I wandered through the village of Tepotzotlán crisscrossed by meandering rural roads with large, seemingly prosperous houses and shops next to them. As I turned down one later I saw a shop-sign offering to paint publicity. The rotulistas or publicity… 26. The alphabet city: Tepotzotlán

Before entering Cuautitlán I was surprised to see a little white shed with “danger” written on it in red paint in the middle of one of the pastures in front of many-storied social housing units. A pack of dogs crossed… 25. Playing with fire: Tultepec

When I finally limped into Cuautitlán I was exhausted. My shoulder was hurting terribly, as was my back and left leg. To take pictures I had to hang my left hand on the camera to push the shutter button and… 24. Cuautitlán: A medical visit

From the Cerro Gordo I saw a grey triangle of houses high on the upper slopes of the Sierra de Guadalupe. It was a colonia called La Presa in Ecatepec. I had been warned several times in my crossing of… 23. Pain and danger: South of the Sierra de Guadalupe

The second morning at the Cerro Gordo Plaza Inn I again went to the McDonalds for the hotcake breakfast special. I checked out of the Inn and walked along the bustling traffic towards the Colección Jumex, Latin America’s largest contemporary… 22. Art and Life: Ecatepec

Walking with a shoulder incapacitated changes your balance. I was going up and down the slopes of the Sierra de Guadalupe with its staircases, dirt paths and roads of gravel heading southwards toward the city center. The shoulder in itself… 21. Sunday Mass: Ecatepec

The Sierra de Guadalupe loomed over my hotel in Tultitlán on the Avenida López Portillo. Box stores, franchises and malls lined the great expressway of the northern part of the megalopolis. Trucks and other traffic roared through the morning as… 20. Santa Muerte: Tultitlán

Walking around the edge of the city I stayed in cheap hotels and motels. I chose them to be as close to the route as possible, sometimes exactly on the edge, sometimes inwards. These hotels are practically all directed towards… 19. The low-key jazz of illicit assignation: Ecatepec

Leaving from Tecámac that morning I walked through the former lakebed of Zumpango, its green fields dotted with white patches of salt. Bare walls and high electricity cables stretched from tower to tower cutting through the pastures. Little water ditches… 18. The Mexican Polder: Tecámac

That morning I continued up along a country highway toward the musicians of Santa Catarina, aware that the next day would be the name day of Santa Cecilia patron saint of music. I did not want to miss this occasion… 17. Songs and Flowers: Santa Catarina del Monte