The grand Zocalo was the agora of the Templo Mayor de Tenochtitlan. New palaces and temples -this time christian- were built, on the ruins of the old palaces and temples. Markets remained markets. The city continued to grow. Great mansions, shops and schools were erected, but fortunately the Center continued to be both historic and monumental. Today the elegant palaces are museums, hotels and shops.
The ancient Tenochtitlan struggles to rise from the rocks and can be seen by the Cathedral, at the National Palace and wherever you want to dig inside the Zocalo. Mexico's history is told by Diego Rivera and by old stones. The fact that Mexico is sitting on a lagoon is obvious just by watching so many tilted buildings defying gravity. However, the center is not sinking: it is moving, re-accomodating itself.
The Historic Center is still the center of the city. Residents continue to come to celebrate, to protest, to have fun, to shop and stroll. In comparison to any other metropolis, the extraordinary thing in Mexico City is that everything is authentic. What you see is what you get. No illusions or delusions for tourists. Passersby are not extras. San Judas is on the street, as is the Santa Muerte, the women selling tlayudas and stew tacos, the shoe shiners, the cantinas, the popular markets, the wrestling and the scribes. Everything is real, everything is commonplace. The center will always be the center.
