Parque Mexico
My happy place, Parque Mexico.
This photo is a place where I felt profoundly at peace: a busy park in the center of Mexico City, an urban jungle that felt both buzzing with activity and also so remote.
In this park, I could sit for hours, watching the people live their lives around me, yet I was totally alone. Alone in my thoughts. Alone in my truth. Alone in my inner peace.
I love people watching. I love observing how people live their lives, walk their dogs, chat with each other. It is even better (in my opinion) when watching people when I don’t understand what they are saying — when I must rely on body language and facial expressions to make by best guess at what is going on. I can remain people watching for hours — making up stories in my head about relationships, conversations, and histories. I love it.
Parque Mexico is an incredible place for people watching. Parque Mexico has a large concrete open-space, where there is always tons of activity: dogs go off-leash, chasing after balls or each other. There is always some sort of group class: exercise, boxing, skateboarding, dance. There are youths making TikToks. There are people on first dates. There are people painting, drawing, writing, reading, being.
Surrounding this open-space is an urban jungle: tall tropical trees lining several walking paths that criss cross around the park. Here, the tall and dense urban forest masks much of the noise from the outside; the cars, the people, the music, los vendadores. Here, you can hear the birds, the wind, and maybe the low conversation of a pair of lovers on a quiet bench.
There is an audiorama. A quiet space with a set of rules you must read and abide to upon entry. No talking. No music. Please keep your feet out of your chair. It’s a quiet, sacred place. For meditation. For deep listening. For being still, within a busy park, a busy city.
What I love about Parque Mexico, is that it encompasses all of this. It is all of these different scenes — busy, bustling, loud, chaotic, yet also silent, quiet, peaceful, meditative.
Parque Mexico accepts you as you are.
Parque Mexico lets you be whoever you want to be.
Parque Mexico is a place where you can relax, be active, contemplate, and just be.
Parque Mexico is my special place. <3
