(CNN) -- Mexico City began as the home of an ancientempire and grew into a massive, modern metropolis.
（CNN）——从前，墨西哥城是一个古老帝国的所在地，如今变成了一个现代化大都市。
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:
拥有2000多万人口，墨西哥城显然是世界最大城市之一。这里拥有美味食物，大型的市场，以及更多的文化活动。这里既富有又贫穷，有更多的方面需要我们去挖掘：

1. Looking to set a quirky record? Mexico City might be theworld's best place to do it
想创造一项奇怪的世界记录？那么你最好选择墨西哥城
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.
在一个拥有如此多人口的城市里，想要创造一项记录很容易，只要说服人们在同一时间做同一件事情。最多人同时轻吻（39879），最多人同时跳迈克尔杰克逊的Thriller（13597），世界最大的玉米卷饼（重达1.5吨），这些记录的发生地都是在墨西哥城。

2. Gays and lesbians are welcome
同性恋很受欢迎
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.
多年来，南美洲与罗马天主教会有着根深蒂固的联系，这意味着在涉及到同性恋问题时，南美洲大部分地区都要采取保守的策略。但是最近几年这种情况得到了改变，而墨西哥城就走在了这个趋势的前列。在墨西哥城，同性婚姻是合法的。同性夫妻也可以领养孩子。墨西哥城还把自己推广为同性恋旅游者的目的地。2010牛按，墨西哥城还为南美洲首对男同性恋夫妻提供免费的结婚蜜月之旅。

3. You might have heard about the smog.They're working on it
你可能已经听说了墨西哥城的大雾。他们已经在着手解决了
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别严重，据说孩子们在给天空画画时会把天空描绘成灰色的，而不是蓝色的。
这主要归咎于其地理位置，位于两座山脉间的山谷里，城里有大量的汽车，雾霾依然是个严重的问题。政府采取了一些措施鼓励人们骑自行车，并且限制汽车可出行的天数，所以长期居住在这里的居民说现在空气比以往好多了。去年又颁发了一个新的措施：在一座医院大楼外面覆盖上一层立面，这种立面可“吸食雾霾”，当太阳照射在上面时就可以把污染物分解。设计者说立面上的瓷砖每天可以中和1000辆汽车的尾气。

4. The city was built on a lake
这座城市曾经建造在一个湖泊上
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 past.That'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.
现在很难想象，现在的墨西哥城在从前有很大一部分都是湖泊。阿芝特克人曾在这里建造了一个文明社会，首都定在特诺奇谛特兰城。那座城市首先是从一座岛屿开始发展开来的，后来填埋了部分湖泊，城市得到扩张，一直繁荣昌盛，直到西班牙人入侵。在1521年赢得战争控制该地区后，西班牙人摧毁了特诺奇谛特兰城，并在废墟之上建立了墨西哥城，以原先运河和道路为基础，西班牙重新建造了新街道，并最终抽干了这个湖泊。但他们并没有完全抹除过去。随着后来墨西哥城成为现代化的大都市，那些古老的建筑成了一大亮点。1978年，电力公司的工人在城市中心的广场挖掘时发现了一个阿芝特克遗迹。这就是阿芝特克大庙的废墟，现在已经成为墨西哥城的一处热门旅游景点。

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.
最终证明被抽干湖水的湖床并不是适应用来作建筑地基。如果你想要证据，那就看看墨西哥城一些最著名的标志性建筑。你可以到大都会大教堂里去看看，里面的地板是倾斜的，摇摆的钟摆也是倾斜的，这证明整座教堂建筑都是倾斜的。沿着改革大道走下去，就来到了独立天使纪念碑，由于这座于1910年建成的纪念碑下沉，所以政府建立了台阶。政府官员估计墨西哥城正以每年4厘米的速度下沉。政府最近出台的一份报告估计60年来墨西哥城已下沉了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.
墨西哥电信大亨Carlos Slim四次上榜《福布斯》杂志全球最富有人士。今年比尔盖茨重夺回第一的宝座。但是Carlos Slim及其家族拥有的资产净值预计达到了714亿美元，依然稳稳的坐在了第二的宝座上。Carlos Slim就住在墨西哥城，他所控制的许多公司也都位于墨西哥城。即使你仅仅只是穿过这座城市，你也会碰到他所控制的财产。用墨西哥手机打电话？那绝对和他的公司有关系，Telcel控制着墨西哥70%的无线市场。想去百货商店里买东西？如果你去墨西哥城旅游，你可能会去桑伯斯逛逛，这是Slim开的的连锁企业，可谓无处不在，里面包括饭店，药房以及零售商品。在该市的历史中心欣赏美丽的建筑？最近几年，他花钱对这些建筑进行了翻新。

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.
许多墨西哥人都不敢来首都游玩，害怕这里的犯罪事件。街头暴力和绑架依然是居民和游客的心头大患。而且在一些高档社区里，你可能会在一家服装品牌商店旁看到一家商店卖防弹玻璃。墨西哥城的谋杀率与世界其他大都市的谋杀率差不多。墨西哥有些地区毒品暴力肆虐，所以墨西哥城相对来说更安全。

8. It's not just tacos and tequila
不仅仅有炸玉米饼和龙舌兰酒
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.
在这里找不到太多廉价的美式墨西哥食物。墨西哥城的烹调场景非常的漂亮，奢侈的饭店里设有一些豪华餐厅，一些顶级厨师说他们来这里寻找灵感。在墨西哥城高档的波朗科区有一家Pujol餐厅，是世界顶级餐厅之一。不仅仅只有精致餐饮。街市档位以及街头小食档也有墨西哥最好吃的食物。如果你想寻找龙舌兰，那并非难事。如果你想像当地人那样喝酒，那可以喝mezcal 和pulque。这三种酒精都是由龙舌兰草制成的。龙舌兰由蓝色龙舌兰草制成。而各种不同种类的龙舌兰草都可以制成Mezcal，墨西哥城的时髦人士现在大多都喜欢喝这种酒。Pulque也是如此，这是阿芝特克人所创造的酒精，已经拥有2000年历史，制作原料是发酵当未经蒸馏的龙舌兰汁液。

9. The subway is fast, cheap andfascinating
地铁又快、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.
虽然住在墨西哥城的商人和外国人喜欢坐汽车和的士出行，可地铁依旧是墨西哥城大众最喜欢的出行方式。去年政府提高了地铁费用，抗议活动失败。但是，坐地铁依然是非常便宜的：一张票只要5比索，相当于40美分。而且地铁不仅是一种交通工具，对于某些人来说，墨西哥城12条地铁线路中的站点本身就是他们的旅游目的地。里面有商店，图书馆，艺术展示，计算机实验室。位于市中心两个地铁站之间的一个人行地道就开满了40多家书店。

10. It's not all loud noise and concrete.
并非只有噪音和钢筋水泥
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.
如果你想远离喧嚣的闹市，那你只需在墨西哥城乘坐一小段的地铁就可以到达能让你心灵休憩的地方了。比如圣安吉尔和柯约阿钦区（艺术家Diego Rivera 和 Frida Kahlo的住处）里都铺有鹅卵石铺就的街道，漂亮的建筑，以及古雅的咖啡屋，所有这些都可以让你好好喘口气。