According to this air-quality monitoring website, the air quality in Mexico City today is “good” to “moderate.” After snapping this photo today, I’m skeptical.

Both Chris and I have had very dry, scratchy throats, lots of sniffling and sneezing, and are generally feeling breathless. We don’t think it’s the altitude, since we’ve been here for more than two weeks. I’m convinced it’s the pollution, with help from the smokers upstairs.

In my previous life, I would do things like help promote research about the effects of dirty air. Knowing what I know now, I would skip the press release and create a mobile chamber with dirty air in it that people have to sit in. With their children. Although, the photos of Shanghai (scroll to bottom for slideshow) recently have the next-best effect.

Anyway, it’s making both of us really cranky and ready to find a small town immediately. But if I’ve learned anything so far on this trip, it’s to stick with it and be a little more resilient. Maybe this brown cloud has a silver lining. Maybe we should get masks.

We visited the Castillo de Chapultepec today, which houses the national history museum. It was very beautiful. Beautiful enough to make us a little less cranky.

The upstairs gardens are above, with some poinsettia planted for the holidays. Below are some stained glass windows from inside the castle which, if my Spanish sign-reading is correct, were about fertility.

And last, but certainly not least, there were a number of beautiful murals. I leave you with this panorama. Tomorrow is a new day.

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