Tags
architecture, Art, CDMX, dog school, dogs, Mexico, Mexico City, modern, stereotypes
Picture Mexico, or go just about anywhere in the country, and what you see is color, pattern, texture, and more color. Boldly striped serapes, painted pottery, corner food carts bursting with fresh fruits and vegetables, and the national green-white-red theme on everything from flags to clothing to souvenirs. Surely you envision something like this:
Vibrant dwellings like Frida Kahlo’s casa azul in Coyoacán, the pastel streetscapes in Roma Norte and La Condesa, and Rivera’s and Siqueiros’s multicolor murals have been around for decades. Going back even further, both indigenous and European-influenced art, from pre-Columbian to baroque to neoclassical to revolutionary to today’s street art and handicrafts, have long exhibited a fondness for bright hues and busy patterns. You expect paint jobs like this:
And walls of this sort:
Local architecture and design – Aztec, Mayan, on through the Spanish conquistadors and the post-colonial years, and well into the 21st century – have featured intricately carved wood, the heavy textures of lava and cantera stone, and motifs that are geometric or ornate in nature. You marvel at these:
Mexico is most certainly not the place to go for sleek lines, minimalist style, or all-white interiors. For glossy black expanses and shiny metallic facades. Right?
Wrong. Mexico City, these days a must-see destination for world travelers in search of the next hip stop for food, culture, and nightlife, has modern curiosities hiding in many corners of the sprawling metropolis.
A few weeks ago, I spent my first day in CDMX hanging out in Santa Fe, the new-ish business center in the southwest quadrant of the city. It’s not a culturally rich place; in fact, it’s a bit sterile and boring, but it’s calming and peaceful in the Zen-like way that clean design and natural vegetation can be in the middle of an enormous, hectic city.
I floated from fountains to gardens, under wings of canvas and onto glossy cantilevered terraces, past living walls and koi ponds. I sat on a bench in a park of tiered grasses and dipped my hand in a pool edged with metal and stones. For twenty-four hours, I felt like I was on a retreat tucked away from the 21 million people in Mexico City’s overall metropolitan area.
As we ventured back into the urban core, we stopped at another modern surprise: the Museo Soumaya, a smooth and curvy, metal-scaled appendage pushing into the air in tony Polanco. Funded by Carlos Slim, one of the wealthiest men in the world, and named after his late wife, the museum holds the largest collection of Rodin sculptures outside of France, a record-setting assortment of ancient Mexican coins, and a staggering number of European and Mexican paintings. As is usually the case with me and museums, the bones of this one drew me as much as the contents. The palette was white, white, and white (walls, ceiling, and floors), and the six levels were joined by a Guggenheim-ish spiral staircase.
After a day and a half, we settled into the more familiar Mexico to eat tacos and roam the markets amid the usual splashes of color and liveliness in the capital. But make no mistake, the modern is alive and well in CDMX, and its presence is a pleasing counterpoint, a different little jewel in an already rewarding treasure chest.
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And just for fun … some local color of a different type: dog school in Parque Mexico in La Condesa, my favorite find of our mid-week Mexican mini-trip!
Manja Mexi Movie said:
Oooo, what a cool, zen, colourful, obedient post. 🙂 Just right to take to sleep with me. There is Mexi in Mexico. 🙂 And Roma Norte! No matter how excellent the dogs and the museum, my favourite gallery is the second one and those would be the views I’d be searching out. You did well to set this Mejico against the unexpected one. In any case – I’d be having the time of my life there. Thank you for looking around for us.
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lexklein said:
Oh, believe me, I do love the incredibly colorful buildings in Mexico! They are instant happiness. Finding these hidden patches of modernism was so fun, though, after something like 10-12 trips there. Of course, the capital city has many more personalities than the smaller towns, but this was a face I had not seen much of before. (I’ll have to go back and read how the “Mexi” part got into your blog name!)
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Manja Mexi Movie said:
Oh, I can tell you here. It was the nickname of my father already and later it turned into mine as well (our surname is Maksimovič). His was spelled Meksi though. 😉 So, nothing to do with Mexico and I’ve never been. For now.
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lexklein said:
Oh, yes, I remember that! You’d enjoy Mexico. And your door photo portfolio would quadruple!
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AndysWorldJourneys said:
the colours are soooo vibrant – and I adore the shot with the dogs!
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lexklein said:
It’s a pretty vibrant place! And those dogs were so adorable … and well-behaved!
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Green Global Trek said:
Your photographs are spectacular and I do love the way you arranged them into collections. The ones illustrating modern design have so many interesting angles and are a lovely aesthetic in and of themselves.
I love all the vibrant colors of Mexico but the Museo looks magnificent. And Rodin is definitely one of my favorites.
Terrific post Lex!
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lexklein said:
Thanks, Peta! I love the colorful aspect of Mexico but for some reason the simpler, quieter vibe on this trip suited my mood. I had not even heard of the Museo Soumaya, and I’ve been to CDMX multiple times! It was a great visit in every way – short and sweet.
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Mabel Kwong said:
You painted such an interesting picture of Mexico, Lex. Short mini trip but looks like you saw quite a fair bit and packed quite a punch. Such intricate murals and wonderful to see both old and new architecture side by side. The sleek modern facades do look every bit futuristic. The Museo Soumaya looks every bit that way, and it is amazing to hear how it holds all those Rodin sculptures and ancient Mexican coin – must be hundreds or even thousands of them. Maybe go back for another visit sometime 🙂
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lexklein said:
My husband travels to CDMX several times a month for work, and I had threatened to come along many times (haha) and I finally did. It’s such an easy trip for us – less than 2 hours – and yet it’s a whole different country and culture. It was fun for me to see some of the other sides of the city this time after so many visits to the typical colorful spots.
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Anna said:
You definitely have piqued interest in me to visit Mexico City with this post!
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lexklein said:
CDMX has not historically been at the top of many people’s travel lists, but it’s a fantastic city, and it’s suddenly much more popular. Being a gigantic metropolis of course means it’s also full of traffic, pollution, and other annoyances, but it’s so culturally rich and fun! One of the biggest surprises for people is that it is very high (over 7000′) and is full of trees. I could go many, many times and always find a new neighborhood to explore!
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Marina Mexploring said:
I went wiiii! at your colorful galleries – didn’t expect the minimalistic twist in the middle :)) That space looks like zen and love, but to be honest, I still think wiiii! about the colorful facades and detailed murals. I miss that Mexican gene, maybe. As much as I appreciate Scandinavian minimalism and clean lines, gosh, sometimes it gets so boring. It is good to have both, though, so cheers to that! And viva Mexico!
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lexklein said:
The colorful stuff is much more fun for sure! I think for me it was just that I’ve been to Mexico almost a dozen times, and for some reason, my recent travels have taken me frequently to other Latin American countries, so a little restful minimalism was appealing! Finding it nestled in this huge colorful city was a fun surprise.
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Marina Mexploring said:
Oh, I am still dreaming of Latin America and its colors! I can imagine that you have seen so many of them, and such a zen break feels like a fresh air. It really does in your photos. It is always great to have options :))
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The Snow Melts Somewhere said:
Oh, that one dog is sitting there all by himself, poor little guy 🙂 Lovely photos Lexi – my favorite is the first blue wall, wow what power that hue has! Combined with a garden, so pretty
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lexklein said:
I’m telling you – you and I are birds of a feather! The Tom’s shoe packing (haha) and now the little dog pouting over there in the background! I posted that same photo on Instagram recently, and neither here nor there has anyone said anything about that poor little guy, but for me he is the focal point! I look at his sad little eyes and forlorn posture and wonder if he got booted out of the line-up for misbehaving or what?
The blue house is Frida Kahlo’s. It might be my favorite place in all of Mexico City!
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The Snow Melts Somewhere said:
Oh, Frida’s, no wonder then! And YES, he is definitely the focal point!!! He’s looking straight at those other dogs, I feel so sorry for him… there’s a story there for sure, something happened just before!
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lexklein said:
🙂 for Frida and her amazing house and 😦 for the pup!
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J.D. Riso said:
Wow, sleek minimalism, too. The more I learn about Mexico City, the more I’m impressed by the variety of sensations that abound there. I never would have thought. The dog school is hilarious. Looks like they’re already very obedient students.
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lexklein said:
Now that you’re back on the North American continent, you can venture that direction when you’re ready to wander again! For me it’s now even easier to get there (and I stay free because I take advantage of my husband being there for work), but when we lived in Chicago, my daughter and I flew down for 4 days once, and it was < 3 hours there and very reasonable. It's a "real" city – full of cultural offerings, amazing food, attractive parks, etc, etc, but also more varied than Mexican stereotypes would suggest.
I'm actually quite curious about that dog school (which is what I read and was told it is). They ARE very well-behaved already, it seems – maybe it's really a doggy daycare, and they all know the drill! No owners anywhere in sight, but even as we approached, the dogs just stayed put. No dog of mine ever behaved like this!
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Bama said:
I only recently learned about the Museo Soumaya and I was surprised to know that such ultra-modern structure existed in Mexico City, which is nice because on one side you have all those bright colors and intricate architectural details, but then you can also access places with sleek and modernist touches. You know how much I would love to visit Mexico (for the pyramids and the colonial buildings, unsurprisingly). But I know I will see a lot more in this country.
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lexklein said:
I do know how eager you are to visit Mexico … just as I am to get to so many places near you in Asia! You would absolutely love the country and the capital as well. The history and architecture would both wow you, and I know your subsequent posts would be much more informative than mine! This trip was all about seeing a whole different area and side of Mexico, and all I could think was that most people would have no idea the modern stuff even existed here.
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James said:
Lex, I did have an inkling of the ultramodern side of Mexico City, but yours is the first post I’ve seen that has steered us in that direction! The description of Sante Fe actually had me looking up the area on Google Maps (and going into 3D mode) to see where it was in relation to the historic center. I was not expecting to see high-rises backing onto lush green hills at all… with the clean designs and living green walls it actually resembles Singapore. I think when I do eventually go I will still be drawn to the old, the colorful, and the ornate; and given my love of museums, there will be a couple of hours happily spent at the Museo Soumaya!
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lexklein said:
I checked out the 3D Google map function also, and my version looked like it was quite old – lots of dirt piles and construction – but you are right that there are lush green hills and shiny new buildings all around now. You would never go there unless you had some corporate reason to go, but I do agree that a visit to the futuristic Museo Soumaya would still be a nice contrast with the more vibrant parts of the city!
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CompassAndCamera said:
Perfect timing for this post and great to see Mexico City from your perspective. We’re considering returning in August to see Mexico City and Oaxaca. The museum looks amazing! Thanks for the inspiration!
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lexklein said:
You guys have to go back! It’s such a fun city. I wrote a post a few summers ago that is much more informative; it’s called “DF Delight” if you want to check it out. (You probably saw it back then, but if you’re like me, it’s long gone from the memory bank of travel info!) And let me know if/when you go – my husband is there several times a month and when I can find cheap airfare, I tag along for the free hotel! 🙂
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awtytravels said:
Mmmh, I’m considering Mexico City for a weekend in August… Now it’s a serious contender!
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lexklein said:
Go for it! It will certainly keep you busy for a weekend. And the altitude will even keep you cool. I was telling Kelly (above) that I wrote a much more helpful post a few summers ago that might have more info if you are looking for ideas. Hope you go – I’d like to get your take.
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awtytravels said:
Mmmh, that depends on the flights, but it’s now on the cards!
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Sue Slaght said:
What a surprise to find such modern and sleek architecture and landscaping. You were pulling our legs or at least setting up the case for a big contrast. I adore that photo of the dogs and enjoyed it on Instagram too.
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lexklein said:
Those dogs … every time I see that photo, I smile!
I had never really seen the modern side of Mexico City before and it was kind of a revelation. Hotels maybe, but never the crisp landscaping and certainly not the pulsating metal-clad museum! It was a fun, short escape!
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Tina Schell said:
Hmmm…..must admit Mexico City has never been on my radar Lex. Loved your photos which really piqued my interest. I agree the modern museum offers a more calming atmosphere than the brilliant colors but there’s much to be said for those fab murals!!!
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lexklein said:
Several years ago, Mexico City started showing up on travel have-to-see lists, so my daughter and I flew down for four days in the summer of ’15. We had so much fun that I swore I’d tag along on one of my husband’s many business trips there someday. With my work schedule and the dog, I never did that until a few weeks ago! There is some good that comes from leaving a job and not having to worry about a dog. 🙂 and 😦
The murals – both the older work by Diego Rivera, David Siqueiros, and others – and the contemporary street art are all fabulous. I took and posted so many photos of both in 2015 that I decided to focus on something else this time!
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Tina Schell said:
Understand 😊 and 😢 completely. We’ve resisted another since becoming travelers but still say someday
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shoreacres said:
I must admit I’ve never had a desire to visit Mexico. I’m not sure why that is, but your post certainly presents it in a new and appealing way. It is one of those places that seems unchanging. I suspect that’s as much a function of travel agents and tour guides playing to romantic stereotypes as anything — but perhaps not,.
In any event, this was an interesting glimpse into both old and new, and I enjoyed it very much.
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lexklein said:
Glad to hear I’ve changed perceptions a teeny bit! Despite having been to Mexico oodles of times, I actually totally understand your position. Like most large capital cities, though, Mexico City is unlike the rest of the rural or small-town or resort-focused country. It’s much more cosmopolitan than most people could imagine, and it bears the influences of many cultures beyond the stereotypical fiesta/taco/margarita/sombrero themes!
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Dave Ply said:
I kind of get the sense that the vibrant, colorful side is more the “real” Mexico, the Mexico of the average guy on the street; and the sleek lines, minimalist style, and all-white interiors are more the Mexico of the rich upper crust. Maybe not so different than here. In any case, it looks like a sensory banquet.
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lexklein said:
I suppose that’s true although I think some of the exaggeratedly vibrant hues are for tourists’ sakes also. I do agree that sleek minimalism is in general an upscale design trend and that those buildings and landscapes are in the richer parts of most cities.
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Liesbet @ Roaming About said:
What a beautifully written post, Lexie. I love your approach, the contrast, and the way you led us into the main, white and modern, part of your mini-trip. Just like the country itself, it sounds like Mexico City is a place of contrasts, with something on offer for everyone. Such diversity. I never expected to find this modern twist in the capital – from art, to style, to colors. That last photo is a winner, by the way! Those pups don’t look like your average Mexican stray dog either. 🙂
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lexklein said:
Oh, you’re too nice … I just wanted to show a different side of Mexico for a change. My other posts have focused on the street art and murals, as well as the more typical vividness that exists in so many parts of Latin America overall. Aren’t the dogs so adorable? Definitely not strays, but I still can’t quite fathom what this daily gathering is all about. They seem to already be so well-trained, but I keep hearing it’s a dog “school.” In any case, they made me smile and started my day off happily!
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restlessjo said:
Yes- why is he in exile? Poor chap! Thanks for leading us through this kaleidoscope of Mexico, Lexie. Tempting, all of it. 🙂 🙂
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lexklein said:
Poor little pup!
Kaleidoscope is a great word to describe Mexico with all the big and little chips of color combining in ever-changing patterns. Probably the reason I found this recent stay in more modern surroundings so calming!
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carolinehelbig said:
I really like how you introduced the sleek, modern Mexico by showing us how most of us envision Mexico. The bright colours and fun but busy patterns are certainly what I think of first, but then, I haven’t been beyond Mexico City’s airport. You and others have built a compelling case for me to visit this great city. Your photos of Museo Soumaya really make me want to go. The photo of the pampered pets at dog school is priceless.
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lexklein said:
Thanks! The contrast was all I could think about as I spent those few days in the modern parts of the city, so I figured it would be a different angle for a post. I’m so glad I did my first trip to CDMX a few years ago just to see that it was not only perfectly safe but fun in the way that NYC is fun – a huge, cosmopolitan city with so much to offer for a long weekend. We just don’t think of Mexico that way (or at least I never did), and now I’m hooked. With my husband there almost every other week for work these days, I’m hoping I can sneak back more often for a city break!
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LuAnn said:
Loved this post Lexi! It took me back to our year exploring Mexico. I too was surprised by the contrasting architecture that we found in Mexico City. It was unlike anything we had seen in so many other colonial cities.
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lexklein said:
Thanks! I continue to express my surprise, too, but I suppose we all shouldn’t be shocked that a huge capital city is much more architecturally diverse than the smaller towns and cities in the country. I think in Mexico City’s case, though, in contrast to metropolises like NYC or Beijing or Berlin, people just don’t think of it as a tourist destination in itself. That has changed for us, and I’m hoping a few of my posts might entice others to venture to this vibrant city!
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gallivance.net said:
Lexie, there’s so much to see in CDMX, that, like most huge cities, it takes focus and lots of small bites. No matter where or how many times I go to Mexico, I never grow tired of the colorful architecture. I’m a sucker for intimate courtyards with a small, babbling fountain and a few plants. Just looking at your photos I can feel my bare feet on the cool tile. ~James
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lexklein said:
I love that part, too, but it’s been great fun to discover the other side of Mexico on my recent trips. Small bites are always the best, and CDMX’s colonias and all their different personalities are a great way to focus on little pieces at a time. I’m getting to know Colonia Roma (Norte) and La Condesa pretty well now, but there’s plenty more to cover!
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Elaine Bryan said:
Just unbelievable – a neighborhood in Mexico!!
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lexklein said:
Surprising, eh? But I guess all big cities are not homogenous; we just expect the typical as tourists.
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twobrownfeet said:
The silver building reminds me of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul. Quite a contrast (old and new) in your pictures. We’re living in interesting times! 🙂
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lexklein said:
I remember seeing DDP in Seoul! Your city is perhaps the most interesting of all places that mix the traditional with the modern. I love the clash myself. I guess I was expecting it in Seoul but not in CDMX, which is funny because I’ve been there so many times!
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Random Repeat said:
Reblogged this on .
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pam@ichoosethis said:
That pink dress! I LOVE IT. If only I could find a place to wear this in Denver. haha. That museum looks pretty spectacular too….over the years I have fallen in love with sculptures….gonna have to make it back to Mexico City – I saw just a tiny sliver of it in a 24 hour period. Love the puppies too 🙂
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lexklein said:
I’ve had a blast on every trip to CDMX! Such good food and museums and even walking – although everyone almost gasps when I talk about how much I walk there. It’s such a traffic-jammed place, and I love being on the streets on my own two feet, but people think it’s dangerous and scary. But I have loved trekking around the city, especially when we stay in Colonia Roma where things feel very safe and the streetscapes are so charming. Hope you get back soon!
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pam@ichoosethis said:
I would feel safer walking that city than taking public transportation 😬. Hope to get back there soon. Sean said he would go with me. I may just have to book the tickets and make him go. Haha.
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lexklein said:
Yes – do it! And I agree about some of the public transportation although I sometimes feel better on a bus or a subway than in a taxi! (Uber has been mostly OK.)
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Lisa Dorenfest ~ One Ocean At A Time said:
We saw just a smidge of CDMX in 22 hours during our Mexico Drive-By: Museo Nacional de Antropología, La Entrecôte in Polanco, and overnight with friends in Tlalpan. So it has been a delight to return here today with you virtually. I would have never been able to capture the concrete, stucco-plastered terra cotta, stone, steel, and glass as beautifully as you. I adore your compositions and envy you for them all at the same time #jealous 😉. Oh, to see the world as you do through your lens.
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lexklein said:
Amazing anthropology museum, isn’t it? I like the whole Chapultepec area, and daughter K and I spent a lovely couple of hours in the museum. I hope you can get back to CDMX for a longer time; there are so many awesome neighborhoods to explore! Once again, you gave me way more photography credit than I deserve, but I’ll take it today in my isolation! 🙂
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