Mexico City’s kid-friendly culture

In Mexico City, adults will love the kid-friendly culture, too

TEOTIHUACAN, MEXICO» It is 248 steep steps to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun, but the views are worth the exertion.

From the pinnacle of the third-largest pyramid in the world, you can see the unearthed complex of Teotihuacan (the City of the Gods), located 30 miles outside Mexico City. At one point, it covered eight square miles and was home to 100,000 people, making it the largest city in the pre-columbian Americas. Gazing down the Avenue of the Dead, lined with stone platforms and minor pyramids, the roadway ends at the smaller, no-less impressive Pyramid of the Moon. At the base below us we could see my waving wife, who looked as small as a Lego minifigure.

My 4-year-old son, Zephyr, and I stared at the ancient ruins for several minutes, in part out of fascination — “It’s like Indiana Jones,” he remarked in awe — and in part to catch our breath. Not only was the climb arduous, but we were more than 7,000 feet above sea level, so oxygen was in shorter supply than back home in Silver Spring, Md. During the first few days of our trip in late March, the intense elevation, along with the less-than-pristine air quality, had left me winded.

It was my only complaint. Mexico’s capital has an unworthy reputation of being unsafe and unsanitary — not necessarily great for families. Nothing could be further from the truth. Mexico City is the perfect place to travel with little ones because it’s brimming with great kid-centric activities that adults will love, it has a child-friendly culture and it’s eminently affordable. To the latter point, the modest Hotel Milan in the funky Roma Norte neighborhood where we stayed cost as much for a week as one could easily spend for a night at a Washington hotel, while it cost only a few dollars to take an Uber trip across town.

Picking up unique souvenirs was equally reasonable. We made two trips to the epic Ciudadela arts market, a

Nevin Martell, Special to The Washington Post At Teotihuacan, a view of the Pyramid of the Moon from the steps of the Pyramid of the Sun.

Nevin Martell, Special to The Washington Post The author's son contemplates cooling down under the waterfall fountain at the Museo Nacional de Antropologia.

Nevin Martell , Special to The Washington Post Small clay skulls decorated with tiny beads, an artistic specialty of the country's Huichol people, are on sale at Ciudadela, one of Mexico City's finest arts markets.