Weekend Living in Tlalpan
The Bosque de Tlalpan - the forest in Mexico City. (source: flickr)
This is the translation of Fin de semana, viviendo en Tlalpan published yesterday on eldefe.com with slight modifications for audience familiarity. The links below are from the original post and therefore go to predominantly Spanish language sites.
With life as fill and rich as it is in Mexico City, one can be stuck and not sure what to do when one finally gets a free day.
Below are some weekend suggestions for those who live in, or near, or who care to visit the Delegation of Tlalpan in the South of Mexico City.
For those of us with children, if you really want a relaxing morning and to get the kids to spend some of their energy early on, I recommend a good bowling alley. At the moment, Bol Tlalpan has a promotion on Saturdays and Sundays – 9am until noon – and just for kids. It includes breakfast, 2 hours of bowling, shoe rental, and 12 cards for the video games and the “hyperzone.” All this by $120 pesos per child.
It's for kids!
If you are up for shopping, Perisur is one of the best known and oldest in the area. With entertainment for all, including a big Cinépolis, you can pretty-well keep the whole family occupied all day. There’s also – perhaps importantly – a Sparkling Princess for those whose daughters might be amused putting on make up and dressing like a princess t0 celebrate a birthday or any special occasion.
If you’re of legal age, Yak Sports & Books (i.e; booking) can also end the day on a high note. Yak is the fast paced Mexican version of BINGO, you’ll need to learn the numbers, to get really good – but you can also watch them flash on the light-up board as their announced.
Of course – if shopping is what it’s all about - well, Perisur has everything.
If a good musical festival is what you’re seeking, the Festival Ollin Kan 2009 was one of the years highlights for the whole city. Unfortunately it just ended! But check the delegation page for upcoming events – there are usually 3-4 schedule for any quarter of the calendar.
If you’re interested in history the house of Antonio Lopez of Santa Anna and the Morelos Prison House are on the same avenue of the Centro de Tlalpan. That’s Avenida San Fernando, (#s 106 & 3 respectively). From the (PDF) History of Tlalpan available from the delegation government website you’ll learn:
History tells us that this beautiful construction from the 17th and 18th century [the house of Antonio Lopez of Santa Anna] provided accommodations for General Antonio López de Santa Anna on his frequent visits to Tlalpan. The people called this house “El Gallinero” (The Chicken Coop) due to the cock fights held therein.
The building was declared a historical landmark in 1932. It still has its original façade and a prominent niche with a Virgin of Guadalupe. It has been a nun asylum, an IT center, and it currently belongs to a banking group.
Of the Morelos Prison House:
José María Morelos y Pavón was brought as a prisoner to the Villa de San Agustín de las Cuevas (Villa of St. Agustín of the Caves) on Nov. 18Th 1815. He was later taken to the capital to be judged. Sentenced to death, he was executed by a firing squad in San Cristóbal Ecatepec, State of México. A tablet embedded in the wall of the house number 3 on Av. San Fernando states that Morelos was imprisoned there after his capture in Temazcala, State of Puebla. The inscription chiseled in the stone says “This was your prison, oh great soldier, for the crime of having liberated us.” The Torre de Santa Inés (Tower of St. Inés), which belonged to José María Río, was also here.
Casa de la Cultura de Tlalpan
If you’re after culture, then go to the House of Culture of Tlalpan located at the corner of Santa Teresa & Zacatépetl in the Bosques de Pedregal neighborhood – the same place where you can enter the Forest of Tlalpan, also mentioned previously in eldefe.com.
Also well worth mentioning – on Insurgentes, at the crossing of Av. 156 and Periferico, you run into with the Museum of the Archaeological Zone of Cuicuilco, which houses the results of 20 years excavating one of the cities most exciting archaeological sites.
One last and very worthy mention of Tlalpan is the Zona Coapa neighborhood, which – despite the flashy website – boasts several cinemas, restaurants, The upscale Galerias Coapa and the tree-lined Alameda del Sur.
Tlalpan is a privileged zone in which to live. At the moment, I’m showing two houses in the area: a wonderful house on a charming cul-de-sac and a beautiful apartment which is credito cofinavit qualified. If you’d like more information on our portfolio real estate, just send the form below and I can get right back to you.
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