired by people and man-made objects, from an image-making standpoint, but I couldn’t resist the colors and bustling scenes offered up by this market located smack in the middle of the city.
Mexico gets a bad tourist rap but I highly recommend flying right into the capital. We never felt unsafe walking around our hotel’s neighborhood of Polanco, which happened to be quite fancy.
On our trip, we drove all around via Uber, visited art and history museums and ate a variety of amazing food including two traditional items that were new to me: pulque and pozole. I often ordered two entrees due to low prices and heightened appetite thanks to all the walking. We both indulged in plenty of mezcal.
One morning, we even caught the sunrise over the Teotihuacan pyramids by flying in a hot air balloon. It wasn’t cheap but it was definitely a once in a lifetime experience we’ll never forget.
I became fascinated by Mesoamerican and modern (revolutionary) Mexican history. Museum highlights included El Museo Nacional de Antropología, Chapultapec Castle, El Museo de Arte Moderno, and of course El Museo Frida Kahlo located in beautiful Coyoacán. Our feet ached at the end of every day but that was never enough to keep us from exploring.
These photos from the Chapultapec market help me to recall the vibrant colors, cheerful activities, boisterous street vendors and generally vibrant atmosphere of many of the streets Hannah and I traversed. When I think of Mexico, my mind returns to an almost childlike mindset of curiosity, discovery and excitement.
It’s a truly magical place.
