你所不知道的墨西哥城10件事(多圖)
(CNN) -- Mexico City began as the home of an ancientempire and grew into a massive, modern metropolis.
（CNN）——從前，墨西哥城是一個古老帝國的所在地，如今變成了一個現代化大都市。
With more than 20 million people pulsingthrough its streets, it's one of the world's largest cities.
That big-city bustle brings with itdelicious food, massive markets and more cultural events in a day than anyonecan ever keep track of. There's lavish wealth, devastating povertyand a lot to discover in Mexico'ssprawling capital:
擁有2000多萬人口，墨西哥城顯然是世界最大城市之一。這裏擁有美味食物，大型的市場，以及更多的文化活動。這裏既富有又貧窮，有更多的方面需要我們去挖掘：
1. Looking to set a quirky record? Mexico City might be theworld's best place to do it
想創造一項奇怪的世界記錄？那麼你最好選擇墨西哥城
One big perk of having so many people inthe same place: It's easy to set a record if you can persuade enough of them todo the same thing at the same time. Records for the most people kissing simultaneously (39,879), themost people dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller"atthe same time (13,597) and the world's biggest enchilada (weighing nearly 1.5tons) have all been set inside the Mexican capital, according to Guinness WorldRecords.
在一個擁有如此多人口的城市裏，想要創造一項記錄很容易，只要說服人們在同一時間做同一件事情。最多人同時輕吻（39879），最多人同時跳邁克爾傑克遜的Thriller（13597），世界最大的玉米捲餅（重達1.5噸），這些記錄的發生地都是在墨西哥城。
2. Gays and lesbians are welcome
同性戀很受歡迎
For years, Latin America's deep-rooted ties to the Roman Catholic Church meant muchof the region tended to take a more conservative tack when it came tohomosexuality. But that's started to shift in recent years, and Mexico City has been atthe forefront. Same-sex marriage is legal there. So is adoption bysame-sex couples. And the city has marketed itself as a destination for gaytourists. In 2010, the city offered a free honeymoon to Latin America's first gaycouple to wed.
多年來，南美洲與羅馬天主教會有着根深蒂固的聯繫，這意味着在涉及到同性戀問題時，南美洲大部分地區都要採取保守的策略。但是最近幾年這種情況得到了改變，而墨西哥城就走在了這個趨勢的前列。在墨西哥城，同性婚姻是合法的。同性夫妻也可以領養孩子。墨西哥城還把自己推廣爲同性戀旅遊者的目的地。2010牛按，墨西哥城還爲南美洲首對男同性戀夫妻提供免費的結婚蜜月之旅。
3. You might have heard about the 're working on it
你可能已經聽說了墨西哥城的大霧。他們已經在着手解決了
Pollutionin Mexico City used to be so bad that children painting pictures of the skyreportedly would color it gray, not blue. Because of its geographic location -- in avalley between mountains -- and the sheer number of cars traveling its streets,smog is a problem the city is still battling. But with government programs thatencourage bike-riding and limit the number of days motorists can take to thestreets, longtime residents say the pollution problem is much better than itused to be. Another innovative solution debuted lastyear: a hospital tower covered with a facade designed to "eatsmog," breaking down pollutants when the sun hits it. Designers saythe tiles on the facade of the Manuel Gea Gonzalez Hospital neutralize theeffects of 1,000 cars every day.
墨西哥城以往的污染特別嚴重，據說孩子們在給天空畫畫時會把天空描繪成灰色的，而不是藍色的。
這主要歸咎於其地理位置，位於兩座山脈間的山谷裏，城裏有大量的汽車，霧霾依然是個嚴重的問題。政府採取了一些措施鼓勵人們騎自行車，並且限制汽車可出行的天數，所以長期居住在這裏的居民說現在空氣比以往好多了。去年又頒發了一個新的措施：在一座醫院大樓外面覆蓋上一層立面，這種立面可“吸食霧霾”，當太陽照射在上面時就可以把污染物分解。設計者說立面上的瓷磚每天可以中和1000輛汽車的尾氣。
4. The city was built on a lake
這座城市曾經建造在一個湖泊上
It's hard to imagine now, but much of thesprawling concrete jungle that now makes up Mexico City was once a large lake. The Aztecs constructed a massivecivilization there, with Tenochtitlanserving as the capital. That city, which started out on an islandand expanded to include reclaimed parts of the lake, thrived until the Spanishconquest. After winning the battle for control of the area in 1521, Spaniardsdestroyed Tenochtitlan and built Mexico City on top of itsruins, using canals and roads from the Aztec city as the basis for newstreets and eventually draining the lake. But they didn't entirely erase the 's made for some fascinating ancient finds as Mexico City grew into a modern urbanmetropolis. In 1978, electrical company workers diggingnear the city's central square came upon an Aztec relic. That led toarchaeologists unearthing ruins of the Templo Mayor, an Aztec temple that's nowa popular tourist destination in Mexico City.
現在很難想象，現在的墨西哥城在從前有很大一部分都是湖泊。阿芝特剋人曾在這裏建造了一個文明社會，首都定在特諾奇諦特蘭城。那座城市首先是從一座島嶼開始發展開來的，後來填埋了部分湖泊，城市得到擴張，一直繁榮昌盛，直到西班牙人入侵。在1521年贏得戰爭控制該地區後，西班牙人摧毀了特諾奇諦特蘭城，並在廢墟之上建立了墨西哥城，以原先運河和道路爲基礎，西班牙重新建造了新街道，並最終抽乾了這個湖泊。但他們並沒有完全抹除過去。隨着後來墨西哥城成爲現代化的大都市，那些古老的建築成了一大亮點。1978年，電力公司的工人在城市中心的廣場挖掘時發現了一個阿芝特克遺蹟。這就是阿芝特克大廟的廢墟，現在已經成爲墨西哥城的一處熱門旅遊景點。
5. It's sinking
正在沉降
It turns out the dried-out bed of a biglake isn't the best foundation for building construction. If you want proof, take a look at some of Mexico City's most iconicstructures. The sloped floor and a swinging penduluminside the Metropolitan Cathedral show that the building is decidedly tilted. Head up Reforma Avenue to the Angel ofIndependence, and you'll need to walk up steps that the city built over theyears as the area around the 1910 monument sank. Government officials have estimated thatthe city is sinking at a rate of 10 centimeters (4 inches) per year. A recent government report (PDF) estimated that Mexico City has sunk 10meters (32.8 feet) in the past 60 years.
最終證明被抽乾湖水的湖牀並不是適應用來作建築地基。如果你想要證據，那就看看墨西哥城一些最著名的標誌性建築。你可以到大都會大教堂裏去看看，裏面的地板是傾斜的，搖擺的鐘擺也是傾斜的，這證明整座教堂建築都是傾斜的。沿着改革大道走下去，就來到了獨立天使紀念碑，由於這座於1910年建成的紀念碑下沉，所以政府建立了臺階。政府官員估計墨西哥城正以每年4釐米的速度下沉。政府最近出臺的一份報告估計60年來墨西哥城已下沉了10米。
6. One of the world's richest men liveshere
世界上最富有的男子之一住在墨西哥城
Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim topped Forbes Magazine's list of the world'srichest men for four years. Microsoft founderBill Gates reclaimed the No. 1 spot this year. But Slim and his family, with anestimated net worth of $71.4 billion, are still sitting comfortably insecond place. Slim lives in Mexico City, and many of the companies hecontrols are based there, too. Even if you're just passing through the city,you're bound to come across his holdings. Talking on a Mexican cell phone? It'spretty likely that it's tied to Slim's company, Telcel,which controls 70% of Mexico'swireless market. Swinging by a department store? If youspend any time in Mexico City,you'll probably find a reason to stop at Sanborns, Slim'subiquitous chain that contains restaurants, pharmacies and retail goods. Admiring beautiful buildings in the city'shistoric center? Slim helped finance a major facelift there in recent years.
墨西哥電信大亨Carlos Slim四次上榜《福布斯》雜誌全球最富有人士。今年比爾蓋茨重奪回第一的寶座。但是Carlos Slim及其家族擁有的資產淨值預計達到了714億美元，依然穩穩的坐在了第二的寶座上。Carlos Slim就住在墨西哥城，他所控制的許多公司也都位於墨西哥城。即使你僅僅只是穿過這座城市，你也會碰到他所控制的財產。用墨西哥手機打電話？那絕對和他的公司有關係，Telcel控制着墨西哥70%的無線市場。想去百貨商店裏買東西？如果你去墨西哥城旅遊，你可能會去桑伯斯逛逛，這是Slim開的的連鎖企業，可謂無處不在，裏面包括飯店，藥房以及零售商品。在該市的歷史中心欣賞美麗的建築？最近幾年，他花錢對這些建築進行了翻新。
7. It's safer than some parts of thecountry
墨西哥城比墨西哥其他某些地方更安全
Many Mexicans used to fear traveling totheir nation's capital, concerned about crime. Street assaults and kidnapping are stillmajor worries for residents and visitors. And in high-end neighborhoods, youmight find a store selling bulletproof glass near a designer clothing boutique. But the city's homicide rate is on par withother major metropolises around the world. And with drug violence plaguing other partsof the country, Mexico City has actually earned a reputation as one of thesafer places to go.
許多墨西哥人都不敢來首都遊玩，害怕這裏的犯罪事件。街頭暴力和綁架依然是居民和遊客的心頭大患。而且在一些高檔社區裏，你可能會在一家服裝品牌商店旁看到一家商店賣防彈玻璃。墨西哥城的謀殺率與世界其他大都市的謀殺率差不多。墨西哥有些地區毒品暴力肆虐，所以墨西哥城相對來說更安全。
8. It's not just tacos and tequila
不僅僅有炸玉米餅和龍舌蘭酒
Don't expect to find much cheesy Tex-Mexfare here. The Mexico Cityculinary scene is muy caliente, with fancy restaurants in poshhotels and top chefs saying they come here for inspiration. Pujol, a restaurant in the city's poshPolanco neighborhood, ranksamong the world's top eateries. But it's not all about fine dining. Marketstalls and street stands serve up some of the city's most delicious food. If you're looking for tequila, it's nothard to get it. But if you want to drink like a local, try mezcalor pulque. All three drinks are made from agaveplants. Tequila comes from blue agave. Mezcal can be made from different typesof agave plants and has become a popular drink for hipsters in Mexico'scapital. So has pulque, a 2,000-year-old Aztec drinkmade from fermented but undistilled agave juice.
在這裏找不到太多廉價的美式墨西哥食物。墨西哥城的烹調場景非常的漂亮，奢侈的飯店裏設有一些豪華餐廳，一些頂級廚師說他們來這裏尋找靈感。在墨西哥城高檔的波朗科區有一家Pujol餐廳，是世界頂級餐廳之一。不僅僅只有精緻餐飲。街市檔位以及街頭小食檔也有墨西哥最好吃的食物。如果你想尋找龍舌蘭，那並非難事。如果你想像當地人那樣喝酒，那可以喝mezcal 和pulque。這三種酒精都是由龍舌蘭草製成的。龍舌蘭由藍色龍舌蘭草製成。而各種不同種類的龍舌蘭草都可以製成Mezcal，墨西哥城的時髦人士現在大多都喜歡喝這種酒。Pulque也是如此，這是阿芝特剋人所創造的酒精，已經擁有2000年曆史，製作原料是發酵當未經蒸餾的龍舌蘭汁液。
9. The subway is fast, cheap andfascinating
地鐵又快、又便宜、又吸引人
While many businessmen and foreigners wholive in the city rely on taxis and car services, Mexico City's metro is still the most popularway to get around for the masses. Protests after authorities announced plans to raise feeslast year weren't successful. But taking the subway is still pretty cheap: just5 pesos (about 40 cents) for a ticket. And it's not just a way to get from point Ato point B. For some people, stations on the city's 12 subway lines are adestination. There are shops, libraries, art exhibits and even computer labsinside. A pedestrian tunnel between two subwaystations in the heart of the city boastsmore than 40 bookstores.
雖然住在墨西哥城的商人和外國人喜歡坐汽車和的士出行，可地鐵依舊是墨西哥城大衆最喜歡的出行方式。去年政府提高了地鐵費用，抗議活動失敗。但是，坐地鐵依然是非常便宜的：一張票只要5比索，相當於40美分。而且地鐵不僅是一種交通工具，對於某些人來說，墨西哥城12條地鐵線路中的站點本身就是他們的旅遊目的地。裏面有商店，圖書館，藝術展示，計算機實驗室。位於市中心兩個地鐵站之間的一個人行地道就開滿了40多家書店。
10. It's not all loud noise and concrete.
並非只有噪音和鋼筋水泥
If you need a break from the bustle, ittakes only a short subway ride in Mexico City to reach places where you'll feel like youstepped back in time. Neighborhoods like San Angel and Coyoacan(where artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo made theirhome) have cobblestone streets, beautiful buildings and quaint cafes that willgive you a chance to catch your breath.
如果你想遠離喧囂的鬧市，那你只需在墨西哥城乘坐一小段的地鐵就可以到達能讓你心靈休憩的地方了。比如聖安吉爾和柯約阿欽區（藝術家Diego Rivera 和 Frida Kahlo的住處）裏都鋪有鵝卵石鋪就的街道，漂亮的建築，以及古雅的咖啡屋，所有這些都可以讓你好好喘口氣。
