Tacos and Tequila

An indulgent week in sunny Ciudad de Mexico

By Jamie Martin

July 31^st, 2025

Un amigo muy viejo

"We're going to Mexico City in August. Do you want to come?" my friend asked. I'd known Adam since I was 12 and hadn't seen him in over a decade, but we had just planned a big trip to Australia that same month.

"Probably not," I said. "Let me check with Susie."

But here's the thing: Ciudad de México is an easy three-hour flight direct from Atlanta, and it's cheap: hotels and restaurants were about half the cost of home.

With 22 million people, the capitol's population is larger than NYC. It's culturally significant, too: 78 Michelin selections, 185 museums, and over 11,000 taquerias—and that's not even counting the street carts.

"We're in. We can't afford not to go."

Mexico City was founded by the Mexica—an Aztec tribe—in the early 14th century. According to legend, they wandered for years until they saw the prophesied sign: an eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus devouring a snake.

Tenochtitlan was founded on a cluster of small islands in the middle of Lake Texcoco. A century later, it expanded through trade and conquest and became the capitol of the Aztec Empire.

By the early 16th century, Tenochtitlan was one of the largest cities in the world, estimated at 200,000–300,000 inhabitants. In 1519, the Spanish arrived and by 1521, Hernán Cortés captured and destroyed much of the city.

The Spanish began building Mexico City on the ruins of Tenochtitlan. The Metropolitan Cathedral and National Palace were constructed atop Aztec temples and palaces, symbolizing colonial power. Mexico City became the capital of New Spain, the most important Spanish colony in the Americas, serving as a hub for trade, religion, and administration.

City of Contrasts

Rooted in its past and vibrantly alive in the present, Mexico City is defined by striking contrasts. Spanish colonial cathedrals and palaces sit atop monumental Aztec ruins. Sleek skyscrapers and avant-garde museums rise above bustling neighborhoods and street markets. Indigenous languages are still spoken alongside Spanish in a metropolis of pre-Hispanic symbols, colonial grandeur, and modern global culture.

Even in the midst of summer, Mexico City is delightful to explore on foot. With highs in the mid-seventies, flat streets, and a gentle breeze, we could walk all day. Everywhere the city is verdant and lush, as if enchanted by tropical plants.

At night, this green city retires and a new one awakes. The bars and restaurants of Roma Norte come to life, their windows open wide, humming with cocktails and conversations.

Museo Nacional de Antropología

Tacos and Then Some

In Mexico City, tacos are more than street food—they’re a cultural institution woven into the rhythm of daily life. From dawn until late at night, taquerías and street stalls serve an endless variety: soft corn tortillas piled with tender carnitas, smoky al pastor carved from a vertical spit, crispy golden tacos dorados, or earthy nopales for a vegetarian bite. Each is finished with a splash of salsa—ranging from fiery red to tangy green—a squeeze of lime, and often a sprinkle of chopped onion and cilantro.

In the bustling streets, locals huddle around makeshift counters or perch on plastic stools, turning a quick bite into a shared ritual. In Mexico City, tacos embody both tradition and innovation, offering a taste of history and local pride.

We ate tacos every day—sometimes with every meal, but we didn't limit ourselves to taquerias and street stalls. At Pujol, Enrique Olvera’s two-star Michelin restaurant, we enjoyed a three-hour, seven-course lunch paired with wine and tequila in a breezy, contemporary space on a quiet residential street in upscale Polanco.

Dinner at Limosneros was an equally innovative exploration of nouvelle Mexican cuisine: braised cheek donuts, pulled duck tostadas, pan-seared Mojarra, and a sinfully rich black mole.

The Temples of Teotihuacan

Centuries before the Aztecs, Teotihuacan ("City of the Gods") was one of the largest urban centers in the world. Known for its colossal Pyramids of the Sun and Moon and the Avenue of the Dead, Teotihuacan was a major hub of art, architecture, and cultural development that significantly impacted Mesoamerican societies. Today, it is a popular UNESCO World Heritage site and a major tourist attraction in Mexico.

Our first glimpse of Teotihuacan's pyramids was from the woven basket of a hot air balloon just after sunrise. We glided quietly toward the ancient monuments, the morning still and silent. Floating up and falling down, rotating slowly. Drifting like a lonely cloud, then passing just meters from the peak of a pyramid. Looking down the steep steps, I wondered about human sacrifices, ritual, and religion.