Historic Center, Mexico City

The Historic Center of Mexico City

Mexico City’s Historical Center is located on what originally was the site of the great Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. After the conquest in the 16th Century, the core of Tenochtitlan was built over by the Spaniards, becoming then a colonial center of trade and culture, and today housing close to 1500 monuments of both pre-Columbian and colonial origin.

The Alameda – Public park and one of Mexico City’s oldest. A refuge populated by bootblacks, balloon merchants, birds and those who want to rest their eyes from the surrounding concrete and traffic. The Monument to Benito Juárez stands on the southern (Avenida Juárez) side of the park.

The Torre Latinoamericana (#1) – a 44 storey structure on the corner of San Juan de Letrán and Francisco I. Madero streets, constructed between 1948 and 1956. Observation decks, open 9 am – 10 pm., and restaurant/bar offer spectacular views of the city.

Bellas Artes (#2) – Palace of Fine Arts – East of the Alameda.

The Museum holds works by Mexico’s great muralists, including Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco and Rufino Tamayo. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

The Concert Hall gives presentations of the Ballet Folklórico several times a week. Tickets are available at the ticket office on the ground floor near the main entrance. More information on Bellas Artes.

Plaza de la Constitucion (Zocalo)

The hub of Mexico City’s downtown area and Historical Center is the Plaza de la Constitución or Zócalo, which was first cobbled by Cortés in the 1520s, using stones taken from the remains of great palaces and temples of the indigenous inhabitants.

On the Zócalo’s eastern side lies the Palacio Nacional (#4) housing the Presidential offices, the National Archives and the Recinto de Homenaje a Benito Juárez (Benito Juarez Museum).

Murals, Palacio Nacional

The Presidential palace courtyards and galleries are lined with murals by the famed Diego Rivera, depicting Mexico’s history from the time of Quetzalcoyotl to the Mexican Revolution of 1910. These are open to the public from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. daily.

The Catedral Metropolitana (#5) or Metropolitan Cathedral on the northern side of the Zócalo was constructed between 1573 and 1788. Both the Cathedral and the Sagrario right next to it have sunk into the dried bed of lake Texcoco upon which much of the city was built. The Cathedral today is made up of 14 chapels and 5 naves.

To the north of the Palacio Nacional is the Calle de la Moneda or Street of the Treasury. Wonderful buildings line this street, constructed of red, volcanic rock. The original Casa de la Moneda (Mint), dating from the 1500s, now houses the Museum of World Cultures (Museo de las Culturas). Another building on Moneda is the Archibishop’s Palace, the site where in 1531 Juan Diego revealed the miraculous cloak with the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe to Archbishop Zumarraga. Read about the Virgin of Guadalupe…

The Gran Hotel de la Ciudad de México lies just off the south-west corner of the Zócalo. A worthwhile stop in your wanderings around the Historical Center, the Gran Hotel boasts of a giant stained-glass canopy over the lobby, dating from 1908. Be sure to take a look at the wonderful openwork, gilded-cage elevators on either side of this impressive space.

Just off the Zocalo is the museum and archaeological site of the Templo Mayor (#6), one of the most important of the Aztec temples in Tenochtitlan. This site was discovered in 1978 when an enormous carved stone disk of the Aztec goddess Coyolxauhqui was unearthed by electrical workers doing maintenance in the area. The site was inaugurated and opened to the public on October 12, 1987, when it was also added to the UNESCO World Heritage List

Palacio de la Inquisición (Palace of the Inquisition), built from 1732 – 1736. On the corner of República de Venezuela and República de Brasil. Also called “La Cachata“, it currently houses the Museum of Medicine.

Plaza de Santo Domingo – Diagonally across from the Palace of the Inquisition, along República de Brasil, the Plaza holds

Museo de la Ciudad de México. Pino Suárez No. 30. Constructed in 1778, the building became Mexico City’s museum in 1964 and contains wonderful exhibits and information on the settlement of the Valley of Mexico.

The building of the Monte de Piedad Nacional (National Pawn Shop) is one of the largest in the world and dates from the late 1700s. It is located on the northwest corner of the Zocalo and the site was once part of the estate owned by Hernán Cortés.