
Looking toward the Poliform Siqueiros museum, which we were very excited to visit. Guard said it was closed for renovation, though. How long? Four years.
December 30, 2018 – January 10, 2019.
Today is our fifth and next to the last post about our time in Mexico City. We are going to call this post a Wordless Wednesday – or more accurately a Fewer Words Wednesday since we got the picture captions and all that.
* Click pics to enlarge into a slide show.
** If you are interested in other bloggy type things – click this link for other Wordless Wednesdays.

The Sala de Arte Publico Siqueiros contains work of artists inspired by Siqueiros. This motion activated piece drops printouts of stories of the oppressed as you walk by.

Siqueiros mural behind the hand holding spiral tool. The mural extends into the next room, covering three walls and the ceiling. Below are crowds of people. Your perspective is from the pilot’s seat of a plane getting ready to bomb them. (Sala de Arte Publico Siqueiros.)

Every Saturday the Tianguis Cultural Del Chopo is held in the Santa María la Ribera neighborhood. This market which began in the 1980s includes up to 200 stalls and caters to the counter culture of Mexico City. Here a vendor sells Jamacan inspired merchandise.

We’re upstairs at the Tequila and Mezcal Museum’s sampling bar looking down. Mariachi bands gather in the plaza, getting ready for the evening. Each band of Mariachis plays on demand for a gratuity.

Lucha Libre! No one suffers here but the wrestlers. Vendors make sure you have whatever you need. Order a cerveza? Two bottles will be poured into a large cup for you.

In addition to triple tag-team matches we had this last-man-standing event. This was something of a holiday “greatest hits” match. Most of these guys tangled with everyone else in the ring mano-a-mano with many entrances and exits. Lots of exits involved someone diving through the ropes toward the crowd. Some free-for-alls outside the ring, of course.

The identities of the masked luchadores are secret. Unmasking an opponent is supposed to bring him great shame (but possibly allow him to launch a telenova career).

Greg here. OK, I admit that I went to a few wrestling matches when I was a teen. Can’t say I’m really a fan now. These routines were all well orchestrated, though, and the performances were over the top.

Each new entrance was accompanied by theme songs, dancing girls, spectacular moves on the jumbo screen, and fans vying to touch their favorite star.

Revolutionary Leon Trotsky spent much of his life in exile. At Diego Rivera’s request, México allowed him safe haven. Trotsy and his wife lived with Diego and Frida for a while, then moved here.

Here are bullet holes from the first assasination attempt on Trotsky. It was led by muralist Sequeiros. The second attempt was successful. A Stalinist boyfriend of one of his secreteries killed him with an ice pick.

Trotsky’s grave stone. Nearly everyone related to him was hunted down and sent to a gulag, exiled, or killed.
Too much fun!
Mexico knows how to have fun!
It looks like this was a truly wonderful trip!
Viva Mexico!!
– Lisa
It has been so far. There is something wonderful at every stop.