Steve, Josh, Meghan, Lauren (Meghan's sister, in case you couldn't tell) and Gavin.
Lots of fierce drag.
Lot's of angels.
Here she is, the most important woman in Mexico. They've installed moving sidewalks in front of her, 4 rows, moving in both directions. They frown on using the moving sidewalk as a treadmill. Don't ask how we know.
This is the new basilica. 
This is the old one. 
These collection boxes are all over the place. Love 'em.
A portrait of Juan Diego whose hands have been worn away by the devoted. Pass the Purell, please!
Mistico, in the silver mask, is one of the most popular (and handsome) luchadores here. He was at the basilica to pay homage to the Virgin, and his fans were there too. 
Not sure whether this little guy was praying to Mary or Mistico, but if we had to bet...
When the conquistadors arrived here they found a city built on a lake, with stone pyramids and palaces and causeways. The Aztecs created islands by pounding sticks into the lake bed and filling the pens with plant material and earth. Eventually the islands grew and the lake shrank. Now the last place they exist is at Xochimilco, where you can rent boats (trajineras) to tour the canals. 
The working boats aren't tricked out. People here grow flowers and vegetables, and work the tourist trade. 
Glen hired mariachis to play for us. He really knows his Mexican music so he was able to challenge them by requesting songs beyond the usual La Cucaracha. 
We went to a little suburb of the city on Sunday with our friend Glen (in from NY for 10 days) who was delivering a suitcase full of clothes etc to a his friend Berta from her grown daughters in NY. Ana came to escort us their in a taxi. We drove about 45 minutes south on the highway, then pulled off, not onto a ramp, just off the highway onto the dirt. We followed a line of other cars back under the highway through the drainage pipe and came up on the other side, where the pavement started again.
Welcome to Ixtapaluca! (Yes, you can sing it to 'Be-bop-a-loo-bop, that's my baby)
Berta cooked mole with chicken & tortillas and made a big fuss and we ate, laughed, ate mangoes, took pictures, ate her homemade cheese flan, drank tequilla, ate nata (like creme fraiche) with rolls, drank tequila and enjoyed ourselves. 5 hours later, we left in spite of Berta's insistence we stay for pozole. 
Berta is in the striped top and her sister-in-law is seated in front of her. Her granddaughter are the 3 younger women. Ana, in white, says Berta's the Queen, Danielle and Diana are the Princesses, and she (Ana) is the Diva.
Maybe we'll do a post that shows some of the less pretty parts of our trip, but not today. Here are Steve and our friend Anita in a chapel from a hacienda south of Mexico City
Murals from a pyramid near Tlaxcala. Hard to photograph but mind-blowing.
We see things here we never see at home, like Steve dancing!
And what's that peeking out from under Mary's gown???
It's a dinosaur! 'Splain me that!
