Most people don’t tour Mexico City in their underwear. But when you’re a male fitness model and you’re doing a men’s underwear photo shoot in one of the city’s interesting cultural venues, it kind of makes sense. Luckily, I was there to document this decidedly revealing Mexico City tour in my latest travel video. And if you’re looking for a colorful venue to take your own unique vacation selfies and Instagrammable travel photos and videos, this just might be the place for you.
There are lots of fun things to do in Mexico City — and in what I must admit is a sexier-than-average travel video, I’m joined by Octavio Luna and Joel Hernández, two handsome male models (click on their names to follow them on Instagram). Together, we took an inside look at Ex Fabrica MX, a former flour mill and abandoned factory that’s been reborn as a cultural center for music, art, food and events. Its graffiti-covered walls are perfect for photo shoots, too, as evidenced by this behind-the-scenes video of a photo shoot Joel and Octavio did for a men’s underwear retailer (if you’re reading this on the LatinFlyer website, you can scroll to the bottom of this article to watch the video, or else just click on this handy dandy link).
The Ex Fábrica MX provides great backdrops for Instagrammable selfies and travel photos (and it doesn’t hurt if you’re a fitness model like Joel and Octavio).
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The Ex Fábrica MX has a couple shops — you can get things like T-shirts and casual sportswear, for example — as well as an outpost of Pizza del Perro Negro, one of the best pizza restaurants in Mexico City. If you’re considering a visit, check their schedule because they may have concerts or other live events taking place. If not, you’re still free to wander the multiple halls that are adorned with vibrant murals, street art and graffiti.
This Mexico City attraction is especially good if you’re into photography, or at least into selfies. If you’re carrying a big camera that’s professional or semi-professional, you’ll have to pay to make use of the magnificent backdrops; rates vary based on what type of equipment you use and what your project is — contact the Ex Fábrica CDMX via WhatsApp by clicking on the link in their Instagram account, and they will respond with details (I’m not sure if they’re able to respond in English, however, but you can try if you don’t speak Spanish). The cheapest rate for using a big camera is about $10 per hour.
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If you’re only going to use your cell phone, however, you’re golden. They don’t charge a thing for you to enter and walk around snapping cell photos. Be sure to wander around the multiple rooms — my personal favorite is the one with the vintage Volkswagen bus (in Mexico they call it a Combi), gloriously and colorfully decked out with the artistic creations of some imaginative artist. But allow for some waiting time — when we were there, our wonderful male model friends had to wait while another photo shoot finished using the VW before they could approach the vehicle for their own shots.
The Ex Fábrica MX is a bit far from most of Mexico City’s major tourism attractions, so it will likely be a bit of an Uber ride from wherever you’re staying, or you can take the Metro to the Refinería stop. To make the trip worthwhile, you might want to pair the former factory with a visit to the Parque Bicentenario, an expansive city park that sometimes hosts activities and exhibits (when I was there, they had kiddie carnival rides as well as an eye-catching display of giant day of the dead skull sculptures, each decorated by a different artist). Year round, the verdant space is home to an auditorium, an orchid farm and large greenhouse.
I’m a travel writer, travel blogger and Mexico travel specialist, and I love sharing travel tips to make your next vacation or business trip better. Please feel free to share your comments, experiences and questions about Mexico travel and Latin America travel and vacations!
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