An illustration of Aiden's profile. He has light skin, short brown hair and is wearing a blue shirt.

first time in cdmx by Aiden H. '28

and first time out of the US, but not the first time having an ethnicity crisis

Last week, I left the country for the first time! This was really important to me for a couple of reasons:

  1. I had a premonition that I was never going to leave the country. I always get this before I travel anywhere (e.g. “I’m not actually gonna get there tomorrow because something–a storm, tornado, international pandemic⁠01 In 8th grade I was supposed to go to Italy after begging my parents into debt to pay the EF Tours fee, and then the day before I was supposed to leave was COVID –will stop this trip from happening), so actually leaving and having a life outside of what I’ve always known get realized was really striking.
  2. I was going to my dream destination! I have always wanted to go to Mexico City.⁠02 Dream Trips (in order): Mexico City, Thailand Elephant Hotel, Cairo I love the architecture and the dense parks and the vibrant city life that is missing in the increasingly desolate and dying Midwest.

So for four-ish days my girlfriend and I went to visit my cousin who lives in the city. Here’s a photo dump/itinerary of what we did:

Monday, August 4

fly DEN -> LAX -> MEX and get obsessed with Good Coffee, Great Coffee⁠03 and yes before you ask I am a Good Pizza, Great Pizza OG for the entire 10 hours

Tuesday, August 5

We woke up starving and went to get brunch in Condesa around Parque México, which is only like a 5 minute walk from where my cousin lives. It’s here where I got my first chilaquiles (my favorite food?) in Mexico and was giddy the whole time.

A sunlit park with tall trees casting shadows over lush green bushes and a dirt path, with benches and a brick fence visible in the background.
Parque Mexico
A sunlit park with tall trees casting dappled shadows over a leafy round shrub area and a statue in the center, surrounded by a paved walkway.
A smiling person in glasses and a cap holds a fork and knife, ready to eat chilaquiles topped with eggs. There’s a colorful drink nearby, and the mood is joyful.
it's called a POSE

From there, the main activity/sight of the day was Coyoacán, a neighborhood on the southwest side of the city famous for dense markets and Frida Kahlo’s house. They were pretty strict about taking photos inside of the house, but it was definitely pretty. I always get weird in museums, so a part of me did have a existential moment about how these international icons and forever-important historical figures literally slept in the room I was standing in, but I would argue this adds to the ambiance.

Vibrant garden scene with colorful potted plants and cacti. A bold blue and yellow building is partially obscured by lush trees, evoking a tranquil atmosphere.
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera's house
A stone building with large windows stands beside a lush garden with tall trees and greenery. In the background, a vivid blue wall is visible, and a few people walk along a winding garden path under the sunlight.
Colorful ribbons hang above a street scene with trees and buildings. In the foreground, a sculpture of two bears facing each other is silhouetted against the sky. The atmosphere is festive and lively.
hanging outside the largest market
A small, vibrant red wooden figurine of a decorated animal with large eyes and colorful patterns including a purple flower, set on a white surface.
a painted axolotl that I bought in the market (I might start collecting these so take note for gifts)

After stalking around Coyoacán for a couple of hours, we went back north to eat dinner at Ling Ling, which, as much as I hate to admit, was a TikTok recommendation that was really good. It’s a Japanese fusion restaurant on the 56th floor of a building overlooking the city to one side and Chapultepec park on the other.

A person wearing glasses and a cap sits indoors against a backdrop of a cityscape visible through a window. They look surprised, conveying curiosity or amazement.
A dimly lit restaurant features lush greenery and a large mural of a womans face with flowers and leaves on the wall. Diners are seated at tables, and a waiter in white serves guests. Warm lighting creates a cozy atmosphere.
A dimly lit restaurant table set with sushi rolls, a drink in a metal cup, soy sauce, a candle, and plates. A person sits in the background, partially obscured by shadows.
pov the greatest sushi of your life

Wednesday, August 6

Wednesday was everything Chapultepec park: the castle (which is apparently the only castle in North America to ever hold royalty), the anthropology museum, and just walking around the forest.

Chapultepec Castle was genuinely the coolest thing I have ever been to in my life. You have to hike about 10 minutes up a cobblestone path and are greeted by castle grounds with multiple (multiple!) live string quartets and pianists playing as you walk around the museum.

A garden with manicured hedges and a circular flower bed is bordered by a stone terrace with columns. Several people stand at the edge, overlooking a cityscape. A mural of a dancer decorates one wall. The sky is cloudy.
Stone columns and manicured hedges in a formal garden with a large stained glass window on a historic building, under a cloudy sky. A few people are visible in the background.
Terrace with black-and-white checkered floor, surrounded by tall cypress trees and an ornate building. Cloudy sky; people casually interacting.
Stained glass window depicting a serene woman in classical attire with a pink scarf. She holds flowers, surrounded by ornate columns and floral motifs.
Historic stone building with arched windows and intricately carved details under a cloudy sky. The plaza in front is empty, conveying a serene mood.
A person in a red sweatshirt and glasses stands beside a tall bronze statue wearing a sombrero, in a historic building with arched windows.
who wore it better?

After spending hours in Chapultepec, we speed-walked around the park into the northern neighborhood of Polanco to binge eat tacos, quesadillas, and churros at a taqueria. From there, we walked back over the anthropology museum.

A stone pillar supports a circular roof with water cascading down, creating a fountain effect. Surrounding buildings appear under a cloudy sky.
the fountain of something
Massive ancient stone Aztec calendar with intricate carvings displayed in a museum, set against a minimal cream-colored wall, evoking historical awe.
the original aztec calendar (which isn't a calendar!)

The anthropology museum is incredible and very good for anthropology-people, but I am not one and by this point in the trip we had already walked like 40,000 steps, so we wrapped up slightly faster than expected to go eat and pass out.

Thursday, August 7

This was our last full day, so we tried to pack in a lot. The most important thing we still hadn’t done was the most touristy–Zócalo and the historic center of the city. First we went to Palacio de Bellas Artes which has the most stunning architecture I’ve ever witnessed:

People walk toward the grand facade of the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, featuring a domed roof with orange and yellow tiles under a partly cloudy sky.
The Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, with its ornate white facade and colorful domed roof, is seen under a partly cloudy sky. People are walking nearby, and a green garden is in the foreground.
Historic gray stone building with tall columns and ornate details, surrounded by green hedges and palm trees, under a partly cloudy sky. People and city elements are visible in the background.

From there we went and had lunch (I got enchiladas!) and then went to the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Aztec ruins, and then the National Art Museum.

A young person with short brown hair and glasses sits at a restaurant table, about to eat a plate of green enchiladas topped with cheese. Various dishes and a glass of juice are on the white tablecloth.
yum!
Gothic-style stone cathedral façade with ornate carvings, a clock, and statues. A large wooden door below, overcast sky adds a solemn tone.
cathedral
Ornate church altar with intricate gold detailing and religious icons. Tall columns frame the scene, creating a sense of grandeur and reverence.
Several people walk on a pathway beside ancient stone ruins under a partly cloudy sky, with historic and modern buildings in the background.
ruins
Ancient stone ruins with steps and platforms under a cloudy sky, surrounded by historic buildings and some greenery in the background.
Cars parked along a street in front of an ornate historic building with statues and columns; a bronze equestrian statue and a partly cloudy sky are visible in the background. Pedestrians walk nearby.
art museum
A grand historic building interior with tall arched windows, ornate stonework, and multiple balconies, illuminated by warm lights under a glass ceiling.
Ornate interior with a high, decorated ceiling, elaborate gold details, classical paintings, tall columns, and elegant chandeliers illuminating the lavish space.
A blurry photo of two people, one with short dark hair and one with long light hair, standing close together and smiling inside a building with ornate columns and railings in the background.
us exhausted taking a break in the museum
A historic stone building with a Mexican flag on the roof, a fountain in front with water jets, and people gathered near the entrance under a cloudy sky.

We spent the rest of the night packing and going out to eat with my cousin, so that’s a wrap!

Friday, August 8

monday, but in reverse

***

Overall, I absolutely loved my time and feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to go, but I definitely feel like there is so much to do left in the city. We didn’t have the chance to travel right outside the city to take a hot air balloon ride over the ancient pyramids, or visit most of the East side of town. I hope to go back next summer for a couple days, if not before.

Aside from the sightseeing, the trip provided a lot of epiphanies I would be remorseful if I didn’t share:

  1. This is a very very very privileged epiphany to have, but being in a country for the first time where I do not speak the language fluently⁠04 Note! This also fully applies to immigrants who are living in a country where they are fluent in the language, or legal citizens of a country who aren't taught that country's primary language for various reasons, but still have to navigate everything else about being an immigrant--I just didn't have to experience those other issues so the language barrier was the largest thing that stood out to me was enlightening. Obviously I knew going into the experience that it would be difficult, and I feel fairly open-minded and empathetic about the struggles of immigrants, but truly experiencing it (even from the privilege of being on vacation and not having to figure out immigration processes or government systems) was very eye-opening and an experience I think everyone should have.
  2. I’ve never felt more White. I am technically half-White on my mom’s side, and quarter-Mexican/quarter-Lebanese on my dad’s, so I’ve always been fairly ethnically ambiguous. Being in Mexico, which I legally and biologically am a recent descendant of, really forced the return of a long-standing struggle I’ve had as someone who is to a certain extent non-White, but am soooo White-washed. I grew up entirely with my White family in a White neighborhood as White-passing only learning Spanish in a classroom–there is absolutely no world in which I could start to compare my experiences to those who are viewed and treated as non-White. Yet a part of me also feels a pull to this other side. When I’m with my dad and his family, I “pass” as non-White with them. I visited my wella in Kansas a week before I went to Mexico, and was suddenly thrust from the White world I largely live in back into my “familial roots” of Mexico. We played lotería and ate enchiladas and sopa de fideo as wello told us in Spanish again about how he walked across the border as a kid. I can speak slow Spanish to my grandparents and feel very comfortable with my ability to read or write, but have too much anxiety and lack of experience to really talk and comprehend in Mexico–another reminder that I’m only Mexican on paper and not in actuality. To what extent are these experience valid? Is it part of my “culture” (whatever that really means), or just little stories I have dotted throughout my life about people around me who aren’t White. On paper, legal documents, and even in MIT’s systems, I am not listed as “White”, but “Hispanic/Latino”. In person, I would tell you that I’m White with a little question in my voice. It feels wrong to identify with a people and language and culture and struggle that I don’t know, but it also feels wrong to completely reject it to.
  3. Mexican food is the best and nothing beats it.

Hasta luego! (seriously go to cdmx if you have the chance)⁠05 While being mindful about the current discussion around gentrification in the city and how to approach the city carefully and not with a mega-American gaze

  1. In 8th grade I was supposed to go to Italy after begging my parents into debt to pay the EF Tours fee, and then the day before I was supposed to leave was COVID⁠ ↑
  2. Dream Trips (in order): Mexico City, Thailand Elephant Hotel, Cairo⁠ ↑
  3. and yes before you ask I am a Good Pizza, Great Pizza OG⁠ ↑
  4. Note! This also fully applies to immigrants who are living in a country where they are fluent in the language, or legal citizens of a country who aren't taught that country's primary language for various reasons, but still have to navigate everything else about being an immigrant--I just didn't have to experience those other issues so the language barrier was the largest thing that stood out to me⁠ ↑
  5. While being mindful about the current discussion around gentrification in the city and how to approach the city carefully and not with a mega-American gaze⁠ ↑