Wandering around the Old town in Mexico offers endless discoveries and OMG moments. The National Cathedral (interior and exterior shots) struck me as being one of the sacred places that Mexicans throughout the country revere, much like St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC or Washington Cathedral. Most of the tourists were native Mexicans and very few were foreigners, at least when I was there. The over-the top ornateness is characteristic of the Mexican style, with carving craftwork handed down by indigenous people who were forced to perform.

The exteriors of the buildings in the Zocalo area were richly decorated with baked clay face tiles that preserved the old buildings and served them well. This left me wishing China had done a better job preserving not just its ancient buildings, but some of their more recent turn-of-the century tea houses and everyday genre buildings more. It made it that much more evident that “slow” development that at least respects the past creates a much richer and evident history for everyone to appreciate and from which to learn.

Photos, top, left to right:
1. Interior of National Cathedral
2. Exterior Door Detail
3. Hand painted Tile on Exterior of Building
4. hard to see, but another style of painted tile facade treatment (zoom to see)