Traducciones

Read the following conversation. Pay aftention o the expressions in bold type.

Antonio and Marcela are visiting Mexico. Both their parents are Mexican, but they were born i San Antonio, Texas. This is the first time they come to Mexico City. They just arrived a few days ago. When they arrived, their aunt Alicia went to the airport to pake them to her house.

At the airport

MARCELA: Look Antonio! There is a woman with a sign that says ¨Welcome Marcela and Antonio¨. I think she i sour Aunt Alicia.

ANTONIO: She looks like our mother, doesn´t she?

MARCELA: Yes, she does.

ALICIA: Hey! Marcela! Antonio! Come here!

MARCELA: You are Alicia Flores, aren´t you?

ALICIA: Yes, i am. And you are Marcela, aren´t you? You look just like your mother!

MARCELA: Yes. Everyone says we look like twins.

ALICIA: And you are Antonio, aren´t you?

ANTONIO: Yes, Aunt Alicia. Nice to meet you. Thanks for coming to receive us.

ALICIA: Nice to meet you. You two are so big! This is your luggage, isn´t it?

MARCELA: Yes, we brought three suitcases each. They will fit in your car, won´t they?

ALICIA: I´m sure they will. Come on. Let´s go to the parking lot. You will meet your cousin Marcos. He is very excited with your visit. He wants to take you everywhere. You want to visit many places, don´t you?

MARCELA: Oh yes! We want to go everywhere!

ALICIA: There are many places you can visit. I am sure you will have a great time with Marcos. He is about your age Antonio. You are 17 yeasrs old, aren´t you?

ANTONIO: Almost 18 Aunt A licia. My birthday is next month.

The day after they arrived, Marcos, who is their cousin, offered to take them sightseeing.

MARCOS: We will begin our day in the Constitution Plaza, called the Zocalo.

ANTONIO: The zocalo? That is Mexico City´s chief plaza, isn´t it?

MARCOS: Yes, it is. Actually, some people consider it is the most important square of all the country because of all the historical buildings you can find there and on the streets surrounding it.

MARCELA: This wasn´t the center of the Aztec culture, was it?

MARCOS: Yes, it was. When the spaniards conquered Tenochtitlan, they decided to build their city in the same place where the Aztecs had their main buildings.

ANTONIO: Ok. Let´s go. I am anxious to see all those beautiful places that my parents always talk about. We were born in the United States, but we feel we are Mexican tool.

The three cousins took the subway, which is known as the Metro, and a few minute later they were at the Zocalo.

MARCOS: The best way to visit downtown Mexico City i son foot, so we will be walking around most of the time. Over there you can see the National Palace an on the other side is the Metropolitan Cathedral. Opposite the Cathedral, on the other side of the plaza, is City Hall.

ANTONIO: This is the place where Mexicans celebrate the Independence Day with the President, isn´t it?

MARCOS: Yes, it is. On the night of September 15, there is a beautiful and emotive ceremony here. The president, who is usually accompanied by his family, stands at the central balcony of the National Palace and after mentioning the names of the Mexican Independence héroes, he rings the Independence bell. After that, a great popular party begins: Fireworks and lots of typical Mexican food.

MARCELA. There is also music, isn´t there?

MARCOS: Oh yes, there is! Lots of music! Of course, you can listen to mariachi music which is the type of music that most people prefer on that day.

ANTONIO: Can you tell me where the Anthropology museum is?

MARCOS: The famous National Anthropology museum is on Reforma Avenue, one fo the most beautiful boulevards in the world. It is a Little far away from here to go walking, so we will take a tour bus to go there. Let´s walk around downtown first. Then, we will go to the Alameda and walk towards the Paseo de la Reforma where we can take the bus.

MARCELA: We can also go to Chapultepec Park, can´t we?

MARCOS: Sure! Actually, Chapultepec Park is right in front of the museum.

MARCELA. Do you know what time the zoo closes? I would like to go there too.

MARCOS: I´m not sure, but we can find out when we get there.

Marcos, Antonio, and Marcela walked around the downtown área. They were able to see the Templo Mayor archaeological site. Then, they walked on Madero Street. They were amazed to see the beautiful colonial architecture of most of the buildings. However, they also noticed that some of those buildings had very modern interior decorations. They also visited the first post office building in Mexico City. Finally, they arrived to the Alameda…

ANTONIO: Marcela, i want to visit the palace of Fine Arts, don´t you?

MARCELA: Yes, i do. That is a place we can´t miss.

MARCOS: You´re right.

They arrive to the majestic Palacio de Bellas Artes.

MARCOS: Here we are. This is the Palace of Fine Arts. You know it was built almost entirely with marble brought from Italy, don´t you?

MARCELA: Yes, we do. There is a theater inside, isn´t there?

MARCOS: Yes, the National Theatre i which concerts, dance programs, operas, and plays are presented. It also includes art galeries an auditóriums.

ANTONIO: I Heard it is sinking, isn´t it?

MARCOS: Yes, unfortunately it is. It´s great weight has caused it to sink about 3 meters into the spongy soil underneath. You took a picture of it, didn´t you?

ANTONIO: Yes, i did. I took about three or four pictures. We are going to take the bus here, aren´t we?

MARCOS: Yes. The bus stop is right on the corner.

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