Your Flaneur in Mexico: Out and About in the Distrito Federal and Beyond

Roof at Casa Luis Barragán, Calle General Francisco Ramírez 12 and 14, Col. Daniel Garza, Distrito Federal.  If you are at all interested in modern Mexican architecture, this museum is a must-see.  Arquitecto Luis Barragán changed the face of Mexican building, pioneering in the use of forms and space.

Baby bok choy at the Mercado de San Juan de Dios.  Each of these little bok choys is about six inches long, perfect for steaming.  Most of the most-used fresh Asian vegetables are regularly available at this downtown Mexico City market. 

One of my favorite market stall signs: Bacon Shop "La Guadalupana", a Mercado de Jamaica pork butcher puesto (booth) that sells far more than bacon.

Just around the corner from Mexico Cooks!' Mexico City headquarters, this tree wears a multi-colored and textured knit jacket.

A wheelbarrow full of mamey (pouteria sapota), perfectly ripe, beautifully cut, creamy sweetness.  Sunday market, Tlacolula, Oaxaca.

Molinillos (carved chocolate beaters), Sunday market, Tlacolula, Oaxaca.

Pink graffiti on a window.  The little sign reads, "Fresh paint".

Tomatoes for salsa, roasting directly on the red-hot embers.  Private home, Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca.  "Sí, siempre los asamos así.  Agarran más sabor." ('Yes, we always roast them this way.  They take on more flavor.')

Tortillas freshly toasted on the comal (griddle).  These tortillas, prepared in Puebla by traditional cooks from Querétaro, bear a "Q" stamp indicating their place of origin.  In long-ago years, tortillas were often stamped with similar carved wooden stamps.  The stamps were carved with pictures or letters that identified the owners.

Crystallized fruits, Mercado Medellín, Mexico City.  Clockwise from the top: a whole orange, a slice of sweet potato, a slice of squash, a whole green limón, a pale slice of chilacayote squash, another orange, more sweet potato, and several wheels of pineapple.  In the center, a whole limón and a fig.

Fresh morel mushrooms, Mercado de San Juan, Mexico City.  Morels are available at this market fresh during the rainy season and dried all year long.

A pre-Hispanic waterspout in the shape of a monkey's head.  Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City.

Jícaras (hand-carved or painted drinking gourds), Mercado Benito Juárez, Oaxaca.

Misitu, the Purépecha word for cat.  Mural detail, Santa Fe de la Laguna, Michoacán.

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