Of all that can be done in Santiago de Chile, is to walk through its streets to see street art. In the Franklin neighborhood to the south of the Chilean capital there are a significant number of works of this style. A cultural pole is developed here, where there is also a central square that hosts concerts and fairs. In the end, graffiti is a format-free art, no rules in styles or or techniques.
Sometimes ephemeral and other times permanent, but always renewable. There is an evident need for expression, of any kind, that the emotional moment of the city teaches us, whether it expresses rebellion or the need to pay attention to society’s needs.
It is worth walking the streets and admiring the works of art that have may not live for ever. Observe the bright colors and the whimsical shapes, some unknown and others very representative of well-known characters.
Also in another city in Chile, Valparaiso, there is an immense amount of street art. There is practically no street that is not adorned by a painting or a mural. I will show you in a future post.
The Recoleta graveyard is one of Buenos Aires places to visit. Many of the people buried here were important to the history of Argentina, like Eva Perón – Evita, and some presidents like Raúl Alfonsin. Some of the names in this graveyard are the names of main avenues in the city.
There are 4,691 vaults above ground where 94 of them have been declared National Historic Monuments.
Many of the graves are decorated with massive sculptures from heroic motives to humble ones.
I have chosen just a few to show here.
The Recoleta neighbourhood is known for its French architecture, museums and art exhibits.
I have not been out much lately because you know, pretending to be safe.
There are a lot of photographs from previous trips still to be shared that I didn’t do in the past, so I will start with one of the cities of the world (from the few I know) that I like best. And now that I write about it, I realize that we get attached to places not only because of the way things look like, but also for their people, their special places, their customs and your experiences when being there.
I started going to Buenos Aires in 2005 and from then on, I didn’t get bored of the city. I would always get to know more and more, even made some friends that still after these many years are around. Strange. It is funny how we can keep friends that know so little about us for the simple reason that they are only interested in your well being. It doesn’t really has to do with who you work for, your political ideas or any other thing. They only care about you.
Is that hard to get? well, it really depends on who you are, how you approach to new experiences and your willingness to do what frightens you, to dare to bond and make relationships for the sake of sharing.
I will be posting a series of photographs from this old Cemetery, which bears the same name as its neighborhood, Recoleta.
This is Madero avenue in Mexico City downtown. Madero avenue used to be opened for cars, now it is a promenade. This avenue will lead you to the Zocalo, the main plaza of the city (195mts x 240mts). Next to Zocalo is the Cathedral which is the largest in Latin America. It took 250 years to be built. I think I will write a post about the Cathedral.
I took these photos not long ago… well, add to that one year.
I edited them with a bit of colour since this is how they do presentations, also included one of his songs, not recent but I didn’t find new songs nor know if they are still a group.
One thing is for sure, they have lots of fun when they play!
The Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan was one of the largest urban centers in the ancient world, which had a population of more than 100,000 inhabitants at its peak. Located in a valley rich in natural resources, Teotihuacan was the seat of power of one of the most influential Mesoamerican societies in the political, economic, commercial, religious and cultural spheres, whose features permanently marked the peoples of the Mexican highlands, passing time and reaching us with the same strength and greatness with which its builders planned it. -INHA, National Institute of Anthropology and History.
Pyramid of the SunRepresentation of an Aztec celebration at a restaurant set inside a cave.
Pyramid of the Sun
Pyramid of the Sun, on the Road of the Dead
The area open to public visits has an area of 264 hectares, where the main complexes of monumental buildings are concentrated, such as The Citadel and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, the Calzada de los Muertos and the residential complexes that flank it, the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, the Palace of Quetzalpapálotl and 4 departmental groups with important examples of mural painting, such as Tetitla, Atetelco, Tepantitla and La Ventilla, as well as 2 other housing complexes called Yayahuala and Zacuala.
Pyramid of the Sun
At least once I year I go Teotihuacan, well, not true since this year has been hectic. Either way, it takes me about one hour and a half to get there since these pyramids are not within the city (another archeological site, or several of them are.) I believe you may find this interesting, nevertheless is not that much for me since I have been going there since I was a kid.
There are many tourist from practically everywhere due to the importance the Aztec and Mexica culture have had in the world. (Noted the word Mexica?). By the way, since we are in this conversation. According to one legend, the war deity and patron of the Mexica Huitzilopochtli possessed Mexitl or Mexi as a secret name. Mexico would then mean “Place of Mexi” or “Land of the War God.” Another hypothesis (the most referenced to) is that Mēxihco derives from a portmanteau of the Nahuatl words for “moon” (mētztli) and navel (xīctli): The Navel of the Moon.
And, this is the place I take my foreign friends to when they come visit me, so now you know where you will be landing!
Visitors at the Pyramid of the SunMe, halfway top of the Pyramid of the Sun. Behind me, the Pyramid of the MoonPyramid of the Sun seen from the Pyramid of the Moon. The road is named Calzada de los Muertos or Road of the Dead
For the peoples that preceded Teotihuacan, this site had a predominantly sacred meaning. Various historical sources indicate that the Aztecs and their rulers came to these ruins to pray and celebrate rites. Later Teotihuacan was a point of reference since the beginning of the Spanish occupation; and at present it is recognized as one of the most outstanding testimonies of ancient urbanism and state development, which is why it is an object of interest to researchers from Mexico and the world, who through different scientific disciplines continue to explore its complexity.
The archaeological remains of the ancient city are visited each year by thousands of people, making the site one of the largest tourist attractions in the country.
The recognition of the site as cultural heritage is universal, since since 1987 it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Patio de los Pilares. Quetzalpapálotl Palace.
Services available in the Archaeological Zone of Teotihuacan
The archaeological zone has two specialized museums: the Teotihuacan Culture Museum and the “Beatriz de la Fuente” Museum of Teotihuacan Murals, as well as a temporary exhibition room located in the building known as “ex-museum”. Other areas in which archaeological pieces are exhibited are the Sculptural Garden and the garden south of the San Juan River; It also has a botanical garden of traditional flora, an open-air theater and the headquarters building of the Teotihuacan Studies Center.
Pyramid of the Moon.Not me, but a tourist like me.Pyramid of the SunPeople climbing the pyramid of the Sun
Due to the size of the Archaeological Zone, it is very difficult to enjoy all its cultural offerings in a single visit, however there are routes designed to make the most of the routes, depending on the particular interests of each visitor.
Note: Yes, I took these photos.
(Did I mention I don’t like the new WP editor and I didn’t find a way to use the old one?)
Big Ben will be under restoration until 2022. It doesn’t look like this now at all, it will be prettier though!
Four year of refurbishments for around 29 million pounds, London will not be my first place to visit soon, but the second.
By the way, I have noticed that W o r d p r e s s algorithm is working not on my favor and things they used to have are there no more, like the Daily Challenge among other things.
It is striking how after some years we have come to realize that we are the “product” when we get things for free, like social media. Either way, don’t mind me, I post for fun not for fame.
Santa Sabina is an early 5th century basilica. It was built by the priest Pedro de Iliria, a Dalmatian priest, between 422 and 432, after the sack of Alaric I. It was built on the site of the house of the Roman matron Sabina. , who was later canonized as a Christian saint. It was originally near a Juno temple.
In 1219, the church was handed over by Pope Honorius III to Santo Domingo, for his new order, the Order of Preachers, today commonly called Dominicans. Since then, it has been their headquarters.
It is next to the small public park of Giardino degli Aranci (“Garden of Oranges”), which has a scenic terrace overlooking Rome. It is a short distance from the headquarters of the Knights of Malta.
The visit to this site was coincidental. It turns out that the taxi driver named Maximo, who took us from the airport to our hotel, said he also was a tourist guide. For cheap he could take us to places not commonly visited by tourists. We hesitated a bit, then when making numbers we realized that it was a good deal, otherwise we could visit the same places for a higher amount. If I recall well, he charged 40 EURO each and drove us around.
A view to the dome of the Basilica. If you see the blueprint, it is on the lateral side, and is beautiful. Just as Rome is.
Photography is very personal. It has to do a lot with what you like, what you are attracted to. Deals with your thoughts and emotions, maybe that is why there are people that differ on the liking of photographs.
I am more into landscape and urban or street photography. I have not tried portrait though I should. Care to be my model?
Some of the photos I like the most are not liked by others, and photos I don’t really like turn to be a charm.
There are photographs that inspire me and this is one of my favorites.
Implicado 