When visiting Mexico City, Xochitlmilco should be on your itinerary for an afternoon adventure. Here's 5 reasons why:
1. Your own Trajinera
Join in on the Fiesta with locals and tourists alike (let's be real - mainly tourists except on Sundays), as you board your very own brightly painted gondola-like boat or Trajinera as they are called at Xochimilco. You will embark from either the Embarcadero or one of the many piers along the canals which are part of a current elaborate aquatic systems and man-made islands on a former lake that was used mainly to move
agriculture during Pre-Hispanic times. Each of the Trajineras are adorned with Mexican girl's names such as Carmelita, Roberta, and Josefina and after a few drinks you may want to change your name too.
2. Floating Michelada makers
What could be better than waving down a smiling man hiding under a big hat that protects him from the hot sun who is willing to trade you some of your hard earned Pesos for a refreshing and tangy Michelada? You will find many along the route as well as vendors selling various
Mexican foods such as elote (corn) or tacos. The Michelada makers we encountered made them on the spot with Chamoy dripping around the rim like a wax candle and filled to the brim with a frosty Mexican beer. Perhaps try some of the locally made Pulque to take your floating party
up a notch.
3. Mariachi Music
Beer and music goes hand in hand! As you kick back floating on the surface of the canal and waving to the people partying in the other
Trajineras, you can sip on your Micheladas while listening to some of the great Mexican Mariachi ballads such as Cielito Lindo and Guantanamera. It is like your own personal live band, with of course the best outfits!
4. Baby Doll Head Island
Maybe one if not the strangest thing to witness while cruising the canals, is the cult classic and mildly famous, Isla de las Munecas. As creepy as it is to see, once you know the legendary story and hear how the locals feel it is charmed place, you may find yourself feeling compassionate to
these inanimate objects.
5. UNESCO World Heritage Site
Xochimilco, which translates to a "Place seeded with flowers" is really a fun way to spend the day to the South of Mexico City. Let's face it, anytime you tell a travel story and add in, "We went to this Unesco World Heritage Site", people's interest has an uptick and it just sounds more refined so with Xochimilco being one of around 30 Unesco World Heritage Sites in Mexico , why not visit and check it off the list!
TIP: For just the right balance of fun and fiesta, Xochimilco is best visited during the day time!
