Poinsettias Mexico City Flower Shop

20″ x 24″
Oil on canvas

Good neighbors have been one of the blessings we have received during our many moves. The nice neighbors living next door to us in Mexico City took us on many excursions. Mexico City is very old and it was an Aztec city long before the Spanish got there. Driving there is an adventure in itself. Just because there is a one-way street going north does not necessarily mean there is a one-way street parallel going south. Maps were useless. Maps of Mexico City were incomplete or outdated. When we were there in 1994 GPS’s were not yet commonly available. It was not safe then nor smart to get lost and wander around Mexico City. Mexico City was very polluted. The Mexican government and their infinite wisdom decreed that in order minimize pollution. Car licenses plates ending in odd numbers could only drive certain days of the week. Cars with licenses plates ending in even numbers were only allowed to drive on different days. People needed to go to work every day. People would have two cars that were old and less efficient. This antiquated silly law kept people from buying new cars which would expel less fumes. When the neighbors graciously took us downtown to the Cathedral area it was a double treat. This open air flower shop was great subject matter. Mexico City has an abundance of flowers and I was often able to buy what we would consider exotic florist flowers on a street corner very inexpensively. This flower shop was great subject matter and I also painted a similar painting on the vertical.