Over the long weekend I had a chance to visit my friend Francisco in Mexico City. The last time I was in Mexico City was briefly in 2007. Back then, people called it Mexico DF instead of CDMX. I don’t remember much about that trip, and was excited to re-discover the city!
I decided on shooting film and packed three rolls of film and my 35mm lens. I went for variety, some known quantities of film, and a riskier bonus pick.
I would say, I think visually what surprised me the most was the amount of concrete! I was expecting many colorful buildings, which we saw, but there was more concrete and stone than I was expecting! And it was well-done as well! The metro stations and the airport were a lot of unpainted concrete but still really charming.
Travel
Once I made it through security, I loaded my roll of Kodak 200 Gold and snapped a few pictures. The atrium at the end of the terminal had some incredible lighting.
As I was waiting around, I got a text from my friend Louis that was like “hey, random, are you on XYZ flight to CDMX?” It turns out he was on the exact same flight and spotted me, so we had a chance to catch up before boarding.
SFO International Terminal A
Louis
Day 1
I woke up to some great views from the hotel’s 30th floor, and a really fun lobby atrium. Then, it was time to start exploring! For the first full day, Francisco and I covered a lot of ground!
30th floor views
Hotel atrium
Breakfast had some incredible floral arrangements.
Then we visited the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo workshop, a museum made of their home/workshop setup.
Saguaros dressed up to represent Diego and Frida
We walked towards one of the Saturday markets and I loved how bright everything was.
Squirrel friend
I requested we make a visit the Museo de Metro, which is tucked inside the Mixcoac station. It was a small cute set of exhibits and I think my first time on the CDMX metro. I loved the mix of concrete, steel and skylights.
Vintage items in the Museo de Metro
Mixcoac station skylight
The weather was a bit overcast but the decorations all over the city were so colorful!
Francisco in one of the markets
We made it to the city center.
Amazing stone work on the sides of buildings
An installation with different statues of nopal cactuses decorated by different groups
Gigantic flag in the center of the square
Yup, it’s another building corner
The light and the clouds was so mesmerizing
Day 2
For this day, I tagged along with Francisco and his friends a bit outside the city to go to a temazcal, which he explained was like a Mexican sauna. For a day trip where I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, I packed the tried-and-true Portra 400.
The group was focused on a more spiritual reset than I would typically seek out for myself. The temazcal had a ritual that was pretty unfamiliar to me, but as a fan of saunas, I appreciated the chance to sweat it all out.
Meeting up to caravan
temazcal dog
After the temazcal, the group stopped in the nearby town of Amatlán de Qutzacóatl to visit La Puerta, a rock formation considered a sacred spot.
A temazcal at La Puerta
Francisco in Amatlán
The sunset was incredible and the photo doesn’t do it justice
Day 3
The last roll I used was the bonus one: dubblefilm Bubblegum 200. Its makers say “Results will vary depending on shooting conditions but expect something truly surprising every time” and they were right! I was suprised.
I may have underexposed some of these photos on this overcast day wandering around Chapultepec Park, or that could just be the film.
CDMX has double decker busses just like London (and Davis!)
This installation was really fun in the light.
The park’s namesake in Nahuatl is the grasshopper
Bike racks in the park
Loved the detail work on buildings
Then I made it back to the airport for my flight home. I really love the circles-in-concrete motif of the MEX airport.
Back Home
I had a few shots left on the Bubblegum 200 so I finished them up here in San Francisco. The morning sunrise clearly was the perfect fit for this film stock.
Transamerica Pyramid
Bay Bridge from Broadway
Overall it was a really amazing, fulfilling weekend!