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Mexico City is usually referred to within the country of Mexico as D. F., short for Distrito Federal, or the Mexican equivalent of the U.S.'s District of Columbia, the country's center of government. As one of the largest metropolitan populations in the world, Mexico City offers the variety of neighborhoods, museums, shopping and entertainment one would expect of a significant metropolis. In addition, Mexico City boasts perhaps the most inviting climate of a world class city.

In 2005, the government of Mexico conducted a census, which established the population of the metropolitan area of Mexico City as 19.2 million, making it the largest metro area in the western hemisphere and the third largest in the world. This important cultural and economic center's population in 2008 is estimated to be over 19,800,000, with an expectation of 20 million before 2010. The city population, excluding the fifty-nine municipalities and 350 colonias (neighborhoods) that make up its suburban area, is estimated at an impressive 8.8 million.

From elementary school geography, you may remember the history of the Mexican coat of arms in the center of the Mexican national flag. According to legend, the coat of arms, an eagle on a prickly pear cactus with a snake in it beak, represents an image seen in the dream of an ancient Aztec leader. He was told in that dream that when he next saw this image he would have found the site where he should settle the then nomadic Aztec people. The Aztec leader saw an Eagle on a cactus with a snake in his mouth in a swampy area among three lakes and there the Aztec people built their great city, Tenochtitlan. The conquering Spaniards built Mexico City on the Aztec's ancient city and its sacred temples, a portion of which has been excavated and can be viewed a few blocks from the main plaza and the Cathedral of Guadelupe. Unfortunately, the City is sinking into its once swampy building site, which threatens its historical structures and provides daily challenges for the city's maintenance workers.

A favorite trip of mine was an overnight bus ride from my home on the beach to Mexico City with a close friend who was recovering from a mastectomy and couldn't carry her own luggage. I was the Sherpa, but we planned a couple of extra days, to see a string of museums among Mexico City's more than 150 museums, before she boarded her plane for the States and chemotherapy. We located in a small hotel in the centro zone just two blocks from the Zocalo and Cathedral

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