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Living in Texas means that my geographical neighbor to the south is not just another state, but rather another country.
Many Texans frequently hop down to Mexico's attractive beach destinations and resorts. But being more of a city slicker myself, I'm a little bit in love with CDMX. (That's Mexico City's official abbreviation and affectionate shorthand).
The largest city in the Western Hemisphere--and certainly one of its most culturally and historically rich--is as close to Dallas as Washington, DC.
The climate of Mexico City, though, does not share the extremes you might find in Washington. Thanks to its latitude south of the Tropic of Cancer and its altitude of 7349 ft, the climate is ideal year round.
From the Aztecs to Zócalo
The push and pull heritage of Mexico City is on full display in its historic heart. The ancient Aztec core of Tenochtitlan is gradually being excavated in and around the main square or Zócalo. This once-majestic settlement lies buried beneath Spanish colonial structures such as the Metropolitan Cathedral, whose base holds stones literally taken from the destroyed Aztec temple in a sign of imperial domination.
It's a fascinating and enlightening juxtaposition of historical eras that has only come to be fully appreciated in recent decades. When a building is irreparably damaged by an earthquake, for example, it is then razed and the ground beneath it is painstakingly excavated to reveal more and more of the Aztec site.
Teotihuacan
The two-thousand-year-old pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, which lie northeast of the metropolis, are another important treasure of Mesoamerican history. The site also includes dwelling complexes and it is believed that 125,000 people may have lived in this ancient city, making it at least the sixth-largest city in the world at the time of its heyday.
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