Last weekend I had the pleasure to visit the beautiful and historic city of Mexico D.F. My family decided to get away for four days and enjoy the food, museums, and of course photography.

Febraury 16, 2023 Lift Off

I packed my trusty Sony a7III and five lenses: Sigma 65mm, 45mm, 24mm, and a 105mm. Off we went. We were flying out of Tijuana and used CBX parking in San Diego. CBX is a pedestrian bridge that crosses to and from Mexico and is connected to the terminals at the Tijuana International Airport. The crossing was seemless and fast until we were going through airport security. They flagged my new carbon fiber tripod and said I had to leave the security area and check it in as baggage. So off I went to get the tripod checked in. My wife and kids crossed the rest of my luggage and waited for me to to catch up at the gate. So remeber: travel tripods should be in your luggage or checked in separately; airport secutirty will not allow a tripod just attached to your camera bag. I guess when it is attached that way it can be used to club someone. Anyway, tripod situation resolved we boarded our plane.

We arrived in Mexico City at about 6:00pm. We got a taxi and proceeded to our Hotel. The Hotel was located in the San Miguel Chapultepec area of Mexico City. Beautiful English style hotel. Rooms were clean and very luxurious. We went straight to the restaurant and had dinner. Back at the room, I prepared my camera gear for the next day. We had planned a hike to the Panteon de Dolores about 4 miles away. We planned on visiting the graves of Diego Rivera and Mambo King Damaso Perez Prado.

Friday February 17, 2023 Panteon de Dolores

We awoke early and prepared for hike throught the neighborhood. My camera bag weighed about 30 pounds: big mistake. I flung it on my back and off we went. The San Miguel de Chapultepec neighborhood was very clean and historic. The buildings were all attached together with large doors that hid the residences behind them. Different vibrant colors decorated the different buildings. Many residents were out walking their dogs or enjoying a morning walk. Many nice, small restaurants and coffee shops were nestled in between residences. A very beautiful neighborhood. We found a very nice restaurant called Cancino and enjoyed an excellent breakfast.

After breakfast the 4 mile hike/walk began. The day was warm -about 75 degrees Fahrenheight-and sunny. Mexico City has an elevation of 7,200 feet above sea level; so I was sucking wind on this hike. About two miles in we had passed many colorful homes, bustling businesses, traffic, and used many elevated foot bridges across major street and highways. I was starting to get tired. My 30-pound bag felt like 60 pounds. But, we continued on. Finally, after about two hours of sweaty marching we arrived at the Panteon de Dolores. Unfortunately, the cemetary was closed to the public due to renovations. They also did not allow photography-fuck.

Not to be deterred I made conversation with the security guards. They introduced me to the head groundskeeper. We made small talk discussing the cemetary, politics, and cuture. Next thing we knew, the head groundskeeper said “ fuck it” I am letting you in. He took us to see the grave of Perez Prado and the Rotunda where all the famous people were buried. The cemetary was closed to the public but this nice person enjoyed our conversation so much, he unchained the gates and in we went.

Damaso Perez Prado was born on December 11, 1916 in Matanzas, Cuba. Perez Prado as he was known throughout the word, was the king of Mambo. He wrote Mambo No. 5, Mambo No. 8, and many others. Perez Prado lived in Mexico City and Mexico became his second home. He was most famous during the 1940’s and 50’s and his trademark “grunts” were heard in many countries. Perez Prado died in Mexico City in 1980. He is buried in El Panteon de Dolores.

My son Gavin is a muscician. He is very fluent with his saxophone and drums. I thought it would be a good experience to take him to see the grave of the greatest mambo composer of all time. We got to the grave of Perez Prado and it was in between many other dilapidated graves. It was a dirty white rectangular mausoleum made from granite. The front had a pexiglass window with a towel on it. There were also wrought iron bars protecting the glass. The mausoleum seemed very neglected especially for a man whose music was and still is known throughout the world. A very sad reflection of life: what was once so grand and aristic is now forgotten and no more.

The impromptu tour moved on the what is called “El Rotondo.” The Rotondo was behind another set of heavily chanied and locked gates. Inside those gates was an amazing round group of richly decorated mausoleums and graves. This area was well kept and maintained. The public was (at present) not allowed to visit this section of the cemetary. Some of the people resting here are Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Agustine Lara and the two men who wrote the Mexican National Anthem: Francisco Gonzalez Bocanegra and Jaime Nuno.

We left the cemetary in deep thought. We were also tired and had a long walk back. On the way back we took the route through el Bosque de Chapultepec. A lot of school kids were playing in the park and older individuals fed the squirrels. We arrived at the hotel an hour and a half later and I went straight to the bar. A tall glass of Mexican red wine was waiting for me.

February 17 Jazzatlan Capital- To be continued.