La ciudad de palacios

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"The city of palaces" - rich people used to want to live as close to the center of the city, with the square, cathedral, and government buildings, as possible. I saw houses that were hundreds of years old. In Coyoacán I saw Cortés' own house, next door to the one he built for La Malinche, his translator and lover, across the street from their personal chapel.

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Looking away from the Zócalo, towards the Torre Latinoamericana, the Palacio de Bellas Artes, etc. One block over from the previous street, looking in the same direction. Farther away from the Z&ocaute;calo, closer to the Torre. These old houses are what I liked best about Mexico City. It's hard for me to imagine living in them, having grown up in a two-bedroom one-story house. But they're so beautiful, and the truly Spanish (Muslim?) ones that have the interior patio are especially so. They come from an age when money chose to live as close to the city center - the square and the cathedral - as possible. These houses have been abandoned, or converted to office spaces or hotels. Some may still be inhabited, but I doubt it. In this house, you can see the influence of Islamic style in Spanish architecture. I liked the colors on this one.
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Panoramic view: left. Panoramic view: right. El Casino Español, on the upper floor, is a famous restaurant in which I did not get a chance to eat. Art deco in Mexico?
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Agustín de Iturbide was a Royalist general who opportunistically switched over to the cause of independence. After the war was won, he was made emperor, but his reign lasted for less than a year, and he was executed after returning from exile under the erroneous impression that he was welcome back. This is his house. Riding the metro costs 2 pesos. You can travel as far as you want and transfer on as many lines as you want, and the trains run every two minutes. The system covers much of the central city area. From the terrace of the hostel where I stayed, looking towards the Cathedral.
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The hostel terrace has a bar. From the hostel terrace, this picture shows an old church tilting, because the city was built on an island and lakebed, whose clayey soil sinks under the weight of the buildings. The tilt has been stabilized for many buildings, including the cathedral.

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