A Little Artistic License Interpreting DF

Just this past weekend, I discovered the MobileMonet app. What fun this one is! From the examples that I've posted here, you can see how you can create a drawing-like image from a photograph. The photo below was shot as I was strolling around San Angel one Saturday afternoon. The app allowed me to take the photo and turn it into a colored pen-line drawing.

Flower Pots in San Angel

This next image came from a street just behind the Catedral Metropolitana. Again, applying the app to my photograph, I came up with an image with an entirely different feel to it.

Finally, here's a different "artistic" perspective on the Ex Convento de San Jacinto in the San Angel district.

Ex Convento de San Jacinto

 

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Shamans & Aztec Dancers

Around the Catedral Metropolitana one can find "shamans" cleansing away evil spirits (for $10 MEX, of course) or troops of Aztec dancers providing great entertainment for the throngs of tourists who visit the Centro Histórico in downtown Mexico City. A visit to the Zocalo is mandatory for any number of reasons. Art and architectural reach their zenith in the urban center. For those just interested in people watching, the Zocalo offers a bit of everything from local characters to organized demonstrations. Day or night something is going on!

 

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People on the Street 3

Squatting just outside the Metropolitan Cathedral, this gentleman is clearly deep in thought or study. For many in Mexico, visiting the eglisia or cathedral, in this case, is a daily practice. The importance of faith to many cannot be understated. Prayer and devotion are central values practiced by the Catholic faithful in Mexico. As in this case, it does appear that older individuals are those who you most often see practicing their faith with daily visits to their local places of worship.

 

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A Bird's Eye View of the Cathedral

One of my favorite early evening activities is having a nice cold cerveza in the bar at the Majestic Hotel. High above the Zocalo, you have one of the best views in the city center and of the cathedral. For only about $3, enjoy an afternoon beer while watching the late day light change on the stones of the cathedral. Grab a table by the window for a drink or have dinner on the terrace. There is no better place in the city to quietly unwind and brush off the dust from a full day of trekking around DF seven stories above the crowds below.

 

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For Whom The Bell Tolls

When in DF, take the time and pay the small admission fee (about $1 US) to climb the narrow steps in the 16th century Catedral Metropolitana up to the bell tower. At the top, the view is great! After a short introduction (in Spanish) about the bells and towers, the real show is the striking of the bells on the hour.

 

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"The Lady Doth Protest Too Much, Methinks!"

 

Quoting Shakespeare's Hamlet seemed most appropriate here. Whether through large rallies in the Zocalo or by smaller groups of individuals, there is a rich tradition of protests or demonstrations in DF. Here, this lively character is decrying the intrusion of the church into public education. Our nun's calculated location for this protest? Right in front of the Mexico City Cathedral. How fitting!

 

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The Grand Dame of Mexico City

 

No visit to Mexico City is complete without visiting its great cathedral. Located on the north side of the Zocalo, the cathedral is without doubt the centerpiece of the capital. Now, and for more than four centuries, the cathedral has served the people of DF as the heart and soul of their faith.

Inside the Cathedral

 

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