Mexico City - July 7, 2007
I just spent 5 days in Mexico City or D.F. (District Federal) as the locals say-and with 25 million residents and growing, that is a serious amount of locals! Thats right, with 3 times the population of New York City - to say they have the hustle and bustle of a big city south of the border is an understatement.
While Most Americans have only spent time there on a layover on the way to Cancun or Puerto Vallarta, Mexico City is an undiscovered treasure that you should not miss. Dating back to the 1300's, this megalopolis was originally built on a lake - as the entire city is actually a valley ringed by beautiful mountain ranges and two volcanoes. Not to mention the fact that it is has one of the highest elevations at 7300 feet above sea level. Don't be surprised if you see troops of runners training for a marathon. With such thin oxygen, after training in D.F., running in a city like L.A. or N.Y.C. feels like you have twice the O2 to fuel you! The zocolo or center of the city is dwarfed only by Tiananmen square in China and Red Square in Russia. Shakira recently gave a free concert there for 200,000 people!
It was also the site of the ultimate fashion statement while I was there. A group of Native Mayan Indians from the Oaxaca region who were protesting the Mexican presidential elections and the governments treatment of their people and the land had brought the message all the way to the Zocolo. - and they brought nothing else with them - literally! The protest was in the nude. The only coverage a few of the men had were pictures of the new president, Mr. Calderon - covering their private parts like a loin cloth - but most were as naked as the day they were born. 
I have to say it was beautiful to see people unaffected and free to express themselves. There was no sense of shame towards their bodies. I was really impressed with the women, who on average were not a size 2,4, or 6. In fact, the women were more like 12,14,16 - but so beautiful in this zoftig way. The men too were letting it all hang out - or flop around as the case may be! This was so much stronger a message than any piece of clothing could have ever been.
The Mexican government owes its indigenous people much more than they currently receive. The amount of billionaires in D.F. alone should be enough to wipe out the staggering poverty you see in the rural Oaxacan region. Unfortunately, the Mexican government's most comprehensive plan to help the nations poor has been three little words : CROSS THE BORDER.
This is just the start of what I found in Mexico City... stay tuned for more of my trip....