Rolling Down To Mexico, 1944

[Music] Mexico the lure of mountainous landscape the gracious courtesy of hospitable people and the history of age-old Forgotten races beckon the motorists over the new pan-american highway from Laredo to Mexico City from playing with the simple formalities established by the Mexican government the travelers are on the first lap of their journey rolling down to Mexico [Music] 150 miles south of Laredo lies Monterrey founded in 1596 and situated at the foot of the Sierra Madre Mountains Monterrey is an important industrial center and is noted for its beautiful cathedral beautiful and rugged huasteca Canyon to the east of Monterrey and hemmed in on all sides by the enormous cliffs of the Sierra Madre the omni's looks live villages where life has changed but little with the passing century [Music] continuing southward and crossing the Tropic of Cancer the will patrolled pan-american highway enters the torrid zone for more than 500 miles the highway follows a comparatively low-lying route to the east of the mountain range [Music] at Tamlyn charlie the ascent begins to the plateau 8,000 feet above sea level where a mountain peaks meet the low-hanging clouds [Music] the pan-american highway is truly a magnificent engineering achievements although rising to a height of more than 8,000 feet but climb is gradual and the curves well bank [Music] crossing the deep gorges spend by Massif ridges monuments to the Mexican engineers and workers who made this highway a reality the travelers dropped magically into the valley of Mexico City [Music] in Mexico City every facility has been provided to furnish the traveler with complete tourist information [Music] Mexico City a cosmopolitan metropolis presents a combination of the ancient and the modern along the broad and beautiful paseo de la reforma are several circles of flowers and monuments [Music] the Columbus statue [Music] the memorial to Cuauhtemoc last prints of the Aztecs [Music] and the Magnificent monument to independence beautiful Chapultepec Park Chapultepec castle overlooking Mexico City is an historic site in a picturesque and romantic setting [Music] the zocalo has been the center of activities in Mexico since the year 1325 [Music] facing the Sao Paulo is the great Cathedral of Mexico City built on the site of an Aztec temple the municipal palace is a striking example of old colonial architecture the National Palace is built on the site occupied by moctezuma's palace above the main entrance is the liberty bell rung in 1810 and marking the beginning of Mexico's move for independence [Music] the most recent contribution to the architecture of Mexico City as the magnificent Palace of Fine Arts the center of the Capitals cultural life [Music] broaden the busy streets with well-ordered traffic and imposing buildings characterized the business section of Mexico's capital city dominating the scene is lofty snow-capped Popocatepetl raising its majestic peak to a height of 18,000 feet [Music] well paved roads with a constantly shifting panorama of majestic mountain scenery make it possible to visit many places within a few hours of Mexico City a monument to general Saragosa marks the entrance to problem in any Mexican town a visit to the market is always an interesting experience in fact it is one of the things that must be done an hour's drive west of Mexico City is Toluca and Friday is market day at Toluca teeming with merchants from all the surrounding country who come to exchange gossip as much as to sell their wares the market presents an intimate touch of the life of the people an equally strong appeal to the tourists is made by the finely woven Serapis and blankets of fantastic design and color the gaily colored baskets and other straw work the curios carved from wood all constitute a veritable storehouse of Mexican handicraft [Music] within sight of Mexico City and very mute testimony to the age-old history of this vast lands than the pyramids of san juan teotihuacan [Music] near the pyramid is the temple of Quetzalcoatl covering a vast area and resembling the stadium undoubtedly a center of worship for this ancient prehistoric people [Music] we minut and detailed carvings are evidence of the advanced cultural level achieved by these early inhabitants [Music] the famous floating gardens of Xochimilco on the outlets of Mexico City are truly a romantic setting it was here that the ancient Aztecs once grew their vegetables and flowers on rafts covered with earth for years these rafts floated aimlessly until finally they became routed to the bottom of the lake to form the islands of today [Music] Saatchi Milko with its flower vendors gaily decorated boats floating bands of musicians is the sunday playground of Mexico City Father along the road toward the Pacific is Tasco which has been preserved by the Mexican government in all its colonial quaintness one does not need imagination in task oh it is today as it always has been red tile roofs winding cobblestone streets and houses almost literally built on top of one another on the hillside a dream city in a dream setting other scenic beauties near Mexico City are Los Remedios and its centuries-old aqueduct to Mexico City Chiapas Oakland with its native village quaintness and magnificent old church the unusually shaped pyramid of Tana Jakob forgotten civilization Guadalajara the second city of the republic also famed for its tiles and pottery [Music] retracing our steps over the pan-american highway we regret leaving our southern neighbors and the fascinating beauty that is Mexico [Music] we bring our visit to a close with a hasta luego to New Mexico and the land of everlasting sunshine [Music]