Mexico City: The City of Iridescence

It smells like plastic and pozole in the streets of Mexico City, and something sweet sails in the air. Pastel de tres leches? Small soap bubbles bounce around in the wind, creating a kaleidoscopic commotion of circles that crisscross a child’s path. Forming a trío romántico, the little boy is spun by his sister through the iridescence. Her other hand holds a vanilla concha. Splinters of light permeate through the sunshades covering a car’s windows, along with the tart scent of a pineapple roasted above al pastor meat. The pedestrians and the bubbles weave through traffic, crossing to the other side of the street. Why wait for the crosswalk signal to morph into green? Reds and oranges and pinks are more Mexico City’s style.

A dancer spins in voluminous skirts across the zebra lines of a crosswalk, her shoes stomping hard to match the beat of a song blaring from a speaker sitting to the right of the street. Crosses hung from rearview mirrors sway side to side, as drivers watch the dancer, some tapping their fingers, some lighting a cigarette. On the left side of the street is a shop that sells fire extinguishers, and next to it, one that only carries tires.

As a friend of a friend said, Mexico City is a mindset. Indeed, it is. It’s a way of life. Another atmosphere within the troposphere.

Maize may not be used as a modern currency in Mexico, yet its notability cannot be denied. Corn and coffee can be found easily in Mexico City, but love and art can be found easier still. Two friends embrace, not standing precariously close to the street, no. They are causing an obstruction in the street, laughing and smiling as if they haven’t seen each other in years (they spoke on the phone five minutes ago, and walked in Bosque de Chapultepec yesterday). In the halted traffic, Isabela finds a moment of stillness. She cranes her neck from the passenger seat to the car’s side mirror, painting her lips in a rich red. Emulating Selena and Frida.

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