INTRODUCTION TO MEXICO CITY
One of the world’s mega-cities, with over 25 million people occupying a shallow mountain bowl at over 2400m above sea level, Mexico City has to be seen to be believed. Spreading out beyond the federal district (Distrito Federal) which is supposed to contain it, the city has a vibe which is at once both edgy and yet laid-back and cosmopolitan at the same time. Despite its terrible pollution, the capital is a fun place to be, and nowhere near as intimidating as you might expect. It’s also very easy to find your way around, with an efficient metro system, and generally easy-to-navigate grid of streets.
On arrival you may brace yourself for the city’s hard edge, but be prepared to be lulled by it. Mexico’s capital may initially seem to lack the colour and charm of some of the country’s smaller towns, but it can be pretty too, and there’s certainly no denying its dynamism. The city centre still retains its colonial feel, its streets bustling with the comings and goings of daily commerce. The fact that different products are sold in specific areas – stationery here, electrical fittings there – sometimes makes it seem like a giant market. To the west, steel and glass take over from brick and stone as tradition gives way to modernity, but in the suburbs, in laid-back barrios like San Ángel and Coyoacán, there’s as much charm as in any small Mexican town, and a surprising number of little squares overlooked by old churches amid leafy residential backstreets. For many Mexicans, in fact, the city’s most important site is the Basilica de Guadalupe, sited in the suburbs to the north of town. To the southwest, meanwhile, is Chapultepec Park and some of the biggest attractions you’ll want to see, notably the outstanding Museo Nacional de Antropología. Even in the centre, around the garden known as the Alameda in particular, there’s music, art (Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, as well as their contemporaries) and colour enough to seduce you, and the hustle and bustle only seem to amplify it. While the outer edges of the city are largely shantytowns, built piecemeal by migrants from elsewhere in the country, hidden among them are a number of gems, such as the pyramids of Tenayuca, Santa Cecilia Acatitlán and Cuicuilco, and the canals of Xochimilco.
As much the heart of the modern capital as it was of the Aztec civilization that once thrived here, the Zócalo, or main square, is the place to get your bearings. Immediately to its west, in the streets between the Zócalo and the Alameda, is the main commercial area. Beyond that, the city streches northward and southward, its urban area now extending beyond the political boundaries of the Distrito Federal which is supposed to contain it (in the same way that the DC is supposed to contain the city of Washington). It’s crisscrossed by a series of axes (ejes in Spanish), of which the north–south eje central (central axis, aka Lázaro Cárdenas) is plied by a very useful trolleybus linking the northern and southern bus terminals. Roughly parallel with it, 1km or so over to the west, Avenida de los Insurgentes also bisects the city more or less from north to south, and is said to be the longest continuous city street in the world, linking the centre to San Ángel and Coyoacán, and the University City, all at the southern end of town. Even more important from a tourist perspective is Paseo de la Reforma, which runs diagonally across the city, northeast to southwest, connecting the centre with Chapultepec Park.
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TRAJINERAS BOATS, XOCHIMILCO GARDENS
Highlights
1 The Zócalo Mexico City’s huge central square, surrounded by the cathedral, Aztec ruins and the Palacio Nacional.
2 Palacio de Bellas Artes Not only an architectural masterpiece in its own right, with a smashing Art Deco interior, but also home to some of the city’s most impressive murals.
3 Museo Mural Diego Rivera Rivera’s most Mexican mural, depicting just about everybody from Mexican history, all out on a Sunday afternoon stroll in the Alameda.
4 Museo Nacional de Antropología The country’s finest museum, with displays on all of Mexico’s major pre-Columbian cultures.
5 Coyoacán Visit the houses where Frida Kahlo and León Trotsky lived, spend an evening checking out the local bars, then come back for the colourful Sunday market.
6 Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño A huge collection of works by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo.
7 Xochimilco Ride the ancient waterways on flower-festooned boats.
8 Plaza Garibaldi The frenetic site of massed mariachi bands.
9 La Merced Explore Mexico City’s largest and most vibrant market.
Highlights are marked on the Mexico City and Central Mexico City maps.
FINDING YOUR STREET
Many street names are repeated over and over in different parts of Mexico City – there must be dozens of thoroughfares called Morelos, Juárez or Hidalgo, and a good score of 5 de Mayos. If you’re taking a cab, or looking at a map, be clear which area you are talking about – it’s fairly obvious in the centre, but searching out an address in the suburbs can lead to a series of false starts unless you know the name of the official colonia, or urban district (abbreviated “Col” in addresses outside the centre), that you’re looking for. If you’re going to be spending much time in the city, and are likely to be visiting places out of the centre, consider investing in Guia Roji’s Ciudad de México street atlas, which is available at bookshops and street stalls all over town, and covers every street of the city and its suburbs, with an index.
Brief history
The Aztecs (or, to use their own name, the Mexica), an ambitious and flourishing culture, founded their capital of Tenochtitlán in 1325 on an island in the middle of a lake, at a spot where their god Huitzilopochtli told them they would find an eagle devouring a snake atop a nopal cactus. It was from here that their empire grew to cover the whole of central Mexico. This empire was already firmly established when Hernán Cortés and his troops arrived in November 1519. The Aztec emperor, Moctezuma II (Montezuma), a broodingly religious man, apparently believed Cortés to be a reincarnation of the pale-skinned, bearded god Quetzalcoatl. Accordingly, he admitted him to the city – fearfully, but with a show of ceremonious welcome. The Spanish repaid this hospitality by taking Moctezuma prisoner. They then attacked the great Aztec temples, killing priests and placing Christian chapels alongside their altars.
Growing unrest in the city at the emperor’s passivity, and at the rapacious behaviour of his guests, led to rebellion. In June 1520, Moctezuma was killed – according to the Spanish, stoned to death by his own people while trying to quell a riot – and the Spaniards fled the city with heavy losses on what they called Noche Triste (Sad Night). Cortés and his surviving followers escaped to Tlaxcala to regroup. In May 1521, with numbers swelled by indigenous allies, and ships built in secret to attack by water, the Spaniards laid siege to Tenochtitlán, landing on the south of the island and fighting their way north through the city, street by bloody street. The Aztec emperor Cuauhtémoc was finally captured on August 13, 1521, and subsequently tortured to try to find out where his supposed treasure was hidden. He was finally executed four years later in Honduras.
TENOCHTITLÁN – THE CITY THAT WALKED ON WATER
And when we saw all those cities and villages built in the water, and other great towns on dry land, and that straight and level causeway leading to Mexico, we were astounded. These great towns and cities and buildings rising from the water, all made of stone, seemed like an enchanted vision from the tales of Amadis. Indeed, some of our soldiers asked whether it was not all a dream.
The Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán was built on an island in the middle of a lake traversed by great causeways, a beautiful, strictly regulated, stone-built city of three hundred thousand residents. The Aztecs had arrived at the lake around 1325, after years of wandering and living off what they could scavenge or pillage from settled communities. According to legend, their patron god Huitzilopochtli had ordered them to build a city where they found an eagle perched on a nopal cactus, and devouring a snake. It is this legend that is the basis of the nopal, eagle and snake motif that forms the centrepiece of the modern Mexican flag.
The lake proved an ideal site: well stocked with fish, it was also fertile, once the Aztecs had constructed chinampas, or floating gardens of reeds. These enabled them to grow crops on the lake, as a result of which they were self-sufficient in food. The lake also made the city virtually impregnable: the causeways, when they were completed, could be flooded and the bridges raised to thwart attacks (or escape, as the Spanish found on the Noche Triste).
The island city eventually grew to cover an area of some thirteen square kilometres, much of it reclaimed from the lake, and from this base the Aztecs were able to begin their programme of expansion: initially dominating the valley by a series of strategic alliances, war and treachery, and finally, in a period of less than a hundred years before the brutal Spanish Conquest of 1521, establishing an empire that demanded tribute from, and traded with, the most distant parts of the country. Yet almost nothing of this amazing city survived the Conquest. “All that I saw then,” Bernal Díaz later wrote of his account of Tenochtitlán, “is overthrown and destroyed; nothing is left standing.” It is only relatively recently – particularly during construction of the Metro, and with the 1978 discovery of remains of the Templo Mayor beneath the colonial Zócalo – that a few remains of Tenochtitlán have been brought to light.
The city’s defeat, moreover, is still a harsh memory: Cortés himself is hardly revered, but the natives who assisted him, in particular La Malinche, the Veracruz woman who acted as Cortés’ interpreter, are non-people. Tributes to Moctezuma are rare, though Cuauhtémoc, his successor who led the fierce resistance, is commemorated everywhere; Malinche is represented, acidly, in some of Diego Rivera’s more outspoken murals.
Spanish and post-colonial Mexico City
The Spanish systematically smashed every visible aspect of Aztec culture, as often as not using the very stones of the old city to construct the new. The new city developed slowly in its early years. It spread far wider, however, as the lake was drained, filled and built over. Pestilent from the earliest days, the inadequately drained waters harboured fevers, and the native population was constantly swept by epidemics of European diseases. Many of the buildings, too, simply began to sink into the soft lake bed, a process probably accelerated by regular earthquakes.
By the third quarter of the nineteenth century, the city comprised little more than the area around the Zócalo and Alameda. Chapultepec Castle, Coyoacán, San Ángel and the Basilica of Guadalupe were still surrounded by fields and the last of the basin’s former lakes. From late 1870 through to 1911, however, the dictator Porfirio Díaz presided over an unprecedented, and self-aggrandizing, building programme that saw the installation of trams, the expansion of public transport and the draining of some of the last sections of the Lago de Texcoco, which had previously hemmed the city in. These all fuelled further growth, and by the outbreak of the Revolution in 1910, Mexico City’s residents numbered over four hundred thousand, regaining for the first time in four centuries the population level it had held before the Conquest.
The modern city
During the Revolution, thousands fled to rapidly industrializing Mexico City in search of jobs and a better life. Between 1910 and the mid-1940s the city’s population quadrupled and the cracks in the infrastructure quickly became gaping holes. Houses couldn’t be built quickly enough to cope with the seven-percent annual growth, and many people couldn’t afford them anyway, so shantytowns of scrap metal and cardboard sprang up. Most neighbourhoods had little or no water supply and sanitation was an afterthought. Gradually, civic leaders tried to address the lot of citizens by improving the services and housing in shantytowns, but even as they worked, a new ring of slums mushroomed just a little further out. This expansion badly strained the transport system, necessitating the construction of a Metro system in the late 1960s.
Urban growth continues today: some statisticians estimate that there are a thousand new arrivals each day, mainly from high-unemployment rural areas, and the urban area now extends beyond the limits of the Distrito Federal and into the surrounding states. Despite the spread, Mexico City remains one of the world’s most densely and heavily populated cities, with an unenviable list of major social and physical problems, including an extreme vulnerability to earthquakes – the last big one, in 1985, killed over nine thousand people, made one hundred thousand homeless and left many of the city’s buildings decidedly skewed.
For details on getting to Mexico City and travelling across the rest of Mexico, as well as information on entry requirements and currency, plus public holidays, festivals and outdoor activities, turn to the Mexico Basics section.
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CENTRAL MEXICO CITY
The heart of Mexico City is the Zócalo, built by the Spanish right over the devastated ceremonial centre of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán. Extraordinary uncovered ruins – chief of which is the Templo Mayor – provide the Zócalo’s most compelling attraction, but there’s also a wealth of great colonial buildings, among them the huge cathedral and the Palacio Nacional with its striking Diego Rivera murals. You could easily spend a couple of days in the tightly packed blocks hereabouts, investigating their dense concentration of museums and galleries, especially notable for works by Rivera and his “Big Three” companions, David Siqueiros and José Clemente Orozco.
West of the Zócalo the centro histórico stretches through the main commercial district past the Museo Nacional de Arte to the sky-scraping Torre Latinoamericana and the Palacio de Bellas Artes with its gorgeous Art Deco interior. Both overlook the formal parkland of the Alameda, next to which you’ll find a number of museums, including Museo de Tequila y Mezcal, which tells the story of Mexico’s best-known liquors, and the Museo Mural Diego Rivera, with the artist’s famed Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda. Further west, the Monumento a la Revolución heralds the more upmarket central suburbs, chiefly the Zona Rosa, long known as the spot for plush shops and restaurants, though that title has largely been usurped by swanky Polanco and hipper Condesa.
MÉXICO, MEXICO CITY AND EL DF
For clarity, we’ve referred to Mexico’s capital as Mexico City throughout this Guide, though Mexicans frequently refer to it simply as México, in the same way that Americans refer to New York City as New York. It’s a source of infinite confusion to visitors, but the country took its name from the city, so “México” can mean either, and in conversation it most often means the latter. The capital is also referred to as El DF (“El Day Effay”), short for “Distrito Federal”. The title Ciudad de México is used much less commonly, usually in an official context. The country as a whole is generally called ‘La República’, while any area that lies outside Mexico City and Mexico State that envelops it can be referred to as “La Provincia” (The Province), although this is not a term which is appreciated by those who live there.
The Zócalo
Metro Zócalo
The vast paved open space of the Zócalo – properly known as the Plaza de la Constitución – was once the heart of Aztec Tenochtitlán, and is today one of the largest city squares in the world after Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and Moscow’s Red Square. The city’s political and religious centre, it takes its name from part of a monument to Independence that was planned in the 1840s for the square by General Santa Anna. Like most of his other plans, this went astray, and only the statue’s base (now gone) was ever erected: el zócalo literally means “the plinth”. By extension, every other town square in Mexico has adopted the same name. It’s constantly animated, with pre-Hispanic revivalist groups dancing and pounding drums throughout the day and street stalls and buskers in the evening. Stages are set up here for major national holidays, and, of course, this is the place to hold demonstrations. Over one hundred thousand people massed here in March 2001 to support the Zapatistas after their march from Chiapas in support of indigenous people’s rights; in July 2006 the square proved too small to contain the millions of demonstrators who gathered to challenge the result of that year’s presidential election, a contest widely believed – especially in the left-leaning DF – to have been fixed. Spreading out from the Zócalo, the crowds reached as far as Paseo de la Reforma.
Though you’re not guaranteed to see any protests, among the Zócalo’s more certain entertainments is the ceremonial lowering of the national flag from its giant pole in the centre of the plaza each evening at sundown (typically 6pm). A troop of presidential guards march out from the palace, strike the enormous flag and perform a complex routine, at the end of which the flag is left, neatly folded, in the hands of one of their number. With far less pomp, the flag is quietly raised again around half an hour later. You get a great view of this, and of everything else happening in the Zócalo, from the rooftop terrace restaurants in the Hotel Majestic and Gran Hotel Ciudad de México on the west side of the square.
Weekends in the Zócalo see a small tourist market on the west side of the cathedral, offering the same knick-knacks you’ll see at most tourist sites around the country. Witch doctors also patrol the area offering pre-Hispanic cleansing rituals. During the week tradesmen offering freelance work occupy this bit of pavement; they don’t appreciate having their photos taken.
COUGHS AND ROBBERS – SELF-PRESERVATION IN MEXICO CITY
Mexico City comes with an unenviable reputation for overcrowding,
grime and crime, and to some extent this is deserved. Certainly there is
pollution. The whole urban area sits in a
low mountain bowl that deflects smog-clearing winds away from the city,
allowing a thick blanket of haze to build up throughout the day.
Conditions are particularly bad in winter, when there is no rain, and
pollution levels (reported daily in the English-language newspaper,
The News, 
thenews.com.mx) tend to
peak in the early afternoon. In response, the Hoy
No Circula (“Don’t drive today”) law prohibits car use from
5am to 10pm for one day in the working week for vehicles over six years
old, the day depending on the car’s numberplate. Nonetheless, those
prone to respiratory problems may have some
difficulty on arrival, due to the city’s air quality and
altitude.
The capital is where the Mexican extremes of wealth and poverty are most apparent, with shiny, valet-parked SUVs vying for space with pavement vendors and beggars. Such financial disparity fuels theft, but just take the same precautions you would in any large city; there is no need to feel particularly paranoid. Keep your valuables – especially credit or debit cards – in the hotel safe (even cheap hotels often have somewhere secure; muggers who catch you with an ATM card may keep hold of you till they have extracted enough cash with it), don’t flash large wads of money around and keep an eye on your camera and other valuables in busy market areas. At night, avoid the barrio known as Doctores (around the Metro station of the same name, so-called because the streets are named after doctors), and the area around Lagunilla market, both centres of the street drug trade, and therefore opportunist crime. Note that mugging is not the only danger – abduction for ransom is increasingly common too.
Taxis have a bad reputation and, though drivers are mostly helpful and courteous, there are reports of people being robbed or abducted (often in stolen taxis). If possible, get your hotel to call you a cab (more expensive), or call one yourself, for example from one of the firms. If you do have to hail a cab in the street, always take one whose registration, on both the numberplate and the side of the vehicle, begins with an L (for “libre” – to be hailed while driving around), and which has the driver’s identification prominently displayed. Better still, find a taxi rank and take a sitio taxi that can be traced to that rank (with a number beginning in R, S or T, and again with the driver’s ID prominently displayed). Do not take taxis from the airport or bus terminals other than prepaid ones, and avoid taking those waiting outside tourist spots.
Catedral Metropolitana
North side of Zócalo • Daily 8am–8pm (discretion is required during services); guided tours hourly • Free; tours M$20 • Metro Zócalo
Mexico City’s cathedral holds the distinction of being the largest church in Latin America. Like so many of the city’s older, weightier structures, it has settled over the years into the soft, wet ground beneath – the tilt is quite plain to see, despite extensive work to stabilize the building. The first church on this site was constructed only a couple of years after the Conquest, using stones torn from the Temple of Huitzilopochtli, but the present structure was begun in 1573 to provide Mexico City with a cathedral more suited to its wealth and status as the jewel of the Spanish empire. The towers weren’t completed until 1813, though, and the building incorporates a plethora of architectural styles. Even the frontage demonstrates this: relatively austere at the bottom where work began soon after the Conquest, it flowers into full Baroque as you look up, and is topped by Neoclassical cornices and a clock tower. If you want to climb the clock tower, join one of the guided tours that start from the information desk to the right as you enter.
Inside, although the size of the cathedral is striking, the chief impression is that it’s a rather gloomy space, with rows of dimly lit side chapels. It is enlivened mostly by the Altar de los Reyes, a vast gilt reredos built of wood between 1718 and 1737. It’s located behind a main altar that features effigies of European kings and queens as well as two early eighteenth-century oil paintings, the Asunción de la Virgen and Adoración de los Reyes by Juan Rodríguez Juárez. Fans of ornate handiwork will also appreciate the detailed work in gold and wood on the central coro (choir).
Sagrario
Next door to the cathedral • Daily 8am–8pm (no entry wearing caps, shorts, miniskirts or dark glasses) • Free
The Sagrario, despite its heavy, grey Baroque facade and squat, bell-topped towers, feels both lighter and richer inside, with exuberant churrigueresque decoration and liberal use of gold paint. It was originally built as the parish church, and performs most of the day-to-day functions of a local church, such as baptisms and marriages.
Templo Mayor
Seminario 8 • Tues–Sun 9am–5pm • M$64; video M$45 •
templomayor.inah.gob.mx • Metro Zócalo
Just off the Zócalo, down beside the cathedral, lies the entrance to the site where the Templo Mayor has been excavated. Although it had been worked out by the beginning of the twentieth century that Tenochtitlán’s ceremonial area lay under this part of the city, it was generally believed that the chief temple, or Teocalli, lay directly beneath the cathedral. Archeological work only began in earnest in 1978 after workmen uncovered a huge stone disc, weighing over eight tonnes, which depicted the fall of Coyolxauhqui, goddess of the moon. The disc’s symbolism indicated that it must have lain at the foot of the city’s Teocalli, which would have been topped by a double shrine, dedicated to the sun god Huitzilopochtli and the rain god Tlaloc. The nineteenth- and twentieth-century buildings on the site were therefore cleared away, and excavation began.
The temple remains
Entering the site, you’ll be able to see the bare ruins of the foundations of the great temple and one or two buildings immediately around it. The excavations are highly confusing since, as was normal practice, a new temple was built over the old at the end of every 52-year calendar cycle (and apparently even more frequently here), resulting in a whole series of temples stacked inside each other like Russian dolls – there are seven here. Look at the models and maps in the museum first and it all makes more sense.
Of the seven reconstructions of the temple, layers as far down as the second have been uncovered, though you can only see the top of the structure as the bottom is now well below the water table. Confusing as it is trying to work out what’s what, it’s a fascinating site, scattered with odd sculptures, including some great serpents, and traces of its original bright paintwork in red, blue and yellow. Seeing it here, at the heart of the modern city, brings the ceremonies and sacrifices that took place rather close to home. It’s also worth walking past here in the evening when the floodlit pyramid ruins can be seen from the surrounding streets.
Museo del Templo Mayor
The museum of the Templo Mayor, entered through the site on the same ticket, helps set the temples in context, with some welcome reconstructions and models of how Tenochtitlán would have looked at its height. There are some wonderful pieces retrieved from the site, especially the replica tzompantli (wall of skulls) as you enter, the eagle in Room 1 with a cavity in its back for the hearts of sacrificial victims, a particularly beautiful pulque god statue and, of course, the huge Coyolxauhqui stone, displayed so as to be visible from points throughout the museum. The museum’s design is meant to simulate the temple, so you climb through it to reach two rooms at the top, one devoted to Huitzilopochtli, the other to Tlaloc, in the same way that the temple was originally topped by two shrines, one for each god.
The best items are towards the top of the museum, including some superb stone masks such as the one from Teotihuacán, black with inset eyes and a huge earring, typical of the objects paid in tribute by subject peoples from all over the country. On the highest level are two magnificent, full-size terracotta eagle warriors and numerous large stone pieces from the site. The descent back to the ground level concentrates on everyday life in Aztec times – with some rather mangy stuffed animals to demonstrate the species known to the Aztecs – along with a jumble of later items found while the site was being excavated. There are some good pieces here: look for the superb turquoise mosaic, little more than a handspan across, but intricately set with tiny pieces forming seven god-like figures; and the two large ceramic sculptures of Mictlantecihtli, the god of death, unearthed in 1994 from tunnels excavated below the nearby Casa de las Águilas.
COYOLXAUHQUI AND HUITZILOPOCHTLI
Coyolxauhqui was the daughter of Coatlicue, the mother goddess who controlled life and death; on discovering that her mother was miraculously pregnant, Coyolxauhqui vowed to wipe out the dishonour by killing her. Before she could do so, however, Huitzilopochtli sprang fully armed from Coatlicue’s womb, and proceeded to decapitate and dismember his sister (who is therefore always portrayed with her head and limbs cut off) and threw her body down a mountain. He then drove off the four hundred other brothers who had gathered to help her: they scattered to become the stars. The human sacrifices carried out in the temple – meant to feed Huitzilopochtli, the sun god, with the blood he needed to win his nightly battle against darkness – were in part a re-enactment of this, with the victims being thrown down the steps afterwards.
Palacio Nacional
East side of Zócalo, but public entrance from Moneda • Tues–Sun 9am–5pm • Free, but ID required to enter; locker for bags M$20 in coins • Metro Zócalo
The east side of the Zócalo is entirely taken up by the more than 200m-long facade of the Palacio Nacional. The so-called New Palace of Moctezuma stood here and Cortés made it his first residence. From 1562 the building was the official residence of the Spanish viceroy, and later of presidents of the republic. The present building, for all its apparent unity, is the result of centuries of agglomeration and rebuilding – the most recent addition was the third storey, in 1927. It still holds the office of the president, who makes his most important pronouncements from the balcony – especially on September 15, when the Grito de la Independencia signals the start of the country’s Independence celebrations.
Diego Rivera’s murals
The chief attraction in the Palacio Nacional is the series of Diego Rivera murals that decorate the stairwell and middle storey of the main courtyard. Begun in 1929, the murals are classic Rivera, ranking with the best of his work. The great panorama of Mexican history, México a Través de los Siglos, around the main staircase, combines an unbelievable wealth of detail with savage imagery and a masterly use of space. On the right-hand wall Quetzalcoatl sits in majesty amid the golden age of the Valley of México, surrounded by an idealized vision of life in Teotihuacán, Tula and Tenochtitlán. The main section depicts the Conquest, oppression, war, Inquisition, invasion, Independence and eventually Revolution. Almost every major personage and event of Mexican history is here, from the grotesquely twisted features of the conquistadors to the national heroes: balding, white-haired Hidalgo with the banner of Independence; squat, dark Benito Juárez with his Constitution and laws for the reform of the Church; Zapata, with a placard proclaiming his cry of “Tierra y Libertad”; and Pancho Villa, moustachioed and swaggering. On the left are post-Revolutionary Mexico and the future (as Rivera envisaged it), with Karl Marx pointing the way to adoring workers. Businessmen stand clustered over their tickertape in front of a somewhat ironic depiction of the metropolis with its skyscrapers and grim industrial wastes. Rivera’s wife, the artist Frida Kahlo, is depicted, too, behind her sister Cristina (with whom Rivera was having an affair at the time) in a red blouse with an open copy of the Communist Manifesto.
A series of smaller panels was intended to go all the way round the upper (now middle) storey, an over-ambitious and unfinished project. The uncoloured first panel lists the products that the world owes to Mexico, including maize, beans, chocolate, tobacco, cotton, tomatoes, peanuts, prickly pears and chicle (the source of chewing gum). The remainder of the completed paintings reach halfway around and mostly depict the idyll of aspects of life before the Conquest – market day, dyeing cloth, hunting scenes and so on. The last (completed in 1951) shows the arrival of the Spanish, complete with an image of La Malinche (the Maya woman widely perceived to have betrayed native Mexicans by shacking up with Cortés) bearing Cortés’ blue-eyed baby – the first Mexican mestizo.
Other attractions
Also on the Palacio’s middle storey is the chamber used by the Mexican Legislature from 1845 to 1872, when it was presided over by Benito Juárez, who lived in the palace until his death. The room houses the original copy of the 1857 Constitution, which was drawn up there, but is frequently closed for renovations.
Before leaving the building, it’s worth taking a moment to wander around some of the other courtyards (there are fourteen in all), and through the small floral and cactus gardens.
Gran Hotel Ciudad de México
16 de Septiembre 82 • granhoteldelaciudaddemexico.com.mx • Metro Zócalo
Located at the southwest corner of the Zócalo, the Gran Hotel Ciudad de México is well worth a visit to admire the opulent lobby with its intricate ironwork, cage-lifts and wonderful Tiffany stained-glass dome. Indeed, it’s worth going up to the third and fourth floors for a closer look at the ceiling. Like the Majestic in the same block, the Gran Hotel has a terrace restaurant with great views over the Zócalo.
Nacional Monte de Piedad
Monte de Piedad 1, at corner of the Zócalo and 5 de Mayo • Mon–Fri 10am–5pm, Sat 10am–3pm • Metro Zócalo
On the west side of the Zócalo, arcades shelter a series of shops, almost all of which sell hats or jewellery. For an unusual shopping experience, though, you can’t beat the Nacional Monte de Piedad, just to the north. This huge building, supposedly on the site of the palace in which Cortés and his followers stayed as guests of Moctezuma, is now the National Pawn Shop, an institution founded as far back as 1775. Much of what is pawned here is jewellery, but there’s also a wide variety of fine art and sculptures, and just about anything that will command a reasonable price. From time to time they hold major auctions to clear the place out, but it’s worth coming here just to take in the atmosphere and watch the milling crowds.
North of the Zócalo
Just a couple of blocks north of the centre the vast openness of the Zócalo gives way to a much more intimate section of small colonial plazas and mostly eighteenth-century buildings. It is still an active commercial area, and is packed with a variety of interesting sights, including ornate churches, small museums and some very fine Rivera and Siqueiros murals, all of which can be seen in a few hours.
DIEGO RIVERA
Diego Rivera (c.1886–1957), husband of Frida Kahlo, was the greatest of Los Tres Grandes, the “Big Three” Mexican artists – the other two being José Clemente Orozco and David Siqueiros – who interpreted the Revolution and Mexican history through the medium of enormous murals, and put the nation’s art onto an international footing in the first half of the twentieth century. His works remain among the country’s most striking sights.
Rivera studied from the age of 10 at the San Carlos Academy in the capital, immediately showing immense ability. He later moved to Paris, where he flirted with many of the new artistic trends, in particular Cubism. More importantly, though, he and Siqueiros planned, in exile, a popular, native art to express the new society in Mexico. In 1921 Rivera returned from Europe to the aftermath of the Revolution, and right away began work for the Ministry of Education at the behest of the socialist Education Minister, poet and presidential hopeful José Vasconcelos. Informed by his own Communist beliefs, and encouraged by the leftist sympathies of the times, Rivera embarked on the first of his massive, consciousness-raising murals, whose themes – Mexican history, the oppression of the natives, post-Revolutionary resurgence – were initially more important than their techniques. Many of his early murals are deceptively simple, naive even, but in fact Rivera’s style remained close to major trends and, following the lead of Siqueiros, he took a scientific approach to his work, looking to industrial advances for new techniques, better materials and fresh inspiration. The view of industrial growth as a panacea (particularly in the earlier works of both Rivera and Siqueiros) may have been simplistic, but the artists’ use of technology and experimentation with new methods and original approaches often had startling results.
RIVERA AND TROTSKY
Communism continued to be a major source of motivation and inspiration for Rivera, who was a long-standing member of the Mexican Communist Party. When ideological differences caused a rift in Soviet politics, he came down on the side of Leon Trotsky’s “revolutionary internationalism”. In 1936, with Trotsky running out of countries that would accept him after seven years on the run from Stalin’s henchmen, Rivera used his influence over Mexican President Lázaro Cárdenas to get permission for Trotsky and his wife Natalia to enter the country. They stayed with Diego and Frida rent-free at their Coyoacán house before Trotsky moved down the road to what is now the Museo Casa de León Trotsky. The passionate and often violent differences between orthodox Stalinists and Trotskyites spilled over into the art world, creating a great rift between Rivera and ardent Stalinist Siqueiros, who was later jailed for his involvement in an assassination attempt on Trotsky. Though Rivera later broke with Trotsky and was eventually readmitted to the Communist Party, Trotsky continued to admire Rivera’s murals, finding them “not simply a ‘painting’, an object of passive contemplation, but a living part of the class struggle”.
FOLLOWING THE RIVERA TRAIL
There is a huge amount of Rivera’s work accessible to the public, much of it in Mexico City, but also elsewhere around the country. The following is a rundown of the major Rivera sites, approximately ordered in accordance with their importance within each area.
NEAR THE ZÓCALO, THE ALAMEDA AND CHAPULTEPEC
Palacio National Major murals right in the heart of the capital.
SEP There are many of Rivera’s early murals around the courtyards of the Ministry of Education.
Palacio de Bellas Artes Rivera’s monumental El Hombre en Control del Universo (and others), as well as murals by his contemporaries.
Museo Mural Diego Rivera One of Rivera’s most famous murals, Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda, is on display here.
Museo de Arte Moderno Several quality canvases by Rivera and his contemporaries.
Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso (ENP) One relatively minor Rivera mural.
Museo Nacional de Arte A handful of minor canvases.
THE SUBURBS
Cárcomo de Dolores Two murals on water-related subjects by a lake in the Bosque de Chapultepec.
Estadio Olímpico Mosaic relief depicting the relationship between sport and the family.
Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño A massive collection of Rivera works from almost every artistic period.
Museo Frida Kahlo Just a couple of Diego’s works displayed in the house where he and Frida spent some of their married life.
Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo Diego’s and Frida’s pair of houses designed by Juan O’Gorman.
Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli Large Maya-style house built by Rivera and housing his collection of pre-Columbian sculpture.
Teatro de los Insurgentes Mosaic depicting the history of Mexican theatre.
OUTSIDE THE CAPITAL
Palacio de Cortés, Cuernavaca. Early murals on a grand scale.
Museo Robert Brady, Cuernavaca. A few paintings by both Frida and Diego.
Museo Casa Diego Rivera, Guanajuato. Relatively minor works and sketches in the house where Diego was born.
Plaza Santo Domingo
Metro Zócalo
Beside the cathedral, Calle Monte de Piedad runs three blocks north (becoming República de Brasil) to the little colonial plaza of Santo Domingo. In the middle of the square, a small fountain plays on a statue honouring La Corregidora, a heroine of Mexico’s Independence struggle. Eighteenth-century mansions line the sides of the plaza along with the fine Baroque church of Santo Domingo, built on the site of the country’s first Dominican monastery. Under the arcades you’ll still find clerks sitting at little desks with ageing electric typewriters, as you will in most large Mexican cities – carrying on the ancient tradition of public scribes, their main function is to translate simple messages into the flowery, sycophantic language essential for any business letter in Spanish, but they’ll type anything from student theses to love letters. Alongside them are street printers working with antiquated hand presses, churning out business cards, forged documents and invitations on the spot.
Museo de la Medicina
Brasil 33, on northeast corner of Plaza Santo Domingo
• Daily 9am–6pm • Free • 
55 5623 3123 • Metro
Zócalo
The Museo de la Medicina occupies grand rooms around a courtyard that was once the headquarters of the Inquisition in New Spain. It was here that heretics were punished, and although the cruelty of the Inquisition is often exaggerated, it was undoubtedly the site of some gruesome scenes. The extensive museum kicks off with interesting displays on indigenous medicine, religion and herbalism, often with reference to infirmity, in sculpture. It is surprising how often skin diseases, humped backs and malformed limbs crop up in pre-Columbian art: note the terracotta sculpture bent double from osteoporosis. The progress of Western medicine from colonial times to the present is also well covered, with an intact nineteenth-century pharmacy, a complete radiology room from 1939 and an obstetrics and gynaecology room filled with human embryos in bottles. A “wax room” upstairs shows full-colour casts of various skin ailments, injuries and infections – the diseased genitalia are always a hit with local schoolkids. As you leave, don’t forget the “exhibit of the week” room by the entrance.
SEP
Brasil 31 (with another entrance at Argentina 28) • Mon–Fri 9am–6pm • Free • Metro Zócalo
From the Plaza de Santo Domingo, República de Cuba runs a block east to the Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP), the Ministry of Education building, where, in 1923 and 1924, Rivera painted his first murals on returning from Paris. Don’t be put off by the tight security – simply proclaim the word “murales” and you’ll be shown straight through.
The driving force behind the murals was José Vasconcelos, a revolutionary Minister of Public Education in the 1920s but better known as a poet and philosopher, who promoted educational art as a means of instilling a sense of history and cultural pride in a widely illiterate population. He is the man most directly responsible for the murals in public buildings throughout the country. Here, three floors of an enormous double patio are entirely covered with frescoes, as are many of the stairwells and almost any other flat surface. Compared with what he later achieved, Rivera’s work is very simple, but the style is already recognizable: panels crowded with figures, drawing inspiration mainly from rural Mexico, though also from an idealized view of science and industry.
The most famous panel on the ground floor is the relatively apolitical Día de los Muertos, which is rather hidden away in a dark corner at the back. Continuing clockwise, there are equally striking images: Quema de Judas and La Asamblea Primero de Mayo, for example, and the lovely El Canal de Santa Anita. On the first floor the work is quite plain, mostly in tones of grey – here you’ll find the shields of the states of Mexico and such general educational themes as Chemistry or Physics, mostly the work of Rivera’s assistants. On the second floor are heroic themes from the Revolution. At the back, clockwise from the left-hand side, the triumphant progress of the Revolution is traced, culminating in the happy scenes of a Mexico ruled by its workers and peasants.
Museo de la Caricatura
Donceles 99 • Daily 10am–6pm • M$20 • Metro Zócalo
The Museo de la Caricatura is a museum of Mexican cartoons and caricatures. Located in a particularly fine example of an eighteenth-century nobleman’s dwelling, complete with central courtyard, it exhibits a selection of work from Mexico’s most famous caricaturists, but without a strong sense of Mexican history and a comprehensive grasp of Spanish much of the impact is lost. It’s still worth nipping in to see a small selection of bizarre nineteenth-century prints of skeletal mariachis by José Guadalupe Posada, a great influence on the later Muralist movement, and to take a break in the museum coffee shop in the central patio.
ENP (Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso)
Justo Serra 16 • Tues 10am–7.30pm, Wed–Sun 10am–5.30pm • M$45, free Tues • Metro Zócalo
As in the SEP, José Vasconcelos was largely responsible for the murals which adorn the interior of the eighteenth-century Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso (also called the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria, or ENP), a building also notable for its imposing colonial facade on Justo Serra, facing the north side of the Templo Mayor. Many artists are represented here, including Rivera and Siqueiros, but the most famous works are those of José Clemente Orozco, which you’ll find on the main staircase and around the first floor of the main patio.
Museo de la Luz
San Ildelfonso 43 • Mon–Fri 9am–4.30pm, Sat & Sun 10am–4.30pm • M$35 • Metro Zócalo
Housed in part of the northern wing of the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, with its entrance on San Ildelfonso, the Museo de la Luz is a kind of hands-on celebration of all facets of reflection, refraction, iridescence and luminescence, spread over three floors. Good Spanish is essential if you want to learn anything, but it’s fun just playing with the optical tricks and effects, and exploring the use of light in art.
Museo de las Constituciones
San Ildelfonso (cnr Aztecas), almost diagonally opposite the Museo de la Luz • Tues–Sun 10am–6pm • Free • Metro Zócalo
The former Templo de San Pedro y San Pablo, built for the Company of Jesus between 1576 and 1603, was later used as a library, military college and correctional school, and was eventually taken over by the university. The interior decoration – plain white, with the arches and pilasters painted in floral designs by Jorge Enciso and Roberto Montenegro – was, like those in SEP and the ENP, influenced by Vasconcelos. The church has since been turned into the Museo de las Constituciones, with exhibits and explanations in Spanish on the string of constitutions which Mexico has had since Independence, but the murals will be of far more interest to most visitors, particularly Montenegro’s almost pre-Raphaelite 1922 Tree of Life, at the far end of the building as you enter.
Plaza de Loreto and around
Three blocks northeast of the Zócalo • Metro Zócalo
The Plaza de Loreto feels a world apart. It is a truly elegant old square, entirely unmodernized and flanked by a couple of churches. On one side is the Templo de Loreto, with its huge dome leaning at a crazy angle: inside, you’ll find yourself staggering across the tilted floor. Santa Teresa, across the plaza, has a bizarre cave-like chapel at the back, entirely artificial. North of the Templo Loreto is a large and not especially exciting covered market, the Mercado Presidente Abelardo Rodriguez, inside most entrances of which is a series of large murals dating from the 1930s by an assortment of artists including Antonio Pujol and Pablo O’Higgins.
East of the Zócalo: along Calle Moneda
Calle Moneda, running east from the centre, is one of the oldest streets in the city, and it’s fascinating to wander up here and see the rapid change as you leave the immediate environs of the Zócalo. The buildings remain almost wholly colonial, prim and refurbished around the museums, then gradually become shabbier and shabbier. Within four or five blocks you’re into a very depressed residential area, with street stalls spreading up from the giant market of La Merced, to the south.
Museo de la SHCP
Moneda 4 • Tues–Sun 10am–5pm • Free • Metro Zócalo
Just a few steps from the Zócalo, the Museo de la SHCP occupies the former archbishop’s palace and presents Mexican fine art from the last three centuries in rooms surrounding two lovely open courtyards. The building was constructed over part of Tenochtitlán’s ceremonial centre, the Teocalli, and excavations have revealed a few foundation sections for the Templo de Tezcatlipoca pyramid that once stood here. Notice the short flight of stairs, a jaguar carved in high relief and a series of anthropomorphic sculptures.
Casa de la Primera Imprenta
Licenciado Primo Verdad 10 (at Moneda) • Mon–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat 10am–3pm • Free • Metro Zócalo
The Casa de la Primera Imprenta occupies the house where the first printing press in the Americas was set up in 1535, though the only indication of this is the model of the press that sits close to the entrance. Archeological finds unearthed during restoration work are displayed in one room; other rooms house temporary exhibits.
Centro Cultural Ex-Teresa Arte
Licenciado Primo Verdad 8 • Daily 10am–6pm • Free • Metro Zócalo
You’ll feel as if you aren’t on solid ground the moment you step into the Centro Cultural Ex-Teresa Arte, one of the city’s most subsided buildings which exhibits art and photography inside a Spanish imperial stone church. The exhibitions are put on by a non-profit organization funded by the National Institute of Fine Arts, which are usually interesting but make rather poor use of the dizzying space.
Museo Nacional de las Culturas
Moneda 13 • Tues–Sun 10am–5pm • Free • Metro Zócalo
The Museo Nacional de las Culturas occupies the sixteenth-century Casa de la Moneda, the official mint until 1848 and later the National Museum, where the best of the Aztec artefacts were displayed until the construction of the Museo Nacional de Antropología. Now immaculately restored, it houses a collection devoted to the archeology and anthropology of other countries. With rooms of exhibits set around a quiet patio, it is more interesting than you might guess, though still somewhat overshadowed by so many other high-class museums in the city.
Santa Inés
Moneda 26 • Daily 9am–6pm • Free • Metro Zócalo
The eye-catching blue and gold dome of the church of Santa Inés is the church’s only striking feature, and there’s little else to admire apart from the delicately carved wooden doors. Painters Miguel Cabrera and José Ibarra are both buried somewhere inside, but neither is commemorated in any way.
Museo José Luis Cuevas
Academia 13 • Tues–Sun 10am–6pm • M$20, free Sun • Metro Zócalo
The church of Santa Inés’ former convent buildings have been transformed into the Museo José Luis Cuevas, an art gallery with changing displays centred on the 8m-high bronze, La Giganta, designed by Cuevas. The only permanent collection is one room full of erotica ranging from pre-Hispanic sculpture to line drawings, some by Cuevas.
Academia de San Carlos
Academia 22, on the corner of Moneda and Academia • Mon–Fri 9am–7pm • Free • Metro Zócalo
The Academia de San Carlos still operates as an art school, though on a considerably reduced scale from its nineteenth-century heyday; inside are galleries for temporary exhibitions and, in the patio, copies of classical sculptures.
Templo de la Santísima Trinidad
Santísima 12 • Metro Zócalo
The Templo de la Santísima Trinidad, from which the street takes its name, boasts one of the city’s finest Baroque facades, floridly decorated with saints and cherubs. As with many old colonial churches in the city centre, its soft footing has caused it to slump, and its sideways list has become so serious that it is now closed for strengthening work, though you can still admire the exterior.
South of the Zócalo
South of the Zócalo, Pino Suárez leads down to meet Izázaga, which marks the southern edge of the city centre proper. The area to the east of Pino Suárez is largely a market area, and leads over to the wonderful La Merced market, while both Pino Suárez and Izázaga have a couple of sights that are worth a brief foray.
Suprema Corte de Justicia
On the corner of the Zócalo • Mon–Thurs 9am–2pm, Fri 9am–1.30pm • Free, but ID required to enter • Metro Zócalo
A colonial-style modern building houses the Suprema Corte de Justicia. Inside are three superb, bitter murals by Orozco named Luchas Proletarias (Proletarian Struggles), Las Riquezas Nacionales (The Nation’s Riches) and La Justicia (Justice). The last, depicting Justice slumped asleep on her pedestal while bandits rob the people of their rights, was, not surprisingly, unpopular with the judges and powers that be, and Orozco never completed his commission here.
Museo de la Ciudad de México
Pino Suárez 30 • Tues–Sun 10am–5.30pm • M$24, free Wed
• cultura.df.gob.mx •
Metro Zócalo
A couple of blocks south of the Zócalo, the Museo de la Ciudad de México is housed in the colonial palace of the Condes de Santiago de Calimaya. This is a fabulous building, with carved stone cannons thrusting out from the cornice, magnificent heavy wooden doors and, on the far side, a hefty plumed serpent obviously dragged from the ruins of some Aztec temple to be employed as a cornerstone. The rooms are mostly given over to temporary exhibits on all manner of themes, but on the top storey is the preserved studio of the landscape artist Joaquín Clausell, its walls plastered with portraits and little sketches that he scribbled between working on his paintings.
The church and hospital of Jesús Nazareno
On the west side of Pino Suárez • Daily 9am–5pm • Metro Pino Suárez
A memorial marking the spot where, according to legend, Cortés first met Moctezuma, is where you’ll find the church and hospital of Jesús Nazareno. The hospital, still in use, was founded by Cortés in 1528. As such, it’s one of the oldest buildings in the city, and exemplifies the severe, fortress-like construction of the immediate post-Conquest years. The church, which contains the remains of Cortés and a bronze plaque to the left of the altar with the simple inscription “H.C. (1485–1547)”, has been substantially remodelled over the years, its vaulting decorated with a fresco of the Apocalypse by Orozco.
Pino Suárez and Zócalo Metro stations
More or less opposite Jesús Nazareno is a small open space and an entrance to a bookshop-lined subterranean walkway, the Tunel del Libro, between Zócalo and Pino Suárez Metro stations, where there’s a café and a space for silent reading. Zócalo station has models of the Zócalo at different times in the past in its main concourse, and old pictures of the famous square reproduced on its platforms. Pino Suárez station, meanwhile, has a whole Aztec shrine in the middle of it. Uncovered during the station’s construction, it has been preserved as an integral part of the concourse, and you’ll pass right by it if changing lines here. Dating from around the end of the fourteenth century, the shrine was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl in his guise of Ehecatl, god of the wind.
Claustro de la Merced
Uruguay 168 • Metro Merced or Pino Suárez
Heading east from Pino Suárez along Salvador or Uruguay takes you to the giant market area of La Merced. If you walk on Uruguay you’ll pass a beautiful cloister (claustro), all that remains of the seventeenth-century Convento de la Merced, the subject of extensive recent restoration work.
Museo de la Charrería
Isabel la Católica 108 • Mon–Fri 11am–5pm • Free • Metro Isabel la Católica
On the south side of Izázaga, at Isabel la Católica, a handsome colonial building holds the Museo de la Charrería, dedicated to all things cowboy, with a collection that includes old photographs, some of them inevitably rather camp, as well as sketches, watercolours, costumes, spurs and brands.
West to the Alameda
The streets that lead down from the Zócalo towards the Alameda – Tacuba, 5 de Mayo, Madero, 16 de Septiembre and the lanes that cross them – are the most elegant and least affected by modern development in the city, lined with ancient buildings, traditional cafés, and shops and mansions converted into offices, banks or restaurants. At the end of Madero, you come to the outer edge of the colonial city centre, and should find yourself, by contrast, standing between two of the most striking modern buildings in the capital: the Torre Latinoamericana and the Palacio de Bellas Artes. Though it seems incredible when you compare them, they were completed within barely 25 years of each other.
Along Madero
On Madero you’ll pass several former aristocratic palaces now given over to a variety of uses. At no. 27 stands a slightly dilapidated mansion built in 1775 by mining magnate José de la Borda for his wife and presided over, on the corner of Bolivar, by a statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Still further down Madero, at no. 17, you’ll find the Palacio de Iturbide (Metro Allende), currently occupied by Banamex and thoroughly restored. Originally the home of the Condes de Valparaíso in the eighteenth century, it was, from 1821 to 1823, the residence of the ill-fated “emperor” Agustín de Iturbide. Nowadays it periodically houses free art exhibitions laid on by the bank. In the next block, the last before you emerge at Bellas Artes and the Alameda, the churrigueresque church of San Francisco (Metro Bellas Artes) stands on the site of the first Franciscan mission to Mexico.
Casa de los Azulejos
Madero 4 • Metro Bellas Artes
The sixteenth-century Casa de los Azulejos (House of Tiles), now a branch of the Sanborns department store chain, is so-called for its exterior, swathed entirely in blue and white tiles from Puebla that were added during remodelling in 1737. The building survived a gas explosion in 1994 – though there was quite a bit of structural damage, luckily no one was hurt, and one of the most famous features of the building, the giant Orozco mural on the staircase, suffered few ill effects. Inside you’ll find a restaurant in the glassed-over patio, as well as all the usual shopping.
Torre Latinoamericana
Lázaro Cárdenas 2 • Daily 9am–10pm • M$60 • torrelatino.com • Metro
Bellas Artes
The distinctly dated steel-and-glass skyscraper of the Torre Latinoamericana was completed in 1956 and, until a few years ago, was the tallest building in Mexico and, indeed, the whole of Latin America. It has now been outdone by the World Trade Center (formerly the Hotel de México, on Insurgentes) and doubtless by others in South America, but it remains the city’s outstanding landmark and a point of reference no matter where you are. By world standards it is not especially tall, but on a clear day the views from the 139m observation deck are outstanding; if it’s smoggy you’re better off going up around dusk, catching the city as the sun sets, then watching as the lights delineate it far more clearly. Having paid the fee, you’re whisked up to the 36th floor where another lift takes you to “El Mirador”, a glassed-in observation area with coin-operated telescopes on the 42nd and 43rd floors, and an outdoor terrace on the 44th floor.
Palacio de Bellas Artes
Av Juárez (at Lázaro Cárdenas) • Museum Tues–Sun
10am–6pm; main theatre tours Mon–Fri 1pm & 1.30pm • Museum M$49,
free Sun or when there is no special exhibition on; main theatre tours
free; M$30 to take photos, even with a phone • palacio.bellasartes.gob.mx • Metro Bellas Artes
Facing the Torre Latinoamericano across Avenida Juárez, there’s an equally impressive and substantially more beautiful engineering achievement in the form of the Palacio de Bellas Artes. It was designed in 1901, at the height of the Díaz dictatorship, by the Italian architect Adamo Boari and built, in a grandiose Art Nouveau style, of white marble imported from Italy. The construction wasn’t actually completed, however, until 1934, with the Revolution and several new planners come and gone. Some find the whole exterior overblown, but whatever your initial impressions, nothing will prepare you for the magnificent interior – an Art Deco extravaganza incorporating spectacular lighting, chevron friezes and stylized masks of the rain god, Tlaloc.
Much of the interior splendour can be seen any time by wandering into the amazing Art Deco foyer (free) and simply gazing around the lower floor, where there is a good arts bookshop and the Café del Palacio restaurant. Some of the finest interior decor in the building is generally hidden from view in the main theatre, an important venue for classical music, opera and dance, but it can be seen, without attending a concert, if you join a tour, on which you’ll be shown the amazing Tiffany glass curtain depicting the Valley of México and volcanoes, as well as the detailed proscenium mosaic and stained-glass ceiling.
Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes
If you want to see more of the building, you might consider visiting the art museum on the middle two floors, the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes. In the galleries here you’ll find a series of exhibitions, permanent displays of Mexican art and temporary shows of anything from local art-school graduates’ work to that of major international names. Of constant and abiding interest, however, are the great murals surrounding the museum’s central space. On the first floor are Nacimiento de la Nacionalidad (Birth of Our Nationality) and México de Hoy (Mexico Today) – dreamy, almost abstract works by Rufino Tamayo. Going up a level you’re confronted by the unique sight of murals by Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros gathered in the same place. Rivera’s El Hombre en Control del Universo (Man in Control of the Universe), celebrating the liberating power of technology, was originally painted for Rockefeller Center in New York City, but destroyed for being too leftist – arch-capitalist Nelson Rockefeller objected to Rivera’s inclusion of Karl Marx, even though he was well aware of Rivera’s views when he commissioned the work. This is Rivera’s own copy, painted in 1934, just a year after the original. It’s worth studying the explanatory panel, which reveals some of the theory behind this complex work.
Several smaller panels by Rivera are also displayed; these, too, were intended to be seen elsewhere (in this case on the walls of the Hotel Reforma, downtown) but for years were covered up, presumably because of their unflattering depiction of tourists. The works include México Folklórico y Turístico, La Dictadura, La Danza de los Huichilobos and, perhaps the best of them, Agustín Lorenzo, a portrayal of a guerrilla fighter against the French. None of them was designed to be seen so close up, and you’ll find yourself wanting to step back to get the big picture. Catarsis, a huge, vicious work by Orozco, occupies almost an entire wall, and there are also some particularly fine examples of Siqueiros’ work: three powerful and original panels on the theme of Democracía and a bloody depiction of the torture of Cuauhtémoc in El Tormento de Cuauhtémoc, and of the same Aztec ruler’s heroism in Apoteosis de Cuauhtémoc (Cuauhtémoc Reborn). The uppermost floor is devoted to the Museo de la Arquitectura (same ticket and hours), which has no permanent collection, but frequently has interesting exhibits.
Correo Central
Corner of Tacuba and Lázaro Cárdenas • Mon–Fri 8am–5.30pm, Sat 8am–1.30pm • Metro Bellas Artes
The Correo Central is the city’s main post office. Completed in 1908, it was, like the Palacio de Bellas Artes, designed by Adamo Boari, but in a style much more consistent with the buildings around it. Look closely and you’ll find a wealth of intricate detail on the facade, while inside it’s full of richly carved wood.
Museum of Naval History
On the fourth floor of the Correo Central • Tues–Fri 10am–4.30pm, Sat 10am–1.30pm • Free • Explanations in Spanish only
Naval buffs will enjoy the Museum of Naval History, featuring models of old ships, a reconstruction in miniature of Cortés’ waterborne battle against the Aztecs on the Lake of Texcoco, plus photos and artefacts of the 1914 US occupation of Veracruz.
Palacio de Minería
Tacuba 5 • Museo Manuel Tolsá Wed–Sun 10am–6pm; guided
tours Sat & Sun 11am & 1pm • M$15 • palaciomineria.unam.mx
The Palacio de Minería is a Neoclassical building which was built right at the end of the eighteenth century. It was designed by Spanish-born Manuel Tolsá, who is the subject of the devotional Museo Manuel Tolsá (accessed from a door to the east of the main entrance) – a couple of rooms of paintings and architectural drawings, strictly for fans only. The exterior of the palacio makes an interesting contrast with the post office and with the Museo Nacional de Arte directly opposite, and the main entrance has some impressively large meteorites on display.
Museo del Ejército y Fuerza
Filomeno Mata 6 • Tues–Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 10am–4pm • Free
The Convento de las Betlemitas, a small seventeenth-century convent, now houses the Museo del Ejército y Fuerza (Army Museum). Its exhibits are a mix of vintage weapons, flags, uniforms and paintings (plus a few photos) of battles and patriotic heroes, notably the Niños Héroes. Aside from diehard Mexican patriots, the museum will mostly appeal to weapons buffs.
Torture and Capital Punishment Exhibition
Tacuba 15 • Daily 10am–6pm • M$60 • Metro Bellas Artes
The macabre Exposición de Instrumentos de Tortura y Pena Capital exhibits instruments of torture and execution from the time of the Inquisition onwards. Kicking off with instruments of public humiliation, such as an old pillory, it swiftly moves on to fiendish implements of torture, methods of applying the death penalty and instruments used specifically on women. Skeletons and dummies of the victims add to the gruesomeness.
Museo Nacional de Arte
Tacuba 8 • Tues–Sun 10.30am–5.30pm • M$37, free Sun,
photo permit M$5 • munal.com.mx • Metro Bellas Artes
The Museo Nacional de Arte is set back from the street on a tiny plaza in which stands one of the city’s most famous sculptures, El Caballito, portraying Carlos IV of Spain. This enormous bronze, the work of Manuel Tolsá, was originally erected in the Zócalo in 1803. In the intervening years it has graced a variety of sites and, despite the unpopularity of the Spanish monarchy (and of the effete Carlos IV in particular), is still regarded affectionately. The latest setting is appropriate, since Tolsá also designed the nearby Palacio de Minería. The open plaza around the sculpture is now often the scene of intense pre-Columbian drumming and dancing, which usually draws an appreciative crowd.
Though the museum is the foremost showcase of Mexican art from the 1550s to the 1950s, with a collection of over a thousand pieces, its interest is mainly historical. Most of the major Mexican artists are represented, but with essentially mediocre examples spiced only occasionally with a more striking work. It’s worth coming here to see something of the dress and landscape of old Mexico, and also some of the curiosities, but don’t expect masterpieces.
Temporary displays take up the ground floor (along with a good bookshop and café), leaving the two floors above for the permanent collection.
The top floor
To follow the displays in chronological order, start on the top floor, where rooms 1 to 14 cover pre-Independence art, the earliest works indistinguishable from those of Inquisition Spain – lots of saints, virgins and gory martyrdoms. José de Mora’s 1719 Señor de Chalma in room 10 – a crucifixion scene apparently copied from a painting in Chalma that was later destroyed by fire – seems to give the first hint of an emerging Mexican style. Nineteenth-century art starts in rooms 15 to 19 – José Maria Obregón’s depiction of the medieval Italian painters Giotto and Cimabue in room 17 may interest art historians – and continues on the middle floor.
The middle floor
As the nineteenth century progresses, Mexican themes take hold, with paintings like Obregón’s El Descubrimiento del Pulque (The Discovery of Pulque) and La Fundación de México in room 20. José Maria Velasco’s landscapes of the Valley of México in room 22 abandon the history in favour of contemporary Mexico, and in the same room, an illustration of the Zócalo in the early nineteenth century by the British artist and traveller John Phillips is interesting more for historical than artistic reasons.
Room 27 heralds the twentieth century, with paintings like the macabre 1914 Paisaje de Zacatecas con Ahorcados II (Zacatecas Landscape with Hanged Men II) by Francisco Goitia. That room, and the next, also have a handful of minor works by Diego Rivera, but the cubist works by him in room 31 are a lot more interesting. Indeed, room 31 marks the climax of the collection, with strking works by Rivera’s fellow muralists David Siqueiros (such as Accidente en la Mina), José Clemente Orozco (Cabeza Flechada or Head Shot Through with Arrows) and a self-portrait by Juan O’Gorman, as well as Rivera’s excellent portrait of Adolfo Best Maugard. Siqueiros’ full-length portrait of art patron Maria Asúnsolo coming downstairs, in room 30, is also not to be missed.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP PALACIO DE BELLAS ARTES; MARIACHI IN PLAZA GARIBALDI; DRIED CHILE PEPPERS FOR SALE AT LA MERCED
The Alameda and beyond
From behind Bellas Artes, Lázaro Cárdenas runs north towards the Plaza Garibaldi through an area crowded with seedy cantinas and eating places, theatres and burlesque shows. West of the Palacio de Bellas Artes lies the Alameda, first laid out as a park in 1592, and taking its name from the alamos (poplars) then planted. The Alameda had originally been an Aztec market and later became the site where the Inquisition burned its victims at the stake. Most of what you see now – formally laid-out paths and flowerbeds, ornamental statuary and fountains – dates from the nineteenth century, when it was the fashionable place to stroll. It’s still popular, always full of people, particularly at weekends, but it’s mostly a transient population – office workers taking lunch, shoppers resting their feet, messengers taking a short cut and street vendors selling T-shirts.
Museo de Tequila y Mezcal
Plaza Garibaldi • Mon–Wed & Sun 1–10pm; Thurs–Sat
1pm–midnight • M$50 • mutemgaribaldi.mx • Metro Garibaldi or Bellas Artes
The Museum of Tequila and Mezcal (MUTEM) tells the story of Mexico’s best-known liquors, as well as that of Plaza Garibaldi and its mariachis. Explanations are in Spanish and English, with lots of old photos. It’s one of those museums that would be equally good as a book – there aren’t any exhibits as such, apart from a large variety of agave plants – and the very limited free samples aren’t worth getting excited about either, although the rooftop bar is good. It nevertheless makes for a fun half-hour’s worth of information, and if you come here on a Friday or Saturday night, you can spill out into the square afterwards to sample the liquors in question to the sound of mariachi musicians.
Museo de la Estampa
Hidalgo 39 • Tues–Sun 10am–5.45pm • M$10; free Sun • Metro Bellas Artes
On the north side of the Alameda, Avenida Hidalgo traces the line of an ancient thoroughfare, starting from the Teatro Hidalgo, right opposite Bellas Artes. To the west, a little sunken square by the church of Santa Vera Cruz, the Museo de la Estampa, is dedicated to engraving, an art form taken seriously in Mexico, where the legacy of José Guadalupe Posada is still revered. There is no permanent collection, but you may expect anything from engravings and printing plates from pre-Columbian times to the modern age, including works by Posada.
Laboratorio Arte Alameda
Dr Mora 7 • Tues–Sun 9am–5pm • M$19; free Sun • artealameda.bellasartes.gob.mx • Metro Hidalgo
The Laboratorio Arte Alameda is an art museum built into the glorious seventeenth-century monastery of San Diego. The cool, white interior is filled with temporary exhibitions of challenging contemporary art. They’re all superbly displayed around the church, chapel and cloister of the old monastery.
Museo Mural Diego Rivera
Corner of Balderas and Colón • Tues–Sun 10am–6pm •
M$21; free Sun; photo permit M$5 • museomuraldiegorivera.bellasartes.gob.mx • Metro
Hidalgo
One of the buildings worst hit by the 1985 earthquake was the Hotel del Prado, which contained the Rivera mural Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda (Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda). The mural survived the quake, and was subsequently picked up in its entirety and transported around the Alameda – it can now be seen in the Museo Mural Diego Rivera, at the western end of the park. It’s an impressive work – showing almost every famous Mexican character out for a stroll – but one suspects that its popularity with tour groups is as much to do with its relatively apolitical nature as with any superiority to Rivera’s other works. Originally it included a placard with the words “God does not exist”, which caused a huge furore, and Rivera was forced to paint it out before the mural was first displayed to the public.
Panels at the back of the sala housing the mural (Spanish on one side, English on the other), and also a leaflet available at the entrance (M$10), explain every character in the scene: Cortés is depicted with his hands stained red with blood; José Guadalupe Posada stands bowler-hatted next to his trademark skeleton, La Calavera Catrina, who holds the hand of Rivera himself, portrayed as a 9-year-old boy; Frida Kahlo stands in motherly fashion, just behind him.
Paseo de la Reforma and around
Paseo de la Reforma is the most impressive street in Mexico City, lined by tall, modern buildings. It was originally laid out in the 1860s by Emperor Maximilian to provide the city with a boulevard to rival the great European capitals, and doubled as a ceremonial drive from his palace in Chapultepec to the centre. It also provided a new impetus, and direction, for the growing metropolis. The original length of the broad avenue ran simply from the Bosque de Chapultepec to the junction of Juárez – at 5km a very long walk, but there are plenty of buses and peseros – and although it has been extended in both directions, this stretch is still what everyone thinks of as Reforma.
“Reforma Norte”, as the extension towards Guadalupe is known, is just as wide (and the traffic just as dense), but is almost a term of disparagement. Real Reforma, however, remains imposing – ten lanes of traffic, lines of trees, grand statues at every intersection and perhaps three or four of the original French-style, nineteenth-century houses still surviving. Twenty or thirty years ago it was the dynamic heart of the growing city, with even relatively new buildings being torn down to make way for yet newer, taller, more prestigious towers of steel and glass. The pulse has since moved elsewhere, and the fancy shops have relocated, leaving an avenue now mostly lined with airline offices, car rental agencies and banks, and somewhat diminishing the pleasure of a stroll.
Church of San Hipólito
Corner of Reforma and Puente de Alvarado • Mon–Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 6am–5pm • Free • Metro Hidalgo
The church of San Hipólito was founded by the Spanish soon after their eventual victory, both as a celebration and to commemorate the events of the Noche Triste. The present building dates from 1602, though over the years it has been damaged by earthquakes and rebuilt. It now lists very visibly to one side.
PUENTE DE ALVARADO
West of Reforma, Calle Hidalgo becomes the Puente de Alvarado. This was once one of the main causeways leading out of Tenochtitlán, across the lake which surrounded it, and was the route by which the Spanish attempted to flee the city on Noche Triste (Sad Night), July 10, 1520. Following the death of Moctezuma, and with his men virtually under siege in their quarters, Cortés decided to escape the city under cover of darkness. It was a disaster: the Aztecs cut the bridges and, attacking the bogged-down invaders from their canoes, killed all but 440 of the 1300 Spanish soldiers who set out, and more than half their native allies. Greed, as much as anything, cost the Spanish troops their lives, for in trying to take their gold booty with them they were, in the words of Bernal Díaz, “so weighed down by the stuff that they could neither run nor swim”.
The street takes its name from Pedro de Alvarado, one of the last conquistadors to escape, crossing the broken bridge “in great peril after their horses had been killed, treading on the dead men, horses and boxes”. In 1976, a gold bar like those made by Cortés from melted-down Aztec treasures was dug up in Calle Tacuba. It’s now in the Museo Nacional de Antropología. Without doubt, it was part of the treasure being carried by one of the conquistadors attempting to flee the city – a treasure which, as in all good treasure stories, ended up putting a curse on its robbers.
Panteón de San Fernando
Plaza San Fernando • Tues–Sun 9am–7pm • Free • Metro Hidalgo
The Baroque eighteenth-century church of San Fernando, by the plaza of the same name, was once one of the richest churches in the city. Stripped over the years, it is now mostly of interest for its panteón (graveyard), last resting place of Benito Juárez and many of his colleagues in the reform movement, whose names will be familiar from the streets which now bear them: Ignacio Zaragoza, Guillermo Prieto, Miguel Lerdo de Tejada, Melchor Ocampo, Ignacio Comonfort.
Museo Nacional de San Carlos
Puente de Alvarado 50 • Daily except Tues 10am–6pm •
M$31, free Sun • mnsancarlos.com • Metro Revolución
Where Puente de Alvarado meets Ramos Ariza, the Museo Nacional de San Carlos houses the country’s oldest art collection, begun in 1783 by Carlos III of Spain, and comprising largely European work of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries with some notable earlier and later additions. Major names are largely absent, but look for the delicate San Pedro, San Andrés y San Mateo by fifteenth-century Spanish painter Maestro de Palaquinos, portraits by Reynolds, Rubens and Hals and a luminous canvas of Breton women by the sea (Mujeres Bretones a la Orilla del Mar) by another Spaniard, Manuel Benedito y Vives. Travelling exhibitions are also frequently based here.
Monumento a la Revolución
Plaza de la República; mirador entrance from west side • Mon–Thurs 10am–6pm, Fri & Sat 10am–10pm, Sun 10am–8pm • M$40; free Wed • Metro Revolución
The vast Monumento a la Revolución was originally intended to be the central dome of a new home for the Cortes (parliament), though its construction was interrupted by the Revolution and never resumed – in the end they buried a few heroes of the Revolution under the mighty columns (including Pancho Villa and presidents Madero, Carranza and Cárdenas) and turned the whole thing into a memorial. An elevator has now been added to take you up to the mirador at the top. The views aren’t as good as from the Torre Latinoamericano, but you can see out to the edge of the city, especially to the north and west.
Museo Nacional de la Revolución
Tues–Sun 9am–5pm • M$24, free Sun
Underneath the monument, the Museo Nacional de la Revolución tells the history of the Revolution through archive pictures, old newspapers, films and life-size tableaux. Part of the museum is devoted to the construction of the monument itself. Other sections cover the Porfirio Díaz dictatorship, the various stages of the revolution, and how it broke down into civil war, resulting in the emergence of a new constitution and republic.
Zona Rosa
To the south of Reforma lies the Zona Rosa (Metro Insurgentes), a triangular area bordered by Reforma, Avenida Chapultepec and, to the west, Chapultepec Park. You’ll know you’re there as the streets are all named after famous cities. Packed into this tiny area are hundreds of bars, restaurants, hotels and shops, all teeming with a vast number of tourists and a cross section of Mexico City’s aspiring middle classes. Until the 1980s this was the city’s swankiest commercial neighbourhood, but the classiest shops have moved to Polanco and many of the big international chains have relocated to the out-of-town shopping centres that have sprung up around the Periférico. Though there’s no shortage of good shops, and the selection of restaurants, cafés, clubs and bars in the Zona Rosa is respectable, it has lost its exclusive feel. It does however claim to have an ambiente joven (young vibe), and it’s certainly popular with young people, as well as hosting Mexico City’s gay village, which is located around the northern end of Amberes. Otherwise, there isn’t much you’d come here especially to see. One historical figure who stayed here was Pancho Villa, quartered, when his troops were in town, at Liverpool 76.
El Ángel
Paseo de la Reforma at Florencia and Rio Tiber • Mon–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat & Sun 10am–3pm; elevator Mon–Fri 10am–6pm; Sat & Sun 10am–1pm • Free, but ID needed for the lift • Metro Insurgentes or Sevilla
The column of El Ángel, officially known as the Monumento a la Independencia, was built in 1910. In its base you can visit a room containing the skulls of Independence heroes Hidalgo, Aldama, Allende and Jiménez, and at weekends you can take a lift to the top of the monument, but it’s a popular ride, so expect queues (the line snakes around from the door in the plinth). You can go up on weekdays, but you’ll need to request permission from the delegacion’s offices beforehand: a tedious exercise that requires around an hour and your passport.
Museo de Cera and ¡Aunque Ud. No lo Crea!
Londres 6 • Daily 11am–7pm • One museum M$70, joint ticket for two museums M$130 • Metro Cuauhtémoc
The Zona Rosa’s only real attraction is the Museo de Cera (Wax Museum), located on its eastern fringes. Thoroughly tacky, with a basement chamber of horrors that includes Aztec human sacrifices, it shares its site with the Mexican branch of Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum (called in Spanish “¡Aunque Ud. No lo Crea!”), which displays such marvels as flea costumes and hair sculpture.
GLORIETAS
The length of Reforma is punctuated by glorietas – roundabouts at the major intersections – each with a distinctive statue, providing easy landmarks along the way. The first, if heading southwest from the Alameda, is the Glorieta Colón, with a statue of Christopher Columbus. Around the base of the plinth are carved various friars and monks who assisted Columbus in his enterprise or brought the Catholic faith to the Mexicans.
The Plaza de la República is just off to the north. Next comes the crossing of Insurgentes, nodal point of all the city’s traffic, with Cuauhtémoc, last emperor of the Aztecs and leader of their resistance, poised aloof above it all in a plumed robe, clutching his spear, surrounded by warriors. Bas-relief engravings on the pedestal depict his torture and execution at the hands of the Spanish, desperate to discover where the Aztec treasures lay hidden. El Ángel, a golden winged victory atop a 40m column, is the third to look out for, and the place to alight for the centre of the Zona Rosa.
Colonia Cuauhtémoc
The northern side of Reforma, where the streets are named after rivers (Tiber, Danubio and the like), is a much quieter, posh residential area officially known as Colonia Cuauhtémoc, though it’s usually just bundled in with the Zona Rosa. Here you’ll find some of the older embassies, notably the US embassy, on Reforma, bristling with razor wire and security cameras.
Museo Venustiano Carranza
Río Lerma 35 • Tues–Sat 9am–6pm, Sun 9am–5pm • M$42, free Sun, video permit M$45 • Metro Insurgentes
Near the British embassy in Cuauhtémoc is the Museo Venustiano Carranza. Carranza was a Revolutionary leader and president of the Republic who was shot in 1920. The building was his home in Mexico City and contains exhibits relating to his life and to the Revolution.
Parque Sullivan
Just north of the junction of Reforma and Insurgentes
Parque Sullivan hosts free open-air exhibitions and sales of paintings, ceramics and other works of art every Sunday (roughly 10am–4pm); some of them are very good, and a pleasant holiday atmosphere prevails.
Roma and Condesa
South of the Zona Rosa lie the residential districts of Roma and Condesa, full of quiet leafy streets once you get away from the main avenues that cut through. Both suburbs were developed in the 1930s and 1940s, but as the city expanded they became unfashionable and run-down. That all changed in the 1990s when artists and the bohemian fringe were drawn here by low rents, decent housing and proximity to the centre of the city. Small-time galleries sprang up and the first of the bars and cafés opened.
Condesa, in particular, is now one of the best areas for good eating in the city, and definitely the place to come for lounging in pavement cafés or dining in bistro-style restaurants. The greatest concentration is around the junction of Michoacán, and Tamaulipas, but establishments spread out into the surrounding streets, where you’ll often find quiet neighbourhood places with tables spilling out onto the pavement. Sights in the usual sense are virtually nonexistent, but you can pass a few hours just walking the streets keeping an eye out for interesting art galleries, which seem to spring up all the time. The leafy thoroughfare of Nuevo Leon bisects the colonia, with the leafy Parque México to the east, which is a popular haven from the raucous city outside the limits of the circular Avenida Amsterdam, where jogging and café culture are the main order of business.
Parque México and around
Parque México, officially Parque San Martín, is a large green space virtually in the heart of Condesa that was set aside when the owners of the horse track sold it to developers back in 1924. The streets around the park, especially Avenida México, are rich in 1930s architecture, showcasing Mexico’s own distinctive version of Art Deco.
GETTING TO ROMA AND CONDESA: ROMA AND CONDESA
By metro The Metro system gives Condesa a wide berth, with line 1 skirting the north and west while line 9 runs along the south side. For more direct access to Condesa’s main restaurant district take line 1 to Juanacatlán, and cross the Circuito Interior using the nearby footbridge. This brings you onto Francisco Marquez, which leads to the restaurants – a 10min walk in all. Alternatively, take line 9 to Chilpancingo.
By metrobús Take line 1 to Sonora or Campeche.
On foot It is easy enough to walk to Condesa south from the Zona Rosa (Metro Insurgentes, Sevilla or Chapultepec).
Polanco
High-priced high-rise hotels line the northern edge of Chapultepec Park, casting their shadow over the smart suburb of Colonia Polanco. Along the colonia’s main drag, Presidente Masaryk, the beautiful people drive by in their Porsches and Lexus SUVs on their way to the Fendi or Ferragamo stores, and Polanco also has great dining, but otherwise, unless you’ve got brand-name shopping in mind or need to visit one of the district’s embassies, there’s not much reason to come out this way. In recent years something of a culinary renaissance has occurred to the north of Parque Lincoln, where three blocks of restaurants serve up varying qualities of world cuisine to a predominantly expat community.
Sala de Arte Público David Siqueiros
Tres Picos 29 • Tues–Sun 10am–6pm • M$12, free Sun • Metro Polanco
The only tourist sight in Polanco is the Sala de Arte Público David Siqueiros, a small but interesting collection of the great muralist’s later work, including sketches he made for the Polyforum murals. They’re all displayed in his former residence and studio, donated (along with everything in it) to the people of Mexico just 25 days before his death in 1973.
If it is not already playing, ask to see the hour-long video (in English) on his life and work made just before his death, and watch it surrounded by his murals, which cover just about every piece of wall space.
BOSQUE DE CHAPULTEPEC
The Bosque de Chapultepec (chapultepec.org.mx) is a vast
green area, about a thousand acres in all, dotted with trees, museums, boating
lakes, gardens, playing fields and a zoo. It provides an escape from the
pressures of the city for seemingly millions of Mexicans, with the result that
the most visited areas get a heavy pounding and some areas are occasionally
fenced off to allow the plants to recover.
Most of the Bosque is taken up by Chapultepec Park, which is divided into three sections: the easternmost Primera Sección, or First Section, is home to the points of greatest interest, including the zoo; the Segunda Sección, or Second Section, is mostly aimed at kids, with an amusement park, technology museum and natural history museum; and the Tercera Sección, or Third Section, is currently being re-landscaped.
Brief history
The rocky outcrop of Chapultepec (Náhuatl for “hill of the locust”), from which the entire area has taken its name, is mentioned in Toltec mythology, but first gained historical significance in the thirteenth century when it was no more than an anonymous island among the lakes and salt marshes of the valley. Here the Aztecs, still a wandering, savage tribe, made their first home, though it proved to be temporary when they were defeated and driven off by neighbouring cities. Once Tenochtitlán’s power was established they returned here, channelling water from the springs into the city, and turning Chapultepec into a summer resort for the emperor, with plentiful hunting and fishing around a fortified palace. Several Aztec rulers had their portraits carved into the rock of the hill, though most of these images were destroyed by the Spaniards soon after the Conquest.
ESSENTIALS: BOSQUE DE CHAPULTEPEC
OPENING HOURS
Chapultepec is a big place with a lot to do. You could easily spend a couple of days here and still not see everything, but if you are selective you can cover the best of it in one tiring day. It can be tempting to visit on Sun, when some of the museums are free, and the park is at its vibrant best. However, if you want to be able to move freely it’s worth coming during the week.
The Primera Sección The Primera Sección and its museums are only open during the daytime, and are closed on Mon. The Museo de Arte Moderno and Rufino Tamayo museums are free on Sun; the Museo Nacional de Antropología used to be, but no longer is. The entrances to these museums are grouped together along Paseo de la Reforma, less than a 15min walk from Chapultepec Metro station, but you may prefer to catch a pesero (“Auditorio”, “Reforma km 13” and others) along Reforma.
The Segunda and Tercera Secciónes These secciónes – though not the attractions inside them – are open all the time.
ACCESS
How you approach the Bosque depends on what you want to see first.
The Primera Sección The easiest access to the First Section of the park is via the Metro Chapultepec station, from where you follow the crowds over a bridge across the Circuito Interior (inner ring road). Straight ahead you’ll see the Niños Héroes monument and the castle containing the Museo Nacional de Historia. What you may be more interested in taking in along with Section One are the Museo Nacional de Antropología, the Museo de Arte Moderno and the Museo Rufino Tamayo, all officially outside of the Primera Sección yet still surrounded by parkland. You’re unlikley, however, to fit all of these into one day.
The Segunda Sección Visitors with kids may want to head straight for the Second Section, either picking up a pesero along Constituyentes (routes 2, 24 and others) from Metro Chapultepec, or going direct to Metro Constituyentes and walking from there.
Primera Sección and around
Tues–Sun: summer 5am–6pm; winter 5am–7pm • Free • Metro Chapultepec
The First Section of the park is dominated by Chapultepec Hill, crowned by Emperor Maximilian’s very peaceful-looking “castle”. Also in the First Section is the zoo and the nearby boating lake, All week, but especially on Sundays, the area around these attractions is full of vendors selling souvenirs, snacks and sweets.
Monumento a los Niños Héroes
Directly opposite the park’s main entrance, coming in from Chapultepec metro station
This strange, six-columned monument is dedicated to the Niños Héroes: cadets who attempted to defend the castle (then a military academy) against American invaders in 1847. According to the story, probably apocryphal, the last six flung themselves off the cliff wrapped in Mexican flags rather than surrender.
Museo de Caracol
Near the top of Chapultepec Hill • Tues–Sun 9am–4.15pm • M$39, free Sun
The modern Museo de Caracol is devoted to “the Mexican people’s struggle for Liberty”. Its full name is the Museo Galería de la Lucha del Pueblo Mexicano por su Libertad, but it’s colloquially known as the “shell museum” for the snail-like spiralling route through the displays. These trace the history of the constant wars that have beset the country – from Independence, through the American and French interventions to the Revolution.
Museo Nacional de Historia
At the top of Chapultepec Hill • Tues–Sun 9am–5pm •
M$51, free Sun • mnh.inah.gob.mx • Land trains from the bottom of the hill run
every 15min, costing M$13 for the round trip
The castle which today houses the Museo Nacional de Historia was built in 1785 as a summer retreat for the Spanish viceroy. Until then it had been the site of a hermitage established on the departure of the Aztec rulers. Following Independence it served as a military school, but the present design was dictated by Emperor Maximilian, who remodelled it in the image of his Italian villa.
The setting is very much part of the attraction, with many rooms retaining the opulent furnishings left behind by Maximilian and Carlota, or by later inhabitants with equally expensive tastes, notably Porfirio Díaz. Rivalling the decor is a small group of carriages, including the fabulously pompous Cinderella-goes-to-the-ball state coaches favoured by Maximilian. A collection of furniture, glassware and medals leads on to the main attraction of the lower floor, a series of ornate rooms viewed from a black-and-white tiled terrace that affords great views over the park and city. Peer into Maximilian’s office, games room and drawing room, all gilt and dark wood, then move on to Carlota’s bedroom and a gorgeous tiled bathroom.
There are several murals here as well, including a number of works by Orozco and Siqueiros, but the ones by Juan O’Gorman most directly attract attention for their single-minded political message.
Lago Chapultepec
On the south side of Reforma, opposite the Museo de Antropología • Boat rental M$60–100/hr for 1–5 people, depending on the size of the boat
If you like messing about in boats, you’ll probably enjoy Lago Chapultepec, a boating lake where you can rent vessels of various sizes and while away a leisurely afternoon. A smaller lake, just across the path from the Monument to the Niños Héroes, is used for radio-controlled boats.
Parque Zoológico de Chapultepec
At the western side of Lago Chapultepec • Tues–Sun
9am–4.30pm • Free • sedema.df.gob.mx/zoo_chapultepec
The Parque Zoológico de Chapultepec occupies a large area in the centre of the park and is divided up into climatic zones (desert, tropical, temperate forests, etc), some of which work better than others. Enclosures are mostly open air and tolerably large, though the animals still look bored and confined, and you wonder about their sanity on a Sunday afternoon when half of Mexico City’s children seem to be vying for their attention. Probably the most satisfying sections are the most archetypally Mexican: the desert zone, and the enclosure of xoloitzcuintles, the hairless dogs that represent the last surviving of four pre-Columbian breeds.
All the big beasts make an appearance, too: tigers, bears, lions, bison, camels, giraffes, hippos, elephants and the ever-popular giant pandas. The zoo is inordinately proud of these, evidenced by the posters around town that advertise new baby bears when they are born – in fact, this was the first place in the world to breed giant pandas in captivity.
Los Pinos and around
The street which heads south from Metro Auditorio, Calzada Chivatito, changes its name about halfway to Molino del Rey, after the major battle fought here during the Mexican–American War. Near its southern end is Los Pinos, the president’s official residence, which is strictly off-limits. A couple of footbridges lead across the periférico (Blv López Mateos) to the park’s Second Section.
Casa Luis Barragán
Francisco Ramírez 14 • Appointment only Mon–Fri
10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 3pm & 4pm, Sat 10.30am & 12.30pm •
M$150 • 55 5515 4908, casaluisbarragan.org
• Metro Constituyentes
Outside the park limits, south of Avenida Constituyentes, the Casa Luis Barragán is a 1948 modernist house designed by Mexican architect Luis Barragán, all whitewash and right angles. Nowadays, it’s used for modern art exhibitions.
< Back to Bosque de Chapultepec
Museo Nacional de Antropología
Tues–Sun 9am–7pm • M$64, video M$45 • mna.inah.gob.mx
The park’s outstanding attraction – for many people the main justification for visiting the city at all – is the Museo Nacional de Antropología, one of the world’s great museums, not only for its collection, which is vast, rich and diverse, but also for the originality and practicality of its design. Opened in 1964, the exhibition halls surround a patio with a small pond and a vast, square concrete umbrella supported by a single slender pillar around which splashes an artificial cascade. The halls are ringed by gardens, many of which contain outdoor exhibits.
The entrance from Reforma is marked by a colossal statue of the rain god Tlaloc – the story goes that its move here from its original home in the east of the city was accompanied by furious downpours in the midst of a drought. Just east of the museum is a large open plaza, at one end of which is a small clearing pierced by a 20m pole from which voladores “fly”. This Totonac ceremony is performed several times a day, and loses a lot of its appeal through its commercial nature – an assistant canvasses the crowd for donations as they perform – but it is still an impressive spectacle.
NAVIGATING THE MUSEO NACIONAL DE ANTROPOLOGÍA
The museum’s rooms, each devoted to a separate period or culture, are arranged chronologically in an anticlockwise pattern around the central courtyard. As you come into the entrance hall there’s a small circular space with temporary exhibitions, usually very interesting and devoted to the latest developments in archeology; here too is the small Sala de Orientación, which presents an audio-visual overview of the major ancient cultures. Off to the left you’ll find the library and a shop selling postcards, souvenirs, books in several languages on Mexican culture, archeology and history, and guidebooks (two sizes, in Spanish, English, French or German; M$78 and M$299), which provide photographs and descriptions of most of the important pieces. The ticket office, and the entrance to the museum proper, is by the huge glass doors to the right, where you can also rent headsets, which effectively take you on a tour of the museum’s highlights in Spanish, English or French for M$75 (and you have to deposit a piece of ID as security); they’re very cursory, but you do get around the whole museum with some form of explanation. Labelling of individual items is mostly in Spanish, though the general introduction to each room is accompanied by an English translation.
THE COLLECTION
A complete tour of the museum starts on the right-hand side with three introductory rooms giving an overview of indigenous culture, an introduction to anthropology and a history of the peopling of the Americas. These rooms are followed on the right-hand side by halls devoted to the Pre-Classic, Teotihuacán and Toltec cultures. At the far end is the vast Mexica (Aztec) room, followed around the left wing by Oaxaca (Mixtec and Zapotec), Gulf of Mexico (Olmec), Maya and the cultures of the north and west. Every hall has at least one outstanding feature, but if you have limited time, the Aztec and the Maya rooms are the highlights; what else you see might depend on what area of the country you plan to head on to. The upper floor is given over to ethnography collections, which are devoted to the life and culture of the various indigenous groups today; stairs lead up from each side. Downstairs, behind the hall given over to the cultures of the north and west, is a very welcome restaurant.
Pre-Classic
The Pre-Classic room covers the development of the first cultures in the Valley of México and surrounding highlands – pottery and clay figurines from these early agricultural communities predominate. Notice especially the small female figures dated 1700–1300 BC from Tlatilco (a site in the suburbs), which are probably related to some form of fertility or harvest rites. The influence of the growing Olmec culture begins to be seen in later artefacts, including the amazing acrobat vase, also from Tlatilco. With the development of more formal religion, recognizable images of gods also appear: several of these, from Cuicuilco in the south of the city, depict Huehueteotl, the old god or god of fire, as an old man with flames on his back.
Teotihuacán
The next hall is devoted to Teotihuacán, the first great city in the Valley of México. A growing sophistication is immediately apparent in the more elaborate nature of the pottery vessels and the use of new materials, shells, stone and jewels. There’s a full-scale reproduction of part of the Temple of Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacán, brightly polychromatic as it would originally have been. It contains the remains of nine sacrificial victims dressed as warriors, complete with their funerary necklaces: a relatively recent confirmation of human sacrifice and militarism at Teotihuacán. Nearby is a reconstruction of the inside courtyard and central temple of an apartment complex bedecked in vibrant murals representing ritual life in the city, including El Paraíso de Tlaloc, a depiction of the heaven reserved for warriors and ball-players who died in action.
Toltec
The Toltec room begins with reproductions of vibrant red and blue murals from Cacaxtla near Tlaxcala and then objects from Xochicalco, a city near modern Cuernavaca, which flourished between the fall of Teotihuacán and the heyday of Tula. The large stone carvings and pottery show a distinct Maya influence: particularly lovely is the stylized stone head of a macaw, similar to ones found on Maya ball-courts in Honduras. Highlights of the section devoted to Tula are the weighty stone carvings, including one of the Atlantean columns from the main temple there, representing a warrior. Also of note are the Chac-mool, a reclining figure with a receptacle on his stomach in which sacrificial offerings were placed, and high up, above a large frieze, the standard bearer, a small human figure that acted as a flagpole when a standard was inserted into the hole between its clasped hands. Overlooking some human remains, there’s an exquisite little mother-of-pearl-encrusted sculpture of a coyote’s head with teeth made of bone and a bearded man (possibly a warrior in a headdress) emerging from its mouth.
Mexica (Aztec)
Next comes the biggest and richest room of all, the Mexica Gallery, characterized by massive yet intricate stone sculpture, but also displaying pottery, small stone objects, even wooden musical instruments. Facing you as you enter is the Ocelotl-Cuauhxicalli, a jaguar with a hollow in its back in which the hearts of human sacrifices were placed (it may have been the companion of the eagle in the Templo Mayor museum; the two were found very close to each other, though over eighty years apart). Among the hundreds of other powerful pieces – most of the vast Aztec pantheon is represented – snakes, eagles and human hearts and skulls are prominent. Among the statues is a vast image of Coatlicue, goddess of the earth, life and death, and mother of the gods. She is shown with two serpents above her shoulders, representing the flow of blood; her necklace of hands and hearts and pendant of a skull represent life and death respectively; her dress is made of snakes; her feet are eagles’ claws. As a counterpoint to the viciousness of most of this, be sure to notice Xochipilli, the god of love, flowers, dance and poetry. You’ll come across him, wearing a mask and sitting cross-legged on a throne strewn with flowers and butterflies, in the section to the left of the entrance as you come in. Also impressive is a reconstructed version of Moctezuma’s headdress, resplendent in bright blue quetzal feathers, and a gold bar lost by one of Cortés’ troops during their attempted escape on “Noche Triste”.
Piedra del Sol
The room’s undoubted highlight, directly opposite the entrance, is the enormous 24-tonne Piedra del Sol, the Stone of the Sun or Aztec Calendar Stone. The latter, popular name is not strictly accurate, for this is much more a vision of the Aztec cosmos, completed under Moctezuma only a few years before the Spanish arrived. The stone was found by early colonists, and deliberately reburied for fear that it would spread unrest among the population. After being dug up again in the Zócalo in 1790, it spent years propped up against the walls of the cathedral. In the centre is the sun god and personification of the fifth sun, Tonatiuh, with a tongue in the form of a sacrificial knife and claws holding human hearts on each side, representing the need for human sacrifice to nourish the sun; around him are symbols for the four previous incarnations of the sun – a jaguar, wind, water and fiery rain; this whole central conglomeration forms the sign for the date on which the fifth world would end (as indeed, with the Spanish Conquest, it fairly accurately did). Encircling all this are hieroglyphs representing the twenty days of the Aztec month and other symbols of cosmic importance, and the whole thing is surrounded by two serpents.
Oaxaca
Moving round to the third side of the museum, you reach the halls devoted to cultures based away from the highlands, starting, in the corner of the museum, with the Zapotec and Mixtec people of Oaxaca. Although the two cultures evolved side by side, the Zapotecs flourished earlier (from around 900 BC to 800 AD) as accomplished architects with an advanced scientific knowledge, and also as makers of magnificent pottery with a pronounced Olmec influence. From around 800 AD many of their sites were taken over by the Mixtecs, whose overriding talents were as craftsmen and artists, working in metal, precious stone and clay. The best site in the country for both these cultures is Monte Albán.
The Zapotec collection demonstrates a fine sense of movement in the human figures: a reproduction of part of the carved facade of the Temple of the Dancers at Monte Albán; a model of a temple with a parrot sitting in it (in the “Monte Albán II” section); vases and urns in the form of various gods; and a superb jade mask representing the bat god Piquete Ziña.
Gulf of Mexico
Next is the Gulf of Mexico room, in which are displayed some of the treasures of Olmec art as well as objects produced in this region during the Classic period. The Olmec civilization is considered the mother culture of Mexico for its advanced development as early as 1500 BC, which provided much of the basis for the later Teotihuacán and Maya cultures. Olmec figures are delightful, but have many puzzling aspects, in particular their apparently African features, nowhere better displayed than in some of the famed colossal heads dating from 1200–200 BC, long before Africa is supposed to have had any connection with the Americas. Many of the smaller pieces show evidence of deliberate deformation of the skull and teeth. The statue known as “the wrestler” (though labelled in Spanish only as “hombre barbado”), with arms akimbo as if at the point of starting a bout, and the many tiny objects in jade and other polished stones are all outstanding. The later cultures are substantially represented, with fine figures and excellent pottery above all. The two most celebrated pieces are a statue of Huehueteotl (though labelled only as a “dios viejo”) looking thoroughly grouchy with a brazier perched on his head, and the so-called Huastec Adolescent, a young Huastec Indian priest of Quetzalcoatl (perhaps the god himself) with an elaborately decorated naked body and a child on his back.
Maya
The hall devoted to the Maya is the most varied, reflecting the longest-lived and widest-spread of the Mesoamerican cultures. In some ways it’s a disappointment, since their greatest achievements were in architecture and in the decoration of their temples – many of which, unlike those of the Aztecs, are still standing – so that the objects here seem relatively unimpressive. Nevertheless, there are reproductions of several buildings, or parts of them, friezes and columns taken from them and extensive collections of jewellery, pottery and minor sculpture. Steps lead down into a section devoted to burial practices, including a reproduction of the Royal Tomb at Palenque with many of the objects found there – notably the prince’s jade death mask.
Temple of Paintings
Outside, a trio of small temples from relatively obscure sites is reproduced, the Temple of Paintings from Bonampak among them. The three rooms of the temple are entirely covered in frescoes representing the coronation of a new prince, a great battle and the subsequent punishments and celebrations. They are much easier to visit than the originals and in far better condition.
Northern and western societies
As a finale to the archeological collections on the ground floor, there’s a large room devoted to the north and the west of the country. Northern societies on the whole developed few large centres, remaining isolated nomadic or agricultural communities. The small quantities of pottery, weapons and jewellery that have survived show a close affinity with native peoples of the southwestern USA. The west was far more developed, but it, too, has left relatively few traces, and many of the best examples of Tarascan culture remain in Guadalajara. Among the highlights here are some delightful small human and animal figurines in stone and clay, a Tarascan Chac-mool, a jade mask of Malinaltepec inlaid with a turquoise and red-shell mosaic, and a two-storey reconstruction of the houses at Paquimé in the Chihuahua desert.
The Ethnography Section
The Ethnography Section is on the upper floor. You must cross the courtyard back towards the beginning of the museum before climbing the stairs – otherwise you’ll go round in reverse order. The rooms relate as closely as possible to those below them, showing the lifestyle of surviving indigenous groups today through photographs, models, maps and examples of local crafts. Regional dress and reproductions of various types of huts and cabins form a major part of this inevitably rather sanitized look at the poorest (and most oppressed) people in Mexico, and there are also objects relating to their more important cults and ceremonies.
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Museo de Arte Moderno
Paseo de la Reforma, some 300m east of the Museo Nacional de Antropología • Tues–Sun 10.15am–5.30pm • M$25, free Sun
The Museo de Arte Moderno consists of two low circular buildings dedicated to twentieth-century Mexican and Latin American art. The majority of the galleries, along with a separate gallery reached through the sculpture garden, are devoted to temporary and touring exhibitions, which are usually well worth inspection.
Permanent collection
The permanent collection is exhibited only in Sala D, which does not hold all of it, so the works are rotated regularly. Among them, all the major Mexican artists of the twentieth century are represented. Of works by Siqueiros, the most powerful is Madre Campesina, in which a peasant woman carries her child barefoot through an unforgiving desert of cacti. Diego Rivera’s portrait of his second wife, Lupe Marín, was painted in 1938, long after their divorce. The eponymous fruit-seller in Olga Costa’s Vendedora de Frutas is surrounded by bananas, sugar cane, watermelons, pumpkins, pawpaws, soursops and mameyes, all painted in vibrant reds and yellows – about as Mexican a subject as you could want.
Las Dos Fridas
The museum’s star attraction must be Frida Kahlo’s Las Dos Fridas, which stands out even among the museum’s fine representative selection of haunting and disturbing canvases by Kahlo. One of her earliest full-scale paintings, it depicts her on the left in a white traditional dress, her heart torn and wounded, and her hand being held by a stronger Frida on the right, dressed in modern clothes and holding a locket with a picture of her husband Diego Rivera as a boy. As the works are rotated, not all of these will necessarily be on display at any one time.
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Museo Rufino Tamayo
Paseo de la Reforma • Tues–Sun 10am–6pm • M$25, free Sun •
museotamayo.org
Hidden among trees across the street from the Museum of Modern Art is the Museo Rufino Tamayo, another fine collection of modern art – this one with an international focus. The modernist structure was built by the artist Rufino Tamayo, whose work in murals and on smaller projects was far more abstract and less political than the Big Three, though he was their approximate contemporary and enjoys a reasonable amount of international fame. There is much of his own work here, and exhibits of his techniques and theories, but also a fairly impressive collection of European and American twentieth-century art – most of it from Tamayo’s private collection. Artists represented may include Picasso, Miró, Magritte, Francis Bacon and Henry Moore, though not all of these are on permanent display. First-rate contemporary international exhibits usually find their way here and sometimes take over the space of parts of the permanent collection.
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Segunda and Tercera secciónes and around
Over the years, new sections of parkland have been added to the west of the original Bosque de Chapultepec. These are occasionally still referred to as the Nuevo Bosque de Chapultepec, but are more commonly known as the Segunda Sección and Tercera Sección. With very few places to cross the periférico, it is difficult to reach the newer parts of the park from the old. It is far better to make a separate visit to these sections, especially if you’ve got kids.
Segunda Sección
There are few compelling reasons to visit either section for adults, though the Second Section is an enjoyable area to stroll about, and a good deal quieter than the main section of the park. Approaching the Second Section from Metro Constituyentes, follow Avenida Constituyentes west for a few metres and then cross it on a footbridge.
Mexico en Miniatura
Just inside the Segunda Sección’s main entrance on Constituyentes • Daily 10am–5pm • M$10
All that’s now left of the rather tacky Mexico Magic fun park is Mexico en Miniatura, a collection of 150 models of “the most emblematic monuments of the republic” created by artist Pedro Ramírez Vásquez. Sights represented here include all the famous pre-Hispanic ruins, plus colonial and modern attractions from around the country, including Mexico City’s Zócalo, the Palacio de Bellas Artes and archeological sites from Teotihuacán to Chitchén Itzá.
Papalote Museo del Niño
Constituyentes 268 • Mon–Wed & Fri 9am–6pm,
Thurs 9am–11pm, Sat & Sun 10am–7pm • Museum M$120; cinema M$99;
museum and cinema combination ticket M$175; music-and-visuals dome
M$99; museum and music-and-visuals dome combination ticket M$175;
museum, cinema and music-and-visuals dome combination ticket M$189 •
papalote.org.mx
If you turn right after coming in through the Segunda Sección’s main entrance on Constituyentes, you’ll come to the Papalote Museo del Niño, a kind of cross between an adventure playground and a science experiment, with loads of fascinating hands-on experiments, plus an IMAX cinema and a music-and-visuals dome. Adults may feel as if they have entered some sort of psychotic kindergarten, but if you have kids, it will keep them entertained.
La Feria
Tues–Sun 10am–8pm • Entry packages M$90–190; all packages include some but not all rides
La Feria is the city’s premier fun park. Here you’ll find assorted rides and sideshows, easily the best of which is the old-fashioned wooden roller coaster (montaña rusa). For adrenaline-fiends, there’s also a newer and more exciting roller coaster, right by the entrance. The cheaper entry packages mostly include children’s rides (with 1.40m height restrictions), but fewer adult ones.
Museo de Historia Natural and Cárcomo de Dolores
Tues–Sun 10am–5pm • M$45; free Tues; M$12.50 to bring in a camera
The Museo de Historia Natural consists of ten interconnecting domes filled with displays on nature and conservation, biology and geology, including rundowns on Mexico’s mineral wealth, flora and fauna. Modern and well presented – and with the obligatory dinosaurs – it is again particularly popular with children, but the educational value of the explanations will be lost if you don’t speak Spanish.
The ticket for the Museo de Historia Natural also entitles you to visit the Cárcomo de Dolores, near the Lago Menor lake, a gazebo containing two murals by Diego Rivera: El Agua, Origen de la Vida and El Fuente de Tlaloc.
Panteón Civil de Dolores
On Constituyentes, between the second and third sections of Chapultepec Park • Daily 7am–5pm • Free • Pesero (route #24 to “Panteón Dolores”) from Metro Chapultepec or along Av Constituyentes
The Panteón Civil de Dolores is a huge cemetery, Mexico City’s answer to Père Lachaise or Highgate. Among those buried here are Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and other illustrious Mexicans. There’s an information office at the main gate (closed at weekends) where you can ask for directions to specific graves.
Tercera Sección
The Tercera Sección of Chapultepec Park lies 1km west of the Second Section, beyond the Panteón Civil de Dolores cemetery. It formerly hosted a number of weekend amusement park-type attractions, but those are all now closed, and the space is now used mainly by joggers who live in the surrounding neighbourhoods.
SOUTH OF THE CENTRE
Mexico City spreads itself furthest to the south, where a series of old villages has been swallowed up by the urban sprawl. These harbour some of the most enticing destinations outside the centre, including the colonial suburbs of Coyoacán and San Ángel, the archeological site of Cuicuilco and the canals of Xochimilco.
GETTING TO THE SOUTHERN SUBURBS
It’s not at all difficult to get out to any of the sights outside the city centre on public transport, but getting from one to the other can be tricky if you’re cutting across the main north–south routes. In fact, there is easily enough to see out this way to justify a couple of separate trips, thereby avoiding the slightly complicated matter of traversing the area. And while none of the connections you have to make is impossible, it’s worth taking a few short taxi rides between them, from San Ángel to Coyoacán, for example, or from Coyoacán to Rivera’s Anahuacalli Museum. If you want to see as much as possible in a day or even an afternoon, you might consider hiring a taxi to take you round the lot; if you bargain, this may not be as expensive as it sounds.
To San Ángel and the University City The best approach is along Insurgentes Sur, plied by the Metrobús. There are also plenty of peseros from the bus stands by Metro Chapultepec or Tasqueña for services along the Calzada de Tlalpan and to the southwest of the city, above all to Xochimilco. If you’d rather stick to the Metro, take line 3 to Miguel Ángel de Quevedo, between San Ángel and Coyoacán.
To Coyoacán If you don’t fancy walking from San Ángel, buses head down Altavista by the San Ángel Inn; from the centre, buses leave from Metros Chapultepec, Insurgentes or Cuauhtémoc. In each case look for “Coyoacán” or “Colonia del Valle/Coyoacán”. There’s also a trolleybus which runs in both directions along Lázaro Cárdenas. Metro line 3, too, passes close by, though note that Viveros station is considerably closer to the action than Coyoacán station: from Viveros, walk south on Av Universidad, then turn left (east) to reach the centre. If you’re coming straight from the centre of town down Cuauhtémoc or Lázaro Cárdenas, it makes sense to visit the Kahlo and Trotsky museums first, in which case you’ll want to get off the bus immediately after passing under Av Río Churubusco. The Metro stops are slightly more distant, but a good approach is to take line 2 to General Anaya and walk west past the Museo de las Intervenciones and the Trotsky and Frida Kahlo houses.
Insurgentes
Insurgentes, the most direct approach to the suburbs, is interesting in its own right: leaving behind the Glorieta de Insurgentes (the roundabout at Insurgentes Metro station), it runs almost perfectly straight all the way out to the university, lined the whole way with huge department stores and malls, cinemas, restaurants and office buildings. A little under halfway to San Ángel, you pass on the right the enormous World Trade Center, crowned by Bellini, an expensive revolving restaurant.
Polyforum Siqueiros
Insurgentes Sur 701 (cnr Filadelfia) • Daily 10am–6pm;
sound-and-light show Sat & Sun noon & 2pm • M$15;
sound-and-light show M$30 • 55 5536 4520 to 24, polyforumsiqueiros.com.mx • Metrobús Poliforum
The exterior of the garish Polyforum Siqueiros is plastered in brash paintings by David Siqueiros and some thirty other artists. Inside, it contains what is allegedly the world’s largest mural (about 4500 square metres), painted by Siqueiros alone, entitled La Marcha de la Humanidad en la Tierra y hacia el Cosmos (The March of Humanity on Earth and Towards the Cosmos). For the full impact of the changing perspectives and use of sculptural techniques, try to see the sound-and-light show with taped narration (in Spanish) by Siqueiros. Elsewhere, the building houses visiting art exhibitions and a sizeable display of expensive crafts for sale.
Plaza México and around
Off Insurgentes to the west • Metro San Antonio or Metrobús Ciudad de los Deportes
Plaza México is the largest bullring in the world, with a capacity of 48,000. You can’t actually see it from Insurgentes, but it’s only a ten-minute walk along San Antonio. Hard by is the Estadio Azul, a 65,000-seat football stadium that is Cruz Azul’s home ground.
Teatro de los Insurgentes
Just before San Ángel • Metrobús Teatro Insurgentes
The facade of Teatro de los Insurgentes is covered in a huge mosaic designed by Diego Rivera depicting the history of Mexican theatre, and assorted historical figures. At the top are the insurgents (los Insurgentes) of Mexico’s War of Independence: Hidalgo, Morelos and Benito Juárez on the left, and Zapata on the right.
San Ángel
The upmarket colonial suburb of San Ángel lies 12km southwest of central Mexico City, clustered around the point where Insurgentes Sur and Revolución almost meet, linked by the 200m-long Avenida La Paz. With its markets, ancient mansions and high-priced shops – Cartier, Italian designer furniture and the like – around flower-draped patios, San Ángel is a very exclusive place to live. It also makes an inviting place to visit, packed with little restaurants and cafés where you can sit outside and watch the crowds go by. Whether you choose to visit on Saturday (market day) or one of the quieter days of the week, consider sticking around until evening to blow an appreciable wad of cash on some of the finest dining in the city.
Plaza San Jacinto
San Ángel is especially appealing on Saturdays when the delightful Plaza San Jacinto is taken over by Bazar Sábado, a lively outdoor art market. Initially, the Saturday market was based in one of the mansions on the square, which still opens every weekend selling upmarket crafts and artworks, but nowadays there are stalls in all the surrounding streets, complete with fairground rides.
A WALK FROM SAN ÁNGEL TO COYOACÁN
The most enjoyable way to take in San Ángel and Coyoacán on the same day is to put an hour or so aside and walk between the two. The most pleasant route (see map), through quiet streets past some of the city’s prime real estate, starts at the main junction in the centre of San Ángel where Revolución passes the Museo del Carmen. From here, follow La Paz northeast and cross Insurgentes to reach the Jardín de la Bombilla, a small park centred on a blockish concrete monument to General Alvaro Obregón, who was assassinated here in 1928, soon after being re-elected as president. Revolutionary workers (holding a corn cob, oak leaves, a hammer and a sickle) flank the monument, and you can duck inside to see the bronze statue of Obregón.
On the east side of the park, cross Chimalistac and walk through the tiny Plaza Frederico Gamboa, overlooked by the sixteenth-century Capilla de San Sebastián Martir, with a statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe above the door. When you reach the other side of the square, take a left (you’re now headed north) and cross Miguel Ángel de Quevedo, passing Parque Tagle on your left, then turn right into Arenal. This leads you across Universidad to the Capilla de San Antonio de Padua, a little red chapel sited attractively next to a small stone bridge.
Continue east on the peaceful, cobbled Francisco Sosa, one of the
most beautiful streets in the city, and also one of the oldest. Peer
over the high walls lining the street to catch a glimpse of some
gorgeous residences – the only way to get any closer to these houses
is to visit the Museo Nacional de la
Acuarela, Salvador Novo 88 (daily 10am–6pm; free; acuarela.org.mx), a
small museum inside one. Devoted to watercolour painting, the
collection includes some architectural and graphic art as well. Look
for work by early twentieth-century painter Saturnino Herrán, and
don’t miss the temporary exhibits in a separate gallery reached
through a small sculpture garden.
Ten minutes’ walk further along Francisco Sosa brings you to the Plaza Santa Catarina, a tranquil square overlooked by a mustard-yellow church and with a couple of restaurants. From here it is a short walk to Coyoacán’s Plaza Central, reached through a twin-arched gateway.
If you’re still in a walking mood, you could continue along Avenida Hidalgo to the Museo Nacional de las Intervenciones and General Anaya metro station.
Casa del Risco
Plaza San Jacinto 15 • Tues–Sun 10am–5pm • Free •
isidrofabela.com
• Metrobús Dr Galvez
Plaza San Jacinto is surrounded by San Ángel’s oldest mansions, notably the eighteenth-century Casa del Risco, housing a collection of mostly European antique furniture and paintings put together by twentieth-century diplomat Isidro Fabela. There’s an extraordinary fountain in the central patio made from seashells and old porcelain plates and cups, broken and whole.
Museo del Carmen
On Revolución just south of its junction with La Paz • Tues–Sun 10am–4.45pm • M$46, free Sun • Metrobús Dr Galvez
San Ángel takes its name from the former Carmelite Convent of San Angelo Mártir, which is now run as the Museo del Carmen. Its three brightly coloured, tiled domes preside over this part of town and add the final touch of grace to what is a lovely example of early seventeenth-century architecture. The church is still used but the rest of the convent has become a museum where just walking through the maze of monks’ cells, rooms and courtyards is pleasurable enough, though there’s also an extensive collection of colonial religious paintings and furniture. Just about everyone wants to make their way to the crypt to see the dozen mummies, found here by troops during the Revolution and thought to be eighteenth-century nuns and monks, now displayed behind glass. Elsewhere, check out the extensive displays on daily life in New Spain and a collection of eighteenth-century oils by Cristóbal de Vallalpando.
Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo and the San Ángel Inn
Diego Rivera 2 • Tues–Sun 10am–6pm • M$20, free Sun
From central San Ángel, it’s just over half a kilometre along Altavista to the Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo, a pair of modernist houses built for Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in 1931–32 by the leading contemporary architect, Juan O’Gorman. Tucked behind an organ cactus fence opposite the prestigious San Ángel Inn restaurant sits a small compound with a large maroon-coloured house (Diego’s) and a much smaller blue abode (Frida’s), connected by a rooftop causeway. From 1933 to 1941 they both stayed here, living and working apart yet still near enough to visit each other and for Frida to deliver Diego’s meals. In both buildings the walls are concrete, the floors are wooden and many of the windows go from floor to ceiling – very advanced for the early 1930s and especially for Mexico. Indeed, the whole set-up is in such contrast to the Blue House in Coyoacán that it is hard to imagine that the houses were inhabited by the same people.
Diego’s studio contains some of his painting materials, along with personal items, reproductions of some of his work and some large papier-mâché skeletons. Temporary exhibits take up much of Frida’s house, though there are a couple of fine portraits of her taken by photographer Nikolas Muray, with whom Frida had an affair in the late 1930s, and some of Frida’s own ex voto paintings of her debilitating accident.
Coyoacán
Around 3km east of San Ángel lies COYOACÁN, another colonial township that has been absorbed by the city. Even before the Conquest it was a sizeable place. Originally the capital of a small lakeshore kingdom, it was subjugated by the Aztecs in the mid-fifteenth century. Cortés based himself in Coyoacán during the siege of Tenochtitlán, and continued to live here while the old city was torn down and construction began on the capital of Nueva España. The focus of the area is the spacious Plaza Central, but no visit to Coyoacán is complete without strolling out to the northern reaches of the suburb to the two main sights, the Frida Kahlo and Leon Trotsky museums.
Plaza Central
Coyoacán’s Plaza Central is one of the city’s main stomping grounds for artists, artisans and musicians. It is actually made up of two adjoining plazas – Plaza Hidalgo and the Jardín del Centenario. Bars and cafés ring the plaza, and on the south side of Plaza Hidalgo is the sixteenth-century Church of San Juan. On Sunday, there’s a market in the Plaza Central, and the area is taken up by stalls and various rock, folk and reggae bands. It’s far and away the most fun place in the city to buy your souvenirs (T-shirts make good buys here, some of them hand-painted), though a lot of things can be found cheaper elsewhere.
Palacio Municipal
On the north side of Plaza Hidalgo • Palacio
Municipal daily 9am–8pm; tourist office daily 9am–8pm • 55
5658 0221
The small Palacio Municipal (also known as the Casa de Cortés) is said to have been commissioned by Hernán Cortés himself. Inside the palacio are two murals by pupils of Rivera’s – one by Aurora Reyes depicting the Conquest, and one by Diego Rosales showing the torture of Cuauhtémoc. The latter is particularly apposite since it was in Coyoacán that the Aztec leader was tortured and finally killed. The murals aren’t usually open to the public, but if you ask at the tourist office in the same building they might let you take a peek at Reyes’s mural, in the Sala de Cabildos, a municipal office. The other mural is in the capilla (registry office), which is generally only open if there’s a wedding on – should you stumble upon one you can discreetly put your head round the door for a quick look.
Plaza la Conchita
Southeast of Coyoacán’s main square, Calle Higuera leads down to the small but pretty Plaza la Conchita. On the east side of the plaza, the Capilla de la Concepción still has traces of the original red paint on its facade, and is currently undergoing much-needed restoration work. Overlooking the square from the other side, on the corner with Higuera, the distinctive red Casa de la Malinche at Vallarta 47 (not open to the public) is the house in which Hernán Cortés installed his Maya mistress – and where he allegedly later murdered his wife shortly after her arrival from Spain.
Museo de Culturas Populares and around
Av Hidalgo 289, just off Plaza Hidalgo • Tues–Thurs 10am–6pm, Fri–Sun 10am–8pm • M$11, free Sun
The Museo de Culturas Populares has colourful displays on popular cultural forms, mostly dolls, masks and costumes. Avenida Hidalgo also leads to the Museo Nacional de las Intervenciones – to find it, continue down Avenida Hidalgo for about 300m, and bear left down General Anaya, which leads directly to the museum (crossing División del Norte on the way), a fifteen- to twenty-minute walk.
Museo Frida Kahlo
Londres 247, at Allende • Tues 10am–5.45pm, Wed 11am–5.45pm, Thurs–Sun
10am–5.45pm • Mon–Fri M$120, Sat & Sun M$140; ticket also valid for
Museo Anahuacalli; audio
guide M$35 • museofridakahlo.org.mx • Metro Coyoacán
The Museo Frida Kahlo is just a few minutes’ walk from the centre of Coyoacán. The appropriately named Blue House was the Kahlos’ family home and this is where Frida was born and spent most of her life, sporadically with husband Diego Rivera, who donated the house to the nation shortly after her death. It was during Frida and Diego’s tenure here in the late 1930s that they played host to the newly arrived Leon Trotsky and his wife. Trotsky, ever fearful of assassins, apparently expressed his concern about the ease of access from a neighbouring property, and in a typically expansive gesture Diego simply bought the other house and combined the two. Continually at the centre of the capital’s leftist bohemian life, Diego and Frida hosted a coterie of artists and intellectuals at this house; D.H. Lawrence was a frequent visitor, though he had little political or artistic sympathy with Kahlo, let alone Trotsky.
Galleries
Several rooms have been set aside as galleries. The first features around twenty relatively minor (and less tortured) examples of Frida’s work, from some of her early portraits through to her final work, Viva la Vida, a still life of sliced watermelons. She painted it in 1954, when the pain and trauma of her recent leg amputation had taken their toll on her painterly control, if not her spirit. Look too for a beautiful charcoal self-portrait from 1932 and the more political El Marxismo Dará la Salud a los Enfermos (Marxism Will Give Health to the Sick) from 1954. A room full of Frida’s signature tehuana dresses leads to more paintings, including over a dozen by Rivera, such as Paisaje de la Quebrada, which shows a rock face at Acapulco into which Diego painted his own face in purple. Alongside are several works by Velasco and Orozco, as well as a Klee and a Tanguy.
Interior and artefacts
Other sections of the house faithfully show the artesanía style that Frida favoured. Witness the blue and yellow kitchen with “Diego” and “Frida” picked out in tiny ceramic mugs on the wall. Its extraordinary decoration continues with bizarre papier-mâché animals and figures, and an impressive collection of retablos around the stairway. This leads up to Frida’s airy studio where her wheelchair is artfully set next to an easel and, of course, a mirror. Diego’s influence in the house is seen more through his interest in Mexico’s pre-Hispanic culture. Artefacts are scattered throughout the house and a small collection is displayed in the courtyard on a two-step pyramid he had constructed there.
Museo Casa de León Trotsky
Río Churabasco 410 • Tues–Sun 10am–5pm • M$40, camera M$15 • Metro Coyoacán
Trotsky’s House, or the Museo Casa de León Trotsky, where the genius of the Russian Revolution and organizer of the Red Army lived and worked, is about four blocks away and represents virtually the only memorial to Trotsky anywhere in the world. After Lenin’s death, Trotsky was forced into exile and condemned to death, and as increasing numbers of countries refused him asylum he sought refuge in Mexico in 1937, aided by Diego Rivera (at the time an ardent Trotskyite), who petitioned President Lázaro Cárdenas on his behalf. Here Stalin’s long arm finally caught up with him, despite the house being reinforced with steel gates and shutters, high walls and watchtowers. Today the fortified building seems at first a little incongruous, surrounded by the bourgeois homes of a prosperous suburb, but inside it’s a human place, set up as he left it, if rather dustier: books on the shelves, his glasses smashed on the desk and all the trappings of a fairly comfortable ordinary life – except for the bullet holes.
El Pedregal
Around 2km south of San Ángel, Insurgentes enters the great lava field of El Pedregal, which gets its name from the vast lava flow that spreads south of San Ángel through the University City and beyond. Craggy and dramatic, it was regarded as a completely useless stretch of land, the haunt of bandits and brigands, until the early 1950s, when architect Luis Barragán began to build extraordinarily imaginative houses here, using the uneven lava as a feature. Now it’s filled with an amazing collection of luxury homes, though you’ll unfortunately be able to see little of what is behind the high walls and security fences even if you drive around. El Pedregal is also home to the university campus, the Olympic Stadium (Estadio Olímpico) and Cuicuilco, the oldest pyramid in central Mexico.
GETTING TO EL PEDREGAL
By bus/pesero/Metrobús Getting to the Pedregal area is easy, as it’s reached from San Ángel by just about any bus or pesero heading south along Insurgentes. All stop outside the Olympic Stadium, right opposite the university library, and many (try those marked “Villa Olímpica”, “Cuicuilco” and “Tlalpan”) continue on to the pyramid at Cuicuilco, visible on the left just after you pass under the periférico. Metrobús line 1 also plies the same route.
By metro The university can also be reached on Metro line 3, but note that Copilco is the most convenient station, Universidad much less so as it brings you out at the back of the campus, from where you have to walk all the way through – past the frontón courts and medical faculty – to reach the library.
University City
To the east of Insurgentes is the University City (Ciudad Universitaria). After over fifty years of use, the campus is beginning to show its age, and while it’s no longer the avant-garde sensation it was when it opened, it remains a remarkable architectural achievement. The whole thing was built in just five years (1950–55) during the presidency of Miguel Alemán, and is now one of the largest universities in the world, with some three hundred thousand students and staff. It’s also the oldest on the American continent: granted a charter by Philip II in 1551, the University of Mexico occupied a succession of sites in the city centre (including the Hospital de Jesús Nazareno and what is now the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria), was closed down several times in the nineteenth century and was finally awarded its status as the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in 1929.
FRIDA KAHLO
Since the 1970s, Frida Kahlo (1907–54) has been considered Mexico’s most internationally renowned artist, outshining even her husband, Diego Rivera, who recognized her as “the first woman in the history of art to treat, with absolute and uncompromising honesty, one might even say with impassive cruelty, those general and specific themes which exclusively affect women”. Julie Taymor’s 2002 biopic Frida, starring Salma Hayek, further consolidated her role as a feminist icon. Her work is deeply personal, centred on her insecurities and her relations with her family, her country and her politics. “I paint myself,” she said, “because I am so often alone, and because I am the subject I know best.” Her relatively short painting career was never prolific and the largest collection of her work is at the Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño.
EARLY LIFE
The daughter of a mestizo Mexican mother and Hungarian Jewish father, Frida was born in the Blue House in Coyoacán (now the Museo Frida Kahlo). When she was 6, she battled a bout of polio that left her right leg withered. She rebounded and, as a precocious 14-year-old at Mexico City’s top school, first met Diego Rivera (twenty years her senior) who was painting a mural there. She shocked her friends by declaring that she wished to conceive his child “just as soon as I convince him to cooperate”, but they didn’t meet again for many years.
MARRIAGE TO RIVERA
At 18, and already breaking free of the roles then ordained for women in Mexico, Frida had begun to pursue a career in medicine when she suffered a gruesome accident. The bus she was riding in was struck by a tram, leaving her with multiple fractures and a pelvis skewered by a steel handrail. It was during the months she spent bedridden, recovering, that she first took up a paintbrush. Later in life, she reflected “I had two accidents in my life. One was the bus, the other Diego.” After her recovery she fell in with a left-leaning bunch of artists, free-thinkers and Communists where she again met Rivera. Within a year they were married: she a striking, slender woman of 21; he a massively overweight man twice her age with a frog-like face and an unparalleled reputation for womanizing. Diego went about his affairs quite publicly (including briefly with Frida’s sister, Cristina). He was furious when Frida took up with other men, but her several affairs with women seemed to delight him. After her death he wrote, “Too late now, I realized that the most wonderful part of my life had been my love for Frida.”
ARTISTIC CAREER
Encouraged by Diego, Frida pursued her painting career. Over half of her canvases are self-portraits: imbued with sophisticated personal symbolism, with themes of abortion, broken bones and betrayed love explored through the body set in an unlikely juxtaposition of elements.
In 1932 Frida miscarried and was hospitalized in Detroit where she painted Henry Ford Hospital. This disturbing depiction of her grief shows her naked body lying on a bed in an industrial wasteland, surrounded by a foetus, pelvic bones and surgical implements all umbilically tied back to her. After returning to Mexico, her circle of friends expanded to include Trotsky (with whom she had a brief affair), Cuban Communist Julio Antonio Mella and muralist David Siqueiros (later implicated in an attempt to kill Trotsky). By now Frida and Diego were living in paired houses in San Ángel, which allowed them to maintain relatively separate lives. In 1939 they divorced, a devastating event Frida recorded in Autoretrato con el Pelo Cortado (Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair), in which her trademark long tresses and indigenous tehuana dresses (both much loved by Diego) are replaced by Diego’s oversized suit and cropped hair. They remarried a year later, with Frida insisting on financial independence and a celibate relationship.
The injuries from her accident dogged her throughout her life, and as her physical condition worsened she found solace in her work (as well as in drink and painkilling drugs), painting La Columna Rota (The Broken Column) in 1944, with her crushed spine depicted as an Ionic column. Despite increasing commercial and critical success, Frida had only one solo exhibition of her work during her lifetime, in Mexico City just a year before she died. In her later years she was wheelchair-bound, but continued the political activism she had always pursued, and died after defying medical advice and taking part in a demonstration against American intervention in Guatemala while she was convalescing from pneumonia in July 1954. By this stage, she knew she was dying; defiantly, on her last work, she daubed the words “Viva la Vida” – “Long Live Life”.
The Library
Ciudad Universitaria • Daily 8.30am–9.30pm • Metro Copilco (south down Cerro del Agua from the station, bearing right after the campus entrance gate, and it’s over to the left after 500m)
The campus is dominated by the astonishing, rectangular twelve-storey university library, each face of which is covered in a mosaic designed by Juan O’Gorman – mostly natural stone with a few tiles or glass to supply colours that would otherwise have been unavailable. Representing the artist’s vision of the country’s progression through history, the focus of the larger north and south faces is on pre-Hispanic and colonial Mexico; on the west wall are the present and the university coat of arms; on the east, the future is ranged around a giant atom. It’s remarkable how these have been incorporated as an essential feature of the building – at first it appears that there are no windows at all, but look closely and you’ll see that in fact they’re an integral part of the design, appearing as eyes, mouths or as windows of the buildings in the mosaic.
The rest of the campus
More or less opposite the library are the long, low administration buildings (rectoría), with a giant mural in high relief by Siqueiros (or a “sculptural painting”, as he called it), intended to provide a changing perspective as you walk past. At the front of the rectoría are the university theatre and the Museo Universitario de Ciencias y Artes (MUCA; Mon–Sat 10am–6pm; free), the latter a wide-ranging general collection, with interactive scientific exhibits, plus displays on contemporary art and culture. Behind them spread out the enormous grounds of the main campus, starting with a large esplanade known as the Plaza Mayor, with sculptural groups dotted around a shallow artificial pond. Towards the back of the rectoría are more murals, adorning the Faculties of Science and Medicine; continue past these to reach another grassy area with the Botanical Gardens and several large walls against which the students play frontón.
THE ASSASSINATION OF TROTSKY
The first attempt on Trotsky’s life, in his house at Coyoacán, left more than seventy scars in the plaster of the bedroom walls. At 4am on May 24, 1940, a heavily armed group led by painter David Siqueiros (who had been a commander in the Spanish Civil War and was working under the orders of the Stalinist Mexican Communist Party) overcame the guards and pumped more than two hundred shots into the house. Trotsky, his wife and son survived only by hiding under their beds. After this, the house, already heavily guarded, was further fortified. Unknown to all, though, the eventual assassin had already inveigled his way into the household, posing as a businessman being converted to the cause. Although he was never fully trusted, his arrival at the house on the afternoon of August 20, with an article that he wanted Trotsky to look over, seemed innocuous enough. Trotsky invited him into the study and moments later the notorious ice pick (the blunt end), which had been concealed under the killer’s coat, smashed into Trotsky’s skull. He died some 24 hours later, in the hospital after an operation failed to save his life. The killer, who called himself Frank Jackson and claimed to be Belgian, served twenty years in jail, though he never explained his actions or even confessed to his true identity, Jaime Ramón Mercader del Río.
Estadio Olímpico
Directly across Insurgentes from the university library
The sculptured oval of the one-hundred-thousand-seat Estadio Olímpico was built in 1952. Its main facade is decorated with a mosaic relief by Diego Rivera designed to represent the development of human potential through sport. Most taxi drivers will tell you that the stadium was deliberately designed to look like a giant sombrero, but this, sadly, is not the case; it’s undeniably odd, though, half sunk into the ground as if dropped here from a great height and slightly warped in the process.
Calzada de Tlalpan
Along with Insurgentes, the other main approach to the south is the Calzada de Tlalpan, which runs south from the Zócalo more or less in parallel with Metro line 2 (initially underground, then running down the middle of the road) and subsequently the Tren Ligero, almost all the way to Xochimilco.
The two train lines provide the easiest access to some fine museums – including Diego Rivera’s Anahuacalli and the wonderful Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño. The Tren Ligero passes the giant Estadio Azteca football stadium on its way to the canals of Xochimilco, and Metro line 2 also provides alternative access to the eastern end of Coyoacán.
Museo Nacional de las Intervenciones
20 de Agosto and General Anaya • Tues–Sun 9am–6pm • M$46, free Sun • Metro General Anaya (exit to the west of the Calzada de Tlalpan and 5min walk along 20 de Agosto); for the Trotsky and Frida Kahlo museums, take General Anaya, cross División del Norte and go straight ahead for about 500m, by which time Anaya has merged into Hidalgo; for central Coyoacán, continue straight on (see map); for the Trotsky Museum, take a right down Morelos (not signposted) opposite Hidalgo 62
The Museo Nacional de las Intervenciones occupies the old Franciscan Convento de Churubusco, which owes its present incarnation to the 1847 battle in which the invading Americans, led by General Winfield Scott, defeated a Mexican force under General Anaya – another heroic Mexican effort in which the outnumbered defenders fought to their last bullet.
The building itself is a stunner, especially if you arrive at the darkening of day as the lights are coming on in the gardens. The exhibits, all on the upper floor, may not mean a great deal unless you have a reasonable grasp of Mexican history. They’re labelled only in Spanish – and not very fully at that – and are dedicated to the history of foreign military adventures in Mexico: skeletons in the cupboards of Britain, Spain, France and the US are all rattled loudly. One section is devoted largely to the Mexican–American wars – with a very different perspective from that of the Alamo. Much of what’s on show, however, comprises paintings of generals and flags, and unless you’re a history buff you might better spend your time in the pleasant surrounding gardens. Apart from the Metro, the museum is also accessible by pesero (“Gral Anaya”) from Coyoacán: pick it up by the market at the junction of Allende and Xicoténcatl.
Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli
Museo 150 • Wed–Sun 11am–5pm; guided tours only, every
30min until 4.30pm, except on Fri, when the last is at 4.15pm • M$80 or
free with ticket from Museo Frida
Kahlo • museoanahuacalli.org.mx • Tren Ligero Xotepingo; from the
station, follow the signs to the Calle Museo exit, double back at the
bottom of the steps and take the first left down Museo; after 100m,
cross División del Norte, and it’s about 500m ahead on your right
It’s a ten-minute walk from the Tren Ligero station at Xotepingo to the bizarre Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli, designed and commissioned by Diego Rivera to house his huge collection of pre-Hispanic artefacts. It’s an extraordinary blockish structure, started in 1933 and worked on sporadically until Rivera’s death, then finished off by Juan O’Gorman and opened in 1963. Inspired by Maya and Aztec architecture, this sombre mass of black volcanic stone is approached through a courtyard reminiscent of a Maya ball-court. The exquisite objects in the collection form part of a thoroughly imaginative exhibit: one small chamber contains nothing but a series of Huehueteotls, all squatting grumpily under the weight of their braziers, and the studio has ball-player and animal displays.
The ground floor is devoted to objects from the main cultures of the Valley of México – Teotihuacán, Toltec and Aztec – which provided Rivera with an important part of his inspiration. On the middle floor, rooms devoted to the west of Mexico (arguably the best such collection in the country) surround the huge airy space that Rivera planned to use as a studio. It’s been fitted out with portraits and sketches, including preliminary studies for El Hombre en Control del Universo, his massive mural in the Palacio de Bellas Artes. On the top floor are more Aztec objects, along with pottery and small figures from Oaxaca and the Gulf coast. Up here you can also get out onto the rooftop terrace, from where there are magical views of Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl, both of which seem really close here, their snowy peaks glistening on less smoggy days.
Walking through the dark recesses of the museum, note the ceilings, each with individual mosaic designs, and even the floor of the rooftop terrace, which is inlaid with snake, dog and frog forms, distinct but barely noticeable if you’re not looking for them. As you leave the main museum, you’ll see a low building diagonally to the left, which houses temporary exhibitions and is worth a visit if only to get a sense of the underlying volcanic rock – part of El Pedregal – which was hewn away to provide building materials for the museum.
Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño
Av México 5843 • Tues–Sun 10am–6pm • M$75, free Tues •
museodoloresolmedo.org.mx • Tren Ligero La Noria; from the
station, go straight ahead from the exit and take the first left – the
museum is a 2min walk on your left
Just round the corner from La Noria Tren Ligero station, the Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño sits amid peaceful and beautifully tended grounds where peacocks strut, oblivious of the busy streets outside, and houses the largest private collection of Diego Rivera’s work. It’s built into a seventeenth-century mansion, donated in 1994 by the elderly Dolores Olmedo, a wealthy collector and longtime friend and patron of Rivera’s. Over the years she amassed over 130 of his works, all of which are on display here. They span his career, from his Cubist period in the early twentieth century through self-portraits (exhibiting varying degrees of flattery) to 25 sunsets painted in Acapulco from the balcony of his patron’s house. The collection is immensely varied, making this perhaps the best place to get a true sense of just how versatile a master he was. Look particularly for three large and striking nudes from the early 1940s, and sketches for his famous paintings of calla lilies.
Rivera’s work is reason enough to come here, but the museum also has an outstanding collection of two dozen paintings by Frida Kahlo. With the works arranged in approximate chronological order, it is easy to see her development as an artist, from the Riveraesque approach of early works such as 1929’s The Bus, to her infinitely more powerful self-portraits. Many of her finest works are here, including Henry Ford Hospital, A Few Small Pricks, La Columna Rota and Autorretrato con Mono (Self-Portrait with Monkey), the latter featuring Mexico’s most distinctive canine breed, the grey-skinned Xoloitzcuintle, of which Kahlo kept several as pets. To see these hairless pre-Columbian dogs in the flesh, wander out into the garden where a few are still kept. There’s also a portrait of Kahlo by Rivera elsewhere in the museum, in a pastiche of her own style.
Though easily overshadowed by the Rivera and Kahlo pieces, there is also a worthwhile collection of wood-block prints done by Angelina Beloff, Diego’s first wife, featuring scenes from Mexico and her native Russia.
Xochimilco
Tren Ligero Xochimilco
The floating gardens adjoining the suburb of Xochimilco offer an intense carnival atmosphere every weekend and are likely to be one of your most memorable experiences of the city. Considerable effort has been expended in recent years to clean up the canals and maintain the water levels that had been dropping here, so Xochimilco (“place of the flower fields” in Náhuatl) looks set to remain the most popular Sunday outing for thousands of Mexicans. It’s also the one place where you get some feel for the ancient city and its waterborne commerce, thriving markets and dazzling colour – or at least an idealized view of it. Rent any of the colourful boats and you’ll be ferried around many kilometres of canals, continually harangued by women selling flowers, fruit and hot food from tiny canoes, or even by larger vessels bearing marimba players and entire mariachi bands who, for a small fee, will grapple alongside you and blast out a couple of numbers. The floating gardens themselves are no more floating than the Titanic: following the old Aztec methods of making the lake fertile, these chinampas are formed by a raft of mud and reeds, firmly rooted to the bottom by the plants. The scene now appears like a series of canals cut through dry land, but the area is still a very important gardening and flower-producing centre for the city. If you wander the streets of Xochimilco town you’ll find garden centres everywhere, with wonderful flowers and fruit in the market that enlivens the town centre for much of Saturday (though whether it’s healthy to eat food raised on these dirty waters is open to question).
Off the huge central plaza is the lovely sixteenth-century church of San Bernardino, full on Sundays with a succession of people paying homage and leaving offerings at one of its many chapels; in the plaza itself there are usually bands playing or mime artists entertaining the crowds.
ESSENTIALS: XOCHIMILCO
GETTING THERE
For the easiest approach to Xochimilco, take the Metro to Tasqueña station (line 2) and the Tren Ligero (light rail, identifiable by a separate icon) from there to Xochimilco (end of the line); there are also buses and peseros from Tasqueña as well as buses direct from the city centre, down Insurgentes and around the periférico or straight down the Calzada de Tlalpan. On Sun many extra services are laid on. To get a boat, go straight ahead from the Tren Ligero station exit and follow the “embarcaderos” signs (about a 10min walk).
BOAT HIRE
CostLanchas (launches) currently cost M$350 for up to twenty people – the official price should be posted up at the embarcadero (dock), and it’s probably best to avoid embarcaderos where it isn’t. There’s a long tradition of milking tourists here, so be certain of what you’ve agreed on before parting with any money. Remember that there are likely to be sundry extras, including the cold beers thoughtfully provided by the boatman, and any flowers, food or music you find yourself accepting on your way.
Trips You’ll be encouraged to go for two hours, but try to avoid paying upfront or you’re likely to get only an hour and a half, which will include a visit to the garden centre of their choice. The boatman won’t like it, but you can always take your business elsewhere. Also, be clear which boat you are getting or you are liable to be shuffled to an inferior and less attractive model.
When to go You can rent a boat on any weekday for a little less-crowded cruising, but Sun is by far the most popular and animated day; Sat is lively, too, partly because of the produce market.
NORTH OF THE CENTRE
Compared to the southern suburbs, the area north of the city centre has less to offer, but two sites of compelling interest – the emotive Plaza de las Tres Culturas and the great Basílica de Guadalupe – are worth an afternoon of your attention. Further out, and harder to get to, you’ll find the pyramids of Tenayuca and Santa Cecilia Acatitlán, the city’s two most dramatically preserved remains of Aztec architecture (though strictly speaking outside of the Distrito Federal).
Plaza de las Tres Culturas
Eje Central trolleybus (get off at Flores Magón), or Metro Garibaldi (cross Reforma then 400m north up Lázaro Cárdenas), or take a northbound bus or pesero along Reforma Norte to Glorieta Cuitlahuac
The Plaza de las Tres Culturas is the site of the ancient city of Tlatelolco, located to the north of Tenochtitlán. Today, a lovely colonial church rises in the midst of the city’s excavated ruins, exemplifying the second of the three cultures from which the plaza takes its name. The modern buildings that surround it – mostly a rather ugly 1960s housing project but including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – represent the third culture. The area’s most striking modern building, 1km west of the plaza at the junction of Flores Magón with Insurgentes Norte, is the triangular Torre Insignia, which dates from 1962.
The ruins of Tlatelolco
Daily 8am–6pm; guided tours Mon–Fri 9am–2pm, in
English by arrangement in advance • Free • 55 5583 0295
The ancient ruins of Tlatelolco were once the core of a city considerably more ancient than Tenochtitlán, based on a separate but nearby island in the lake. For a long time, its people existed under independent rule in close alliance with the Aztecs of Tenochtitlán, but it was by far the most important commercial and market centre in the valley; even after its annexation to the Aztec empire in 1473, Tlatelolco retained this role. When Cortés and his troops arrived, they marvelled at the size and order of the Tlatelolco market. Cortés himself estimated that some sixty thousand people – buyers and sellers – came and went each day, and Bernal Díaz wrote:
We were astounded at the great number of people and the quantities of merchandise, and at the orderliness and good arrangements that prevailed…every kind of goods was kept separate and had its fixed place marked for it…Some of the soldiers among us who had been in many parts of the world, in Constantinople, in Rome, and all over Italy, said that they had never seen a market so well laid out, so large, so orderly, and so full of people.
In 1521 the besieged Aztecs made their final stand here, and a plaque in the middle of the plaza recalls that struggle: “On the 13th of August 1521”, it reads, “defended by the heroic Cuauhtémoc, Tlatelolco fell under the power of Hernan Cortés. It was neither a triumph nor a defeat, but the painful birth of the mixed race that is the Mexico of today.” The ruins are a pale reflection of the ancient city – the original temples, whose scale can be inferred from the size of the bases, rivalled those in Tenochtitlán. The chief temple, for example, had reached its eleventh rebuilding by the time of the Conquest – what you see now corresponds to the second stage, and by the time nine more had been superimposed it would certainly have risen much higher than the church that was built from its stones. On top was likely a double sanctuary similar to that on the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlán. The smaller structures include a square tzompantli, or wall of skulls, near which nearly two hundred human skulls were discovered, all with holes through the temples – presumably the result of having been displayed side by side on long poles around the sides of the building.
Church of Santiago Tlatelolco
Adjacent to the Tlatelolco ruins – though still in use and not considered part of them – is the Church of Santiago Tlatelolco. Erected in 1609, it replaced an earlier Franciscan monastery, parts of which survive, arranged about the cloister. In the early years after the Conquest, the friars established a college at which they instructed the sons of the Aztec nobility in European ways, teaching them Spanish, Latin and Christianity. Bernardino de Sahagún was one of the teachers, and it was here that he wrote down many of the customs and traditions of the natives, compiling the most important existing record of daily Aztec life in his famous Historia General de las Cosas de Nueva España.
THE TLATELOLCO MASSACRE
The Mexican state showed its most brutal side in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas on October 2, 1968, when troops and tanks were ordered to fire on an almost 250,000-strong student demonstration. It was the culmination of several months of student protests over the government’s social and educational policies, which the authorities were determined to subdue, with only ten days left before the Olympic Games opened in the city. Records of the death toll vary from an official figure at the time of thirty to student estimates of more than five hundred, but it seems clear today that hundreds is more accurate than tens. Mexican philosopher Octavio Paz saw the violence as part of the cycle of history – a ritual slaughter to recall the Aztec sacrifices here – but it’s perhaps better seen as an example of at least one thread of continuity between all Mexico’s civilizations: the cheapness of life and the harsh brutality of their rulers. Paco Ignacio Taibo II’s book, 68, which is available in English translation, analyzes the incident in detail.
Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
Half a kilometre east of Insurgentes on the Eje 5 Norte • Museum Tues–Sun 10am–6pm • M$10 • Metro La Villa Basilica; also accessible by bus or pesero north along Reforma, or by trolleybus along Reforma from Metro Hidalgo (direction “Indios Verdes”)
The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe is in fact a whole series of churches, chapels and shrines set around an enormous stone-flagged plaza and climbing up the rocky hillock where the miracles that led to its foundation occurred. It is Mexico’s most important religious site, and is visited by millions of pilgrims from all across Latin America every year. Indeed, its religious significance predates the arrival of Christianity, as it was previously a shrine to the Aztec mother goddess Tonantzin. The first church here was built in 1533, but the large (and massively subsided) Baroque basilica you see straight ahead of you as you come through the main entrance to the plaza was completely reconstructed in the eighteenth century and again remodelled in the nineteenth and twentieth.
Around the site, there swirls a stream of humanity – pilgrims, sightseers, priests and salesmen offering candles, souvenirs, pictures of the Virgin, snacks and any number of mementos. On December 12, the anniversary of the second apparition, their numbers swell to hundreds of thousands (newspaper reports claim millions). You’ll see the pilgrims on the approach roads to the capital for several days beforehand, many covering the last kilometres on their knees in an act of penance or devotion. For others, though, the day is more of a vast fiesta, with dancing, singing and drinking.
The main church
To the left of the great plaza as you come in from Calzada de Guadalupe is the modern home of Juan Diego’s cloak with the image of the Virgin on it. This huge, round modern church was built in 1976, with space inside for ten thousand worshippers and for around four times that when the great doors all round are thrown open to the crowds, as they are pretty much every Sunday. You’ll find it crowded whenever you visit, and there seems to be a service permanently in progress. The famous cloak, framed in gold and silver, hangs above the main altar. To prevent anyone lingering too long at the spot right underneath, you must board a travelling walkway and admire the image as you glide respectfully by.
The church museum
Around the back of the Baroque basilica, the Museo de la Basílica de Guadalupe contains a large collection of ex voto offerings, and some of the church’s religious art treasures, including a series of slightly insipid early eighteenth-century canvases by José de Ibarra and more powerful oils by Miguel Cabrera and Cristóbal de Villalpando.
Capillas on the hill
From the plaza you can walk round to the right and up the hill past a series of little chapels associated with the Virgin’s appearance. Loveliest is the Capilla del Pocito, in which there is a well said to have sprung forth during one of the apparitions. Built in the eighteenth century, it consists of two linked elliptical chapels, one smaller and one larger, both with colourful tiled domes and magnificently decorated interiors. On the very top of the hill, the Capilla de las Rosas marks the spot where the miraculous roses grew.
Museo de los Ferrocarrileros
Alberto Herrera • Daily 10am–5pm • Free • Metro La Villa Basilica
If heading to the Basilica from La Villa Basilica Metro station, train buffs will want to stop off first at the Museo de los Ferrocarrileros, a small railway museum in the former train station of La Villa, just outside the Metro station to the east of Calzada de Guadalupe. Inside are exhibits in Spanish on the trade in pulque (the station was on the Mexico City–Veracruz railway, an important route for transporting it), but of most interest are the old locomotives standing outside, which enthusiasts will definitely want to see, although you can’t climb onto them.
Tenayuca
Just off Av de los Cien Metros • Tues–Sun 10am–5pm • M$50, video permit M$45 • “Ruta 88” pesero northbound from Metro Deportivo 18 de Marzo (5 blocks west of the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe) or La Raza (40min, but not all go to the pirámide of Tenayuca, so check first) or “Tenayuca” pesero northbound from Lázaro Cárdenas; some bus tours visit Tenayuca and Santa Cecilia on their way to Tula and Tepotzotlán
The 20m-high pyramid in the main square at Tenayuca, a suburb just outside the city limits, is another site that predates Tenochtitlán by a long chalk. Indeed, there are those who claim it was the capital of the tribe that destroyed Tula. In this, its history closely mirrors almost all other valley settlements: a barbarian tribe from the north invades, conquers all before it, settles in a city and becomes civilized, borrowing much of its culture from its predecessors, before being overcome by the next wave of migrants. There’s little evidence that Tenayuca ever controlled a large empire, but it was a powerful city and provides one of the most concrete links between the Toltecs and the Aztecs.
THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE
The Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico’s first indigenous saint, is still the nation’s most popular – you’ll see her image in churches throughout the country. The Virgin’s banner has been fought under by both sides of almost every conflict the nation has ever seen, most famously when Hidalgo seized on it as the flag of Mexican Independence. According to the legend, an Aztec Christian convert, Juan Diego, was walking over the hill here (formerly dedicated to the Aztec earth goddess Tonantzin) on his way to the monastery at Tlatelolco one morning in December 1531, when he was stopped by a brilliant vision of the Virgin, who ordered him, in Náhuatl, to go to the bishop and tell him to build a church on the hill. Bishop Juan de Zumarraga was unimpressed until, on December 12, the Virgin reappeared, ordering Diego to gather roses from the top of the hill and take them to the bishop. Doing so, he bundled the flowers in his cloak, and when he opened it before the bishop he found the image of the dark-skinned Virgin imprinted into the cloth. Today Diego’s cloak hangs above the altar in the gigantic modern basilica, which takes its name from the celebrated (and equally swarthy) Virgin in the monastery of Guadalupe in Spain.
The site
The pyramid that survives dates from the period of Aztec dominance and is an almost perfect miniature replica of the great temples of Tlatelolco and Tenochtitlán. Here the structure and the monumental double stairway are intact – only the twin sanctuaries at the top and the brightly painted decorations would be needed for it to open for sacrifices again tomorrow. This is the sixth superimposition; five earlier pyramids (the first dating from the early thirteenth century) are contained within it and are revealed in places by excavations which took place in the 1920s. Originally there was a seventh layer built on top, of which some traces remain.
The most unusual and striking feature of Tenayuca’s pyramid is the border of interlocking stone snakes that must originally have surrounded the entire building – well over a hundred of them survive. Notice also the two coiled snakes (one a little way up the north face, the other at the foot of the south face) known as the “turquoise serpents”. Their crests are crowned with stars and aligned with the sun’s position at the solstice.
Santa Cecilia Acatitlán
Tues–Sun 10am–5pm • M$60, video permit M$45 • Pesero route #88, and also #79, continues from Tenayuca to Santa Cecilia Acatitlán; alternatively, it’s a 20min walk, or short taxi ride, from Tenayuca, or a short ride on feeder bus #R10 from San Rafael station on the suburban train line from Buenavista; to return to the city, catch a pesero to Metro Deportivo 18 de Marzo (lines 3 & 6)
The pyramid at Santa Cecilia Acatitlán is much smaller and simpler than that at Tenayuca, but it’s been wholly restored and is remarkably beautiful with its clean lines. When first encountered by the Spanish, this was a temple with a double staircase very similar to the others, but the outer structure was stripped away during excavation to reveal an earlier, well-preserved building inside. It’s a very plain structure, rising in four steps to a single-roofed shrine approached by a ramped stairway. The studded decorations around the roof represent either skulls or stars. You approach the pyramid through a small museum in a colonial house, whose displays of finds from the site and elsewhere include an Aztec incense burner and a reconstructed nineteenth-century kitchen; in the garden just outside, you are greeted by a large, inanely grinning stone skull.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: MEXICO CITY
Being dropped unprepared into the vastness of Mexico City may seem daunting, but it’s not hard to get into the centre, or to a hotel, from any of the major points of arrival. The only problem is likely to be hauling large items of luggage through the invariable crowds – take a cab if you are at all heavily laden, but make sure it’s a prepaid “authorized” taxi.
AUTHORIZED TAXIS
The airport and all four bus terminals have a system of authorized taxis which guarantee the clients’ safety, and all have booths selling rides inside the terminal buildings. The authorized system is the same wherever it operates from – you’ll find a large map of the city marked out in zones, with a standard, set fare for each; you pick where you’re going, buy a ticket at the booth, then walk outside and present the ticket to one of the waiting cabs. One ticket is good for up to four people to one destination. The driver may drop you a block or two from your hotel rather than take a major detour through the one-way systems (best to accept this unless it’s very late at night), and may occasionally demand a large tip, which you’re in no way obliged to pay.
BY PLANE
Mexico City’s airport (Terminal 1 55 2482 2424,
Terminal 2 55 2598 7000, aicm.com.mx) is surprisingly
central, just 6km east of the Zócalo (if you’re sitting on the left-hand
side of the plane the views as you come in to land are amazing). Most
hotels are used to late arrivals, so don’t be overly concerned if your
flight gets in late at night, though it is wise to have somewhere booked
in advance for your first night. There are two terminals, on opposite
sides of the airport, and quite a long way from each other by land; most
airlines use Terminal 1, which is rather more convenient than the new
Terminal 2.
Facilities Wherever you come in, you’ll find several ATMs and numerous casas de cambio, open 24hr and with reasonable rates for US dollars (rates vary, so shop around), though not always such good rates for travellers’ cheques or other currencies (they’ll usually take Canadian dollars, pounds sterling, euros, and sometimes Swiss francs, Japanese yen and some Latin American currencies). There are also plenty of pricey restaurants and snack bars, car rental agencies, a post office, internet cafés and 24hr left luggage lockers.
Information There are several airport enquiry desks dotted around, and tourist
information kiosks in Terminal 1, Sala A (daily 9am–6pm; 55
5786 9002), and Terminal 2 near exit gate 2 (daily
9am–9pm; 55 2598 3532), which are helpful but have a
limited range of information, and only cover Mexico City.
Transfers between terminals To get from one terminal to the other, there’s a monorail service called Aerotrén (upstairs from Sala D in Terminal 1, upstairs in Sala M in Terminal 2), but only passengers with boarding passes are allowed to use this. Otherwise there are red buses (daily 4am–1am; M$15) from exit gate 6 (Sala D) in Terminal 1 and exit gate 4 in Terminal 2.
Taxis The only way to get into town is by prepaid authorized taxi, and there are desks for these in both terminals. Prices vary slightly from firm to firm, so it’s worth comparing rates before choosing; current rates are around M$290 to the Zócalo and Zona Rosa, M$270 to Condesa/Roma and M$319 to Polanco. The authorized airport taxis have a monopoly on arrivals and it’s illegal for regular taxi drivers to pick up passengers at the airport, so don’t bother trying to flag one down. Getting from town back to the airport is simpler. Any taxi driver will make the trip, and you can expect to pay around M$100.
Metro Metro Terminal Aérea, line 5, calls at Terminal 1. Come out of the doors at the end of Sala A, then follow the covered walkway for 200m. Note that large bags are banned on the Metro. From Terminal 2 (but not in the other direction), the inter-terminal bus stops at Hangares metro station, but in fact the nearest metro station is Pantitlan (out of the airport precincts and then take a left along the main road for 500m, or hop on a pesero), far more convenient than Hangares because it is on four different lines, but not a good area to be with your baggage at night.
Metrobús Line 4 of the Metrobús, which takes two east–west routes through the city centre to TAPO, serves both airport terminals, charging M$30 for the journey, and without baggage restrictions. At the airport you can pick it up from exit gate 6 (Sala D) in Terminal 1 and exit gate 4 in Terminal 2.
Pesero The main road outside Terminal 2 can be reached by peseros bound for Pantitlan from Rayón at Reforma (Metro Garibaldi, lines B & 8). From the terminal, head out to the main road to pick up a pesero to Metro Garibaldi.
Intercity buses If you don’t want to stop in Mexico City, there are first-class buses from the airport straight to Cuernavaca, Pachuca, Puebla, Toluca and Querétaro. The bus stops are upstairs from Sala E1 in Terminal 1 and at exit gate 4 in Terminal 2.
Car rental Desks are located in zones E1 and E2 of Terminal 1, and on the
main concourse of Terminal 2. The cheapest deals are with local firm
Gold Car Rental (located in Terminal 1, zone E1, 55 2599
0090, 
intgold@avantel.net). International
franchise chains represented at the airport include Avis (55
5762 3688 or 01 800 288 8888, avis.com.mx), Budget
(01 800 700 1700, budget.com.mx), Europcar
(55 5786 8264 or 800 201 2084,
europcar.com.mx),
Hertz (01 800 709 5000, avasa.com.mx), National
(55 5703 2222 or 01 800 716 6625,
nationalcar.com.mx) and Sixt (55 5784
3011, sixt.com.mx). Rental cars are exempt from the Hoy No Circula
one-day-a-week driving restriction. For
cheaper rentals head to Av Baja California, where Royal Rent a Car
(C Medellín 350, 55 5574 4080, royalrent.com.mx) and
Eclipse (Baja California 111, 55 5564 6489, eclipserent.com) have
more competitive deals than the international companies.
Airlines Aeromar, Reforma 505 (ground floor) 55 5256 0877 or
01 800 237 6627; Aeroméxico, Juárez 76, 55
5512 4000 or 01 800 021 4000; Air Canada,
Manuel Avila Camacho 1 8°, Lomas de Chapultepec 55 9138
0280 or 800 719 2827; Delta, Masaryk 513,
Polanco 55 5279 0909; Iberia, Ejercito Nacional 436
9°, Polanco 55 1101 1515; Lufthansa, Paseo de las
Palmas 239, Lomas de Chapultepec 55 4738 6561;
United, Andres Bello 45, Polanco 55 5283 5500 or
01 800 900 5000; VivaAerobus, Mesones 47 and
other locations including Central de Autobuses del Norte 55
4777 5050.
Destinations The further the destination is from Mexico City, the more sense it makes to fly there; you won’t gain much flying to cities that are only a few hours away by road, and much more expensive by air, but if you’re heading to places like Tijuana or Cancún, the plane will not only be faster, but much cheaper too. Flights are likely to be cheapest if you can book them a few weeks ahead. The following domestic airports are served by direct flights from Mexico City: Acapulco (6–10 daily; 55min); Aguascalientes (5–9 daily; 1hr 5min); Bajío/León (6–8 daily; 55min); Cabo San Lucas (4–7 daily; 2hr); Campeche (3–4 daily; 1hr 40min); Cancún (30–37 daily; 1hr 30min–2hr 10min); Chetumal (1–2 daily; 1hr 50min); Chihuahua (6–8 daily; 2hr 10min); Ciudad Carmen (3–6 daily; 1hr 30min); Ciudad Juárez (3–6 daily; 2hr 20min); Ciudad Obregón (2–3 daily; 2hr 25min); Ciudad Victoria (3–5 daily; 1hr 30min); Colima (2–5 daily; 1hr 25min); Cozumel (4 weekly; 2hr); Culiacán (10 daily; 2hr); Durango (3–4 daily; 1hr 40min); Guadalajara (26–33 daily; 1hr 10min); Hermosillo (7–9 daily; 2hr 40min); Huatulco (3–7 daily; 1hr 10min); Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo (4–7 daily; 1hr); La Paz, Baja California Sur (4 daily; 2hr 20min); Lázaro Cárdenas (1–2 daily; 1hr 15min); Los Mochis (1–2 daily; 2hr 15min); Manzanillo (4–6 daily; 1hr 40min); Matamoros (1–2 daily; 1hr 25min); Mazatlán (3–4 daily; 1hr 40min); Mérida (12–14 daily; 1hr 40min); Mexicali (2–3 daily; 3hr 35min); Monterrey (23–37 daily; 1hr 30min); Morelia (4–6 daily; 50min); Nuevo Laredo (1–3 daily; 1hr 40min); Oaxaca (7–10 daily; 1hr); Puerto Escondido (1–2 daily; 1hr 30min); Puerto Vallarta (6–10 daily; 1hr 30min); Reynosa (4–6 daily; 1hr 35min); Saltillo (2–7 daily; 2hr); San Luis Potosí (5–9 daily; 1hr 10min); Tampico (5–9 daily; 1hr); Tapachula (3 daily; 1hr 40min); Tepic (1–2 daily; 1hr 25min); Tijuana (12–15 daily; 3hr 35min); Torreón (4–5 daily; 1hr 40min); Tuxtla Gutiérrez (8–11 daily; 1hr 25min); Veracruz (6–12 daily; 50min); Villahermosa (5–12 daily; 1hr 20min); Zacatecas (3–4 daily; 1hr 20min).
< Back to Arrival and departure
BY BUS
There are four principal long-distance bus stations in Mexico City, one for each point of the compass, though in practice the northbound terminal handles far more than its share, while the westbound one is tiny. All have Metro stations pretty much right outside, as well as authorized taxis.
Destinations The list opposite indicates which destination is served from which station, but if you’re uncertain which bus station you should be leaving from, any taxi driver should know which terminal to take you to. The further a destination is from Mexico City, the more likely it is that the long and arduous bus ride will cost you more than the plane fare, so it’s worth checking the price of a flight before you book that camión.
Facilities The terminals have guarderías (left luggage offices, often expensive, especially at TAPO and Taxqueña), post and telephone offices, ATMs and a tourist information kiosk.
Tickets It’s rare not to be able to get onto a bus at short notice, but it
can be worth booking in advance for long-distance journeys or for
express services to popular destinations at busy times – that way
you’ll have a choice of seat and be sure of getting the fastest
service. Ticket Bus (55 5133 5133 or toll-free on
01 800 009 9090, ticketbus.com.mx) –
with offices at TAPO bus station (Tunnel 1), Isabel la Católica 83
in the centre, Hamburgo 254 (at Sevilla) in the Zona Rosa and
Masaryk with Hegel in Polanco, among other places – can book tickets
for a small fee with many but not all bus lines.
TERMINAL DEL NORTE
From anywhere north of Mexico City, you’ll probably arrive at the Terminal del Norte, Av de los Cien Metros 4907. The largest of the city’s four stations, it handles direct routes to and from the US border, and services to every major city north of Mexico City, including the fastest services to Guadalajara and Morelia. There’s a Metro station right outside the entrance (Metro Autobuses del Norte; line 5), and trolleybuses just outside, which head down the Eje Central (Lázaro Cárdenas) to Bellas Artes and on to the Central de Autobuses del Sur. Alternatively, if you head four blocks east, you come to Insurgentes, where you can catch the Metrobús Line 1. If you want to get a taxi, go to the kiosk selling tickets for authorized taxis, which cost about M$160 to the Zócalo and Alameda, M$120 to the Zona Rosa and M$200 to Polanco (all plus M$40 surcharge 10.30pm–6.30am). If you arrive late at night and don’t want to search for a hotel in town, there are places nearby.
TERMINAL DE AUTOBUSES DE PASAJEROS DE ORIENTE (TAPO)
Buses from points east (including a number of places that you may think of as south, such as Chiapas or the Yucatán), will usually drop you at the Terminal de Autobuses de Pasajeros de Oriente, known as TAPO, which is located on Av Ignacio Zaragoza. It has a Metro station (Metro San Lázaro; lines 1 and B) just down a connecting tunnel, which also leads you to the stops for city buses and colectivos plying Zaragoza towards the Zócalo and the Alameda, as well as Metrobús line 4. In the same tunnel, opposite the Metro entrance, is a sales desk for the authorized taxis, which cost M$150 to the Zócalo and Alameda, M$160 to the Zona Rosa and M$180 to Polanco (all plus M$20 10.30pm–6.30am).
CENTRAL DE AUTOBUSES DEL SUR (TAXQUEÑA)
Buses from the Pacific coast (Cuernavaca, Taxco and Acapulco in particular) generally arrive at the Central de Autobuses del Sur (Tasqueña or Taxqeña), Av Tasqueña 1320, outside which is a big terminus for local buses and peseros (combis) to the centre and points south of town, and a Metro station (Metro Tasqueña; line 2). To find the Metro, head right as you leave the terminal, and you’ll see the sign. Alternatively, to your left, on Av Tasqueña, trolleybuses head up the Eje Central (Lázaro Cárdenas) to Bellas Artes, and on to the Terminal del Norte. Authorized taxis cost M$140 (M$180 9pm–6am) to the Zócalo, Alameda or Zona Rosa, and M$200 (M$240) to Polanco.
TERMINAL PONIENTE (OBSERVATORIO)
Buses from places west of Mexico City, especially services passing through Toluca, but also Jalisco, Michoacán and the western part of the State of Mexico, terminate at the Terminal Poniente (Observatorio), at the junction of calles Sur and Tacubaya. To get the Metro (Metro Observatorio; line 1), leave from the exit in the middle of the terminal, where it makes a bend (next to the authorized taxi kiosk), and the entrance is straight ahead, hidden behind the market stalls. Authorized taxis cost M$120 to Polanco, M$140 to the Zona Rosa and M$150 to the Alameda and Zócalo (M$40 surcharge 9pm–6am). Buses (signed “Metro Observatorio”) head south on Reforma to the terminal, or pick up from the stands by the entrance to Chapultepec Park.
OTHER STOPS
Apart from the major terminals listed above, there are large open-air bus stops at the end of all the Metro lines such as Indios Verdes (line 3) or El Rosario (lines 6 and 7), with slow services to places up to an hour or so outside the city limits. For destinations in the capital’s hinterland it can sometimes be quicker to leave from these. Obviously, the best way into town from these places is by Metro.
DESTINATIONS
(N = Terminal del Norte; S = Central de Autobuses del Sur/Taxqueña; E = TAPO; W = Terminal Pte/Observatorio) Acapulco (S, 55 daily; 6hr); Aguascalientes (N, 29 daily; 6hr); Amecameca (E, every 15min; 1hr 15min); Campeche (E, 7 daily; 17hr); Cancún (E, 7 daily; 24hr); Chalma (W, every 20min; 2hr 30min); Chetumal (E, 2 daily; 18hr); Chihuahua (N, 22 daily; 18hr); Chilpancingo (S, 28 daily; 3hr 30min); Ciudad Juárez (N, 16 daily; 24hr); Ciudad Obregón (N, at least hourly; 26hr); Colima (N, 6 daily; 11hr); Córdoba (E, at least hourly, more at weekends; 4hr); Cuautla (S, every 10min; 2hr; E, every 10min; 3hr); Cuernavaca (S, every 15min; 1hr 30min); Dolores Hidalgo (N, every 40min; 4hr); Durango (N, 9 daily; 12hr); Guadalajara (N, hourly; 6hr; W, 14 daily; 7hr); Guanajuato (N, 11 daily; 5hr); Guaymas (N, 12 daily; 27hr); Hermosillo (N, hourly; 32hr); Ixtapa (S, 5 daily; 10hr); Ixtapan de la Sal (W, hourly; 2hr); León (N, 1–2 hourly; 5hr); Los Mochis (N, at least hourly; 21hr); Malinalco (W, 2 daily 10am & 3pm; 2hr 30min, or via Chalma); Manzanillo (N, 4 daily; 12hr); Matamoros (N, 10 daily; 14hr); Matehuala (N, 13 daily; 7hr); Mazatlán (N, hourly; 15hr); Mérida (E, 5 daily; 28hr); Mexicali (N, 22 daily; 30hr); Monterrey (N, 17 daily; 12hr); Morelia (W, every 30min; N, hourly; 4hr 30min); Nuevo Laredo (N, hourly; 15hr); Oaxaca (E, 22 daily; 6hr); Orizaba (E, at least hourly, more at weekends; 4hr); Pachuca (N, every 10min; 2hr); Palenque (E, 1 daily; 13hr); Pátzcuaro (W, 10 daily; N, 8 daily; 7hr); Playa del Carmen (E, 4 daily; 22hr); Puebla (E, every 20min; N, hourly; 2hr); Puerto Escondido (S, 6 daily; E, 1 daily; 15hr); Puerto Vallarta (N, 7 daily; 12hr); Querétaro (N, every 15min; 2hr 40min); Saltillo (N, 10 daily; 10hr); San Cristóbal de las Casas (E, 8 daily; 17hr); San Luis Potosí (N, hourly; 5hr); San Miguel Allende (N, every 40min; 4hr); Taxco (S, 13 daily; 2hr 30min); Tehuacán (E, hourly; 4hr); Tehuantepec (E, 6 daily; 10hr); Teotihuácan (N, every 15min; 1hr); Tepic (N, hourly; 12hr); Tepoztlán (S, every 40min; 1hr 15min); Tijuana (N, hourly; 42hr); Tlaxcala (E, every 20min; 1hr 40min); Toluca (W, every 5min; 1hr 30min); Tula (N, every 40min; 1hr 30min); Tuxpan (N, hourly; 4hr); Tuxtla Gutiérrez (E, 14 daily; 14hr); Uruapan (W, 16 daily; N, 8 daily; 6hr 30min); Valle de Bravo (W, every 20min; 3hr); Veracruz (E, at least hourly, more at weekends; 7hr); Villahermosa (E, 20 daily; 11hr); Xalapa (E, at least hourly; 5hr); Zacatecas (N, 14 daily; 8hr).
< Back to Arrival and departure
BY TRAIN
Following privatization, intercity passenger train services ceased to
run, and the only service now running out of Buenavista station (on
Mosqueta by Insurgentes Nte; metro or metrobús Buenavista) is a suburban
train (fsuburbanos.com)
to Cuautitlán in México state.
GETTING AROUND
For all its size and frantic pace, once you’re used to the city, it is surprisingly easy to get around, with an efficient and very cheap public transport system as well as reasonably priced taxis. You’ll probably want to walk around the cramped streets of the centre, but remember the altitude – walking gets tiring quickly, especially for the first day or so. If you’re heading for Chapultepec or the Zona Rosa, you’re better off taking the bus or Metro – it’s an interesting walk all the way down Reforma, but a very long one. As for the outer suburbs, you’ve got no choice but to rely on public transport. You’ll save a lot of hassle if you avoid travelling during rush hour (about 7–9am & 6–8pm).
BY METRO
Mexico City’s Metro system (55 5709 1133 ext 5051 or
5009, www.metro.df.gob.mx) is French-built, fast, quiet and
efficient, though in some respects not tremendously well designed:
interchanges can be very long, and the system seems to be configured so
that journeys often require two legs. It can also get pretty crowded,
and at peak hours stations designate separate entries for women and
children (look for the “Mujeres” signs), who have exclusive use of the
front two cars.
Tickets Tickets cost M$3 and are sold individually. There’s no discount for bulk purchases, though to save time queuing and messing about with tiny quantities of change it makes sense to buy several at a time.
Luggage In theory you’re not allowed luggage of any size on the Metro (the official limit is 80cm x 50cm x 30cm), but in practice you can get away with carrying a big bag if you board at a quiet station at a calm time, and these days even a backpack seems to be tolerated at busy times. The first train leaves from each end of the line at 5am on weekdays (6am Sat and 7am Sun), with the last train at midnight.
Orientation There aren’t always maps of the system on platforms, and certainly not on the trains, where you’ll just find pictographic representations of the line you are on, along with the stations where you can transfer to other lines. The map opposite details the system, but it’s wise to work out before you set off which way you’ll be travelling on each line, and where to change. Direction is indicated by the last station at either end of the line (thus on line 2 you’ll want either “Dirección Cuatro Caminos” or “Dirección Tasqueña”). To find your connection at interchange stations, follow the “Correspondencia” signs.
BY TREN LIGERO
Tren Ligero (light rail) runs south from Tasqueña (the southern terminus of line 2) as far as Xochimilco, entirely above ground. It requires a different ticket from the Metro system – when you change at Tasqueña you’ll need to buy a Tren Ligero ticket (good for any one-way journey) from the ticket window or the machines on the concourse (M$5).
BY BUS
Buses in Mexico City are very efficient, if you know where you’re going. Fares are M$3–6, depending on the route and the length of your journey. Destinations are displayed in the front window, which is somewhat more helpful than looking for route numbers, since the latter are not posted up and rarely used, and some buses terminate before the end of the route. One of the most useful routes is along Reforma, and the area just by Chapultepec Metro station at the entrance to the park is also a major bus terminus, from where you can get to almost any part of the city. Note that during rush hour it can be almost impossible to get a bus: once they’re full, they simply don’t stop to let passengers on. In 2008, the city government introduced pink buses for women only, mostly to tackle the problem of groping on public transport; the women-only buses are easily recognizable from their colour, and say “Servicio Exclusivo Mujeres” on the front, but most women of course just take whatever bus turns up first.
BY TROLLEYBUS
There are also trolleybuses running in both directions along Lázaro Cárdenas (the “Eje Central”, or Central Axis) between Terminal del Norte and Central del Sur (Tasqueña), as well as on some other major routes. There’s a flat fare of M$4, and they don’t give change.
BY METROBÚS
On four routes, there is a service called Metrobús (metrobus.df.gob.mx), an
articulated bus with its own dedicated lane, and fancy bus stops that
look more like stations. The most useful route is line 1, which plies
Insurgentes from pretty much one end to the other. Also useful is line
4, which runs east–west and serves the airport. Except for the airport
service (which costs M$30), there’s a flat fare of M$5, but in order to
use the metrobús, you have to buy a card (M$15 including one journey)
from a machine at one of the stations on lines 1, 2 or 3. You charge up
the card with credit at the same machines. Stations on line 4 don’t have
machines, but there should be attendants on hand who will sell you a
card. You can also obtain and charge cards in branches of 7-Eleven or
the similar chain Extra. The system is rather inconvenient if you just
want to take the odd journey (especially as the machines don’t give
change, like rejecting coins and often have a queue, and credit has been
known to mysteriously vanish from the cards), but there’s no other way
to pay the fare.
BY PESERO
Running down the major through routes, especially on Reforma and Insurgentes, you’ll find peseros (colectivos), which are smaller and faster but charge more than the bus (if less than a regular taxi) and will let you on and off anywhere along their set route. They’re mostly thirty-seater buses or VW vans, usually green with a white roof, and with their destination displayed on the windscreen – drivers of the smaller vehicles may sometimes hold up a number of fingers to indicate how many free seats they have. Like buses, peseros have route numbers, but routes often have branches, and a vehicle may start or finish in the middle of a route rather than at the end, so again it’s more helpful to check the destination in the window. One of the most useful routes runs from Chapultepec Park via Av Chapultepec to the Zócalo.
BY TAXI
Ordinary taxis (usually red and gold) come in a variety of forms (some
are still VW beetles, though these are fast disappearing) and there have
been robberies at the hands of
the drivers, so you should think twice before taking one,
especially if you are on your own. If you do decide to, it’s best to
take one from a taxi rank (sitio) rather than
hail one in the street. From the airport or bus terminals, always use a
prepaid authorized taxi, and never go with a driver who accosts you on
arrival with the offer of a cab. Legitimate taxis other than authorized
prepaid ones should have a meter – make sure it’s switched on.
Red-and-white radio taxis, which you have to call by phone, charge
slightly more, but in general work the same way. Taxis
de turismo lie in wait outside hotels and charge rates at
least triple those of ordinary taxis; in the normal course of events you
should avoid them, but they do have a couple of advantages, namely that
the drivers know the tourist sights, and should speak English – they can
be worth it if, for example, you want to go on a tour for a few hours,
in which case, with some ferocious haggling, you might even get a
bargain. If you need to phone a taxi, try Servitaxis (55 5272
1123) or Taxi-Mex (55 5634 9912) or, to the
airport, one of the
firms listed on. It can be
difficult to get a taxi in the rush hour.
BY CAR
Rental cars are available from the airport and elsewhere, but it is generally better to wait until you are ready to leave the city before renting. There are thousands of agencies throughout the city, and the small local operations are often cheaper than the big chains. Either way, renting a car isn’t going to be cheap, and a car can be a liability while you’re in the city. Expect to pay M$400–800 a day for the cheapest car with tax, insurance and unlimited mileage, more in July and Aug; the usual deal for a week is that you pay for six days and get the seventh free. The major operators have offices at the airport and in the Zona Rosa, and some of the smaller companies do too.
If you already have a car, choose a hotel with secure parking and leave it there for the duration of your stay, except possibly to do a tour of the south of the city. Driving in the city is a nightmare, compounded by confusing one-way and through-route systems and by the near-impossibility of finding anywhere to park. Also note that the “Green Angels” who operate on highways do not operate within Mexico City.
BY BICYCLE
On Sun mornings, many streets in the city centre are closed to motorized traffic so that cyclists have exclusive use of the roadways.
INFORMATION AND TOURS
TOURIST OFFICES
Mexico City tourist office The DF government’s tourist authority maintains a useful website
(www.mexicocity.gob.mx), in Spanish and English, with
excellent background information, advice, tips and patchy listings,
and you can call them on 55 5212 0259, or toll-free
from outside the city on 800 008 9090. They also
maintain tourist information booths at the airport, at all four bus terminals, and dotted around
town. None have much printed material to take away, but the staff
are usually very helpful and well versed in the ways of the city.
The most central is in the Zócalo between the cathedral and Monte de
Piedad (daily 9am–6pm; 55 5518 1003; Metro
Zócalo).
SECTUR The Mexico City branch of SECTUR (Mexican federal government’s
tourist office) is at Presidente Mazaryk 172, Polanco (Mon–Fri
8am–6pm; call 24hr on 55 3002 6300 or
078; Metro Polanco). It’s flush with handouts
about Mexico City and the country as a whole, but inconveniently
sited a long way from where you’re likely to be spending your
time.
< Back to Information and tours
CITY TOURS
Sightseeing tours that take in the city and often include the surrounding area are available from most of the more expensive hotels, while the DF government runs an hour-long city-centre tour on buses in the style of old trams leaving from Juárez by Bellas Artes (Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 2–5pm; M$50), though the commentary is in Spanish only.
Turibus 55 5141 1360 ext 2000, turibus.com.mx. One of the best independent tour
operators, running open-top double-deckers on two routes: a northern
route taking in the city centre, and a southern route that heads
down Insurgentes Sur to Coyoacán and the University. You can get on
and off the bus at any stage en route; stops for the northern route
include the Zócalo (República de Brasil, on the west side of the
cathedral), the Benito Juárez Monument on the south side of the
Alameda and El Ángel on Reforma; at Las Cibeles (Plaza Madrid) in
Roma, you can change from the northern to the southern route. Both
run daily (every 30–40min, 9am–9pm) and tickets cost M$140 weekdays,
M$165 weekends (M$210/245 for a two-day ticket). Each circuit takes
around 3hr, and the commentary comes in a choice of languages
including English.
ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation in Mexico City ranges from budget hostels to some of the swankiest hotels in the country, but the best-value places can fill up quickly, so booking ahead is always a good idea. Most places have 24hr reception desks and are geared for late arrivals and early departures, and, with reasonably cheap taxi fares into the Zócalo or Zona Rosa, it seldom makes financial sense to stay near the bus stations or airport. However, if you arrive especially late or are just in transit and need a place to rest up for a while, there are places to stay that are very handy for the airport and Terminal del Norte.
HOTELS
AROUND THE ZÓCALO
Azores Brasil 25 55 5521 5220,
hotelazores.com; Metro Allende or Zócalo; map. Well-situated modern hotel with
small but clean and comfy rooms around a central atrium, each en
suite and with TV, though only one room on each floor has an
outside window. M$420
Catedral Donceles 95 55 5518 5232,
toll-free from US or Canada 1 866 291 2312,
hotelcatedral.com; Metro Zócalo; map. Very presentable mid-range
place. All rooms have TV and telephone, and some even have a
jacuzzi. Internet access is available, and there’s a good
restaurant and a terrace overlooking the cathedral. M$875
Gillow Isabel la Católica 17 55 5518
1440, hotelgillow.com; Metro Allende; map. Friendly and good-value
mid-priced hotel with carpeted rooms, in-house travel agency and
leather sofas in the public areas. Cable TV, wi-fi and the
expected amenities in rooms (it’s worth paying a little extra
for a larger room with a small patio or seating area). Ten
percent discount for cash payment. M$820
Gran Hotel Ciudad de México 16 de Septiembre 82 55 1083
7700, granhoteldelaciudaddemexico.com.mx; Metro Zócalo;
map. The city’s most famous hotel,
situated right on the Zócalo with sumptuous public areas, and a selection of rooms and suites, some of
which are gorgeously deluxe. Breakfast included and does
significant discounts if you book in advance, particularly via
the website. M$3770
Isabel Isabel la Católica 63 55 5518
1213 to 7, hotel-isabel.com.mx; Metro Isabel la Católica;
map. Good-value hotel offering
services such as taxis and laundry, plus a restaurant and bar.
Rooms (with or without bathroom, the latter on the roof), though
a little bit sombre, are quite spacious with TV and safe. Rooms
at the back are quieter. It’s worth booking a few days ahead.
M$350
Juárez Callejón de 5 de Mayo 17 1° 55
5512 6929,
hoteljuarez@prodigy.net.mx; Metro Allende
or Zócalo; map. Very central, clean and
good-value budget tourist hotel, but not recommended for lone
women travellers. Avoid room no. 4, which is next to the hotel’s
main water pump. M$270
Majestic Madero 73 55 5521 8600,
hotelmajestic.com.mx. Metro Zócalo; map. This luxury Best Western hotel
on the Zócalo is rather stately and has bags of character. It’s
considerably cheaper than many of the places in the Zona Rosa
and has many of the same facilities. Some rooms have Zócalo
views, as does the La Terraza restaurant on the top floor.
Breakfast included. M$1620
Montecarlo Uruguay 69 55 5518 1418;
Metro Zócalo; map. Good-value cheapie with a touch
of faded glory, and once briefly inhabited by D.H. Lawrence.
Quiet and comfortable with a garage and a beautiful inner
courtyard that is a little out of keeping with the rather small
and dark en-suite rooms. M$350
República Cuba 57 55 5512 9517;
Metro Allende; map. Old and fairly dingy but also
very cheap hotel (especially for two people sharing a double
bed) on a quiet street. All rooms are en suite and some have TV.
M$170
San Antonio Callejón de 5 de Mayo 29 2° 55
5518 1625; Metro Allende or Zócalo; map. Quiet, friendly place hidden
away in a side street between 5 de Mayo and La Palma. Standards
are high considering the price, with light, airy, spotless
rooms, good firm beds, decent sheets and free bottled water.
It’s worth paying the M$30 difference for an en suite. M$350
Washington 5 de Mayo 54 & 55 5512
3502; Metro Allende or Zócalo; map. Good-value hotel very near the
Zócalo. The cheapest rooms are pretty poky, but they’re all
decent, and come with a nicely tiled bathroom, cable TV, phone
and wi-fi. It’s worth asking for a corner room, which is bigger
and better, with outside windows, for only M$20 more. M$380
Zamora 5 de Mayo 50 55 5512
8245, hotelzamora1@gmail.com; Metro
Allende or Zócalo; map. One of the more basic downtown
hotels. The low prices, excellent location, free wi-fi and
friendly management make the occasional noise, threadbare towels
and variable cleanliness acceptable. You’ll pay M$50 extra for a
private bathroom. It’s very popular so you may have to book
ahead at busy times. M$180
AROUND THE ALAMEDA
Fleming Revillagigedo 35 55 5510
4530, hotelfleming.com.mx; Metro Juárez; map. A charcoal, grey cube on the
outside, with salmon-pink, carpeted rooms on the inside: the
decor at this business-style hotel is a little bit stuck in the
1980s, but it’s comfortable enough and there’s room service,
wi-fi and a bar and restaurant. M$525
Hotel de Cortés Hidalgo 85 55 5518 2181,
boutiquehoteldecortes.com; Metro Hidalgo; map. Very classy boutique hotel in a
building dating from 1620, but with rooms that are super-modern
and stylish, with wooden deck floors throughout (even in the
shower). The hotel also has a spa and fitness centre, a
Spanish–Mexican restaurant, two bars and free wi-fi. M$2150
Managua Plaza de San Fernando 11 55 5512
1312; Metro Hidalgo; map. Good-value if functional place
with a cafeteria that does room service, and rooms with TV,
bathroom and free bottled water, all in a quiet location facing
the Jardín de San Fernando. M$200
Pánuco Ayuntamiento 148 55 5521
2916; Metro Juárez; map. Clean and good value. Located in
a drab part of town a little distance from the most popular
tourist areas, though tolerably close to the Zona Rosa. The
carpeted rooms each have a writing desk and TV – and a lot of
fake marble. Parking and a restaurant on site. Often full Fri
and Sat. M$280
AROUND THE REVOLUTION MONUMENT
Casa Blanca Lafragua 7 55 5096 4500
or 800 200 2252, in the US & Canada
1 800 905 2905, hotel-casablanca.com.mx; Metro Revolución; map. Attractive but rather impersonal
modern high-rise hotel with perfectly decent rooms at prices a
good deal lower than a lot of the Zona Rosa places. There’s even
a rooftop pool, a gym, business facilities and a restaurant.
Wheelchair-friendly with an adapted room. Breakfast included.
M$1160
Manalba Antonio Caso 23 55 5566
6066, hotelmanalba@hotmail.com;
Metro Revolución; map. Squat and ugly from outside but
tastefully decorated within. Good-value rooms all come with
cable TV and purified water, though you might want to spend
M$120 extra for a more spacious double (with the standard two
double beds) or for twin beds and a jacuzzi. M$695
THE ZONA ROSA, ROMA AND CONDESA
La Casona Durango 280, at Cozumel 55 5286
3001, hotellacasona.com.mx; Metro Sevilla; map. In an early twentieth-century
building at the northern end of Condesa, La
Casona has an understated, if slightly quirky,
European-style elegance, with polished wooden floors, antique
furniture, a piano in its lounge and quite a collection of art –
including masks, original cartoons and paintings. The rooms are
all different, with an aesthete’s attention to detail, and it
has a good restaurant. Breakfast included. M$2450
Geneve Londres 130 55 5080 0841
or 800 900 0000, from the US & Canada
1 800 714 6549, hotelgeneve.com.mx; Metro Insurgentes; map. A large, century-old, but thoroughly
modern hotel right in the heart of the Zona Rosa with an
understated, elegant feel. Rooms are comfortable if
unspectacular, with cable TV and mini-bars, but the facilities
are excellent, and include the lovely Salon Jardín with its
stained glass and iron roof, a restaurant, gym, spa and on-site
Sanborns restaurant. The lobby has
interesting exhibits on the hotel’s history and past clients,
who have included Marlon Brando, William Randolph Hearst and
Charles Lindbergh. Breakfast included. M$1580
Hotel Del Principado Londres 42 55 5533 2944
or 800 830 6040, hoteldelprincipado.com.mx; Metro Insurgentes;
map. The double rooms (with two double
beds) are rather more spacious and get rather more light than
the one-bed rooms (in which it’s worth asking for a king-size
bed, as these cost no extra), but all have a TV and phone, and
there’s free wi-fi, parking facilities and a laundry service.
Breakfast included. M$890
Maria Cristina Rio Lerma 31, Cuauhtémoc 55 5703
1212, hotelmariacristina.com.mx; Metro Insurgentes;
map. A lovely little colonial-style hotel
near the Museo Venustiano Carranza. Popular with European
visitors, the rooms are bright and quiet, though without the
wood panelling and blue tiles of the public areas. Standard
rooms have fans, deluxe rooms have a/c. M$850
Posada Viena Marsella 28, at Dinamarca 55 5592
7312 or 800 849 8402, in the US
1 888 698 0690, posadavienahotel.com; Metro Cuauhtémoc or
Insurgentes; map. Lovely fresh and bright rooms
decorated in rustic Mexican style, with ceiling fans though no
a/c, at this comfortable but unpretentious four-star. The room
price is the same for double, king-size or twin beds. M$685
Roosevelt Insurgentes Sur 287 55 5208
6813, hotelroosevelt.com.mx; Metro Insurgentes; map. The 1938 Art Deco exterior of this
mid-range hotel on the edge of Condesa has been spruced up, and
the interior and rooms have been intelligently and stylishly
modernized with tasteful use of grey, pink and brick-red.
There’s also satellite TV, wi-fi and a decent downstairs
restaurant. M$730
Segovia Regency Chapultepec 328 55 5525
0388 or 800 007 3845, hotelsegovia.com.mx; Metro Insurgentes; map. Reliable high-rise hotel with
parking facilities. The carpeted rooms aren’t huge, though
they’re certainly not spartan either, and all have a/c and
wi-fi. It’s often fully booked with business regulars, so
reserve ahead, especially during the week. M$625
POLANCO
Busue Eugenio Sué 45 55 6650
5916, busue.mx; Metro Polanco; map. Very stylish boutique hotel a short
walk from Mexico City’s hottest shopping district.
Mega-bathrooms and king-size beds throughout; even a deluxe room
(the most basic option) comes with butler service. Supremely
comfortable beds, jacuzzi, high-speed internet, fax machine,
satellite TV, stereo, music library and free daily international
paper. There’s also a superb restaurant and bar on site. US$226 (M$3860)
Hyatt Regency Campos Elisos 204 55 5083
1234, mexicocity.regency.hyatt.com; Metro Polanco;
map. Not the most expensive high-rise
business hotel in the city but as luxurious as you could want,
with an indoor pool, rooftop tennis courts, gym and acres of
glass and marble. US$380
(M$6490)
THE AIRPORT AND AROUND
Hilton Mexico City Airport Airport Terminal 1 55 5133
0507 or 800 003 1400, in the US
1 800 HILTONS, hilton.com; Metro
Terminal Aérea. An elevator from Sala G (upstairs
from Sala E3) takes you up to this efficient upmarket hotel
which occupies much of the terminal’s third floor with its
restaurants, bars, gym and well-appointed, though not especially
large, rooms (some with runway views). The multichannel TV even
has in-house movies and flight information screens. The rack
rate may apply when demand is high, but rates are usually
substantially lower (sometimes by as much as half) at weekends
in particular. US$174 (M$2975)
Hotel Aeropuerto Blv de Puerto Aéreo 380 55 5785
5851, 
55 5784 1329; Metro Terminal
Aérea. The cheapest of the hotels near the airport,
with well-maintained rooms (some with runway views); all have TV
and phone, plus there’s room service from the on-site
restaurant. The hotel is a taxi ride from Terminal 2, but just a
short walk from Terminal 1 (follow signs from Sala A to the
Metro, and cross the busy road using the footbridge). M$640
NH Aeropuerto Airport Terminal 2 55 5786
5750 or 800 903 3300, nh-hoteles.es;
Metro Hangares. A very sleek, modern hotel, with
extremely spacious public areas. The large rooms are equipped
with either a king-size bed or two double beds, and the
five-star facilities include a pool, gym and fitness centre. An
elevator takes you from the ground floor of the terminal to the
sixth floor, where the hotel is located. M$1699
Ramada Aeropuerto México Blv de Puerto Aéreo 390 55 5133
3232 or 800 062 1218, ramadamexico.com; Metro Terminal Aérea.
Attractive business hotel with lower prices than the big airport
hotels but still with most of their features and facilities.
It’s located next to the Hotel Aeropuerto, a short walk from Terminal 1, so it is
barely worth using the hotel’s free airport transfer, unless
you’re going to Terminal 2, or if you suffer from impaired
mobility (the hotel is wheelchair-friendly with an adapted
room). Breakfast included. M$1928
TERMINAL DEL NORTE AND AROUND
Brasilia Av de los Cien Metros 4823 55
5587 8577 or 800 503 5212, hotel-brasilia.com.mx; Metro Autobuses del
Norte. Good-value business-style hotel (though
sometimes a bit snooty towards backpackers) just 150m southeast
of the bus station (turn left as you exit and it’s straight
ahead of you), where you can get a peaceful sleep in
comfortable, carpeted rooms with cable TV and phone. There’s a
decent if slightly pricey restaurant on site, parking facilities
and even room service. You’ll pay M$100 extra for a/c. M$600
Cartagena Av de los Cien Metros 55 5368
3527; Metro Autobuses del Norte. A
hotel/motel a block from the terminal, this option is a secure
and comfortable building which takes reservations a week in
advance and offers discounts if you pay in cash. M$490
HOSTELS
AROUND THE ZÓCALO
Hostal Amigo Isabel la Católica 61 800 746
7835 or 55 5512 3496, hostalamigo.com; Metro Isabel la Católica; map. Backpackers’ hangout with eight-
to ten-bed dorms, some with outside windows, but there are
lockers (bring your own padlock), several private rooms (not
cheap), free internet, a luggage deposit, a bar, a kitchen and
communal areas. The hostel also runs tours, some of which are
free to guests. Breakfast and dinner included. Dorms M$190, doubles M$490
Hostal Moneda Moneda 8 55 5522 5803;
Metro Zócalo; map. Convivial hostel with eight-bed
dorms, a couple of lounges (one with TV), a decent kitchen, a
bar and a panoramic rooftop terrace where the buffet breakfast
is served. Private rooms are also available, but pricey. Make a
reservation if you are to arrive after 11pm. Half board included
in price. Dorms M$165, doubles
M$465
Hostel Catedral Guatemala 4 55 5518 1726;
Metro Zócalo; map. Large, secure and efficiently
run modern place behind the cathedral. Open 24hr, it has
spotless six-bunk rooms, most with private bathroom, and some
private rooms. There’s an on-site travel agency, internet
access, a café and bar, free coffee all day, Spanish classes
available and a rooftop terrace with fabulous views. The only
drawbacks are the small kitchen, limited communal areas and
noise. Bring your own lock for the lockers, and consider
bringing earplugs too. If you pay for four nights at once, the
fifth is free. Discount with HI card. Breakfast included. Dorms
M$190, doubles M$312
Mexico City Hostel Brasil 8 55 5512 7731,
mexicocityhostel.com; Metro Zócalo; map. Great location and decent enough
eight- or twelve-bed dorms, as well as wi-fi and free internet
access, but the small, dark, private rooms are seriously
overpriced, and you may have to go up or down a floor to find a
bathroom. Breakfast included. Dorms M$200, doubles M$500
AROUND THE REVOLUTION MONUMENT
Casa de los Amigos Ignacio Mariscal 132 55 5705
0521, casadelosamigos.org; Metro Revolución; map. The community-oriented,
Quaker-run Casa, on a quiet street in
the house where José Clemente Orozco spent the last decade of
his life, pitches itself as a guesthouse, though it still has
eight- and four-bed dorms as well as a few singles and doubles.
Clean and comfortable with a good kitchen (breakfast available),
a meditation room/library and occasional film screenings, it’s
popular with long-stay guests (minimum two-night stay). No
alcohol and no smoking. Dorms M$100, doubles M$300
ROMA & CONDESA
Hostel Home Tabasco 303, Roma 55 5511
1683; Metro Sevilla; map. This small twenty-bunk hostel in a
quiet street is called “Home” because
it was originally a family house. It’s a little distant from the
main sights, but has, as it advertises, a “chilled atmosphere”,
a kitchen and free internet, and is open 24hr. As well as the
six- and eight-bunk dorms there’s a sunny lounge and a small
kitchen. Breakfast included. Dorms M$170, doubles M$450
Stayinn Barefoot Juan Escutia 125, Condesa 55 6286
3000; Metro Chapultepec; map. This multi-storey building around a
sunken courtyard is a good catch-all budget option for those
wanting to stay close to the action in Condesa. Decor is modern
and dorms and private rooms are simple and elegant. Also has a
lively bar at the entrance which doubles up as a reception
during the day. Dorms M$250,
doubles M$500
EATING
There are reasonably priced restaurants, cafés, taquerías and juice stands on every block. The choice of where to eat ranges from traditional coffeehouses to fast-food lunch counters, taking in expensive international and rock-bottom Mexican cooking along the way, as well as food stalls in markets throughout the city: Merced is the biggest, but not a terribly pleasant place to eat. At the back of Plaza Garibaldi, there’s a whole market hall given over to nothing but food stands, each vociferously competing with its neighbours. Mexico City also abounds in rosticerías, roast chicken shops, serving tasty set meals and crispy chicken with beer in a jolly atmosphere. More so than anywhere else in the country, Mexico City is flooded with chain restaurants, both American franchises and slightly classier Mexican chains such as Sanborns and VIPS; on the whole, you’re much better off with a comida corrida. Top-class restaurants are mostly concentrated in Polanco.
TOP 5 PLACES TO EAT TRADITIONAL MEXICAN FOOD
CAFÉS, CHEAP EATS AND SNACKS
AROUND THE ZÓCALO
Café Emir Uruguay 45 55 5521 2669;
Metro Zócalo; map. Modernized café that’s been
operating since 1936 and serves good espresso, empanadas, cakes
and even a range of baklava (dulce
árabe; M$13 a piece). Mon–Fri 8am–9pm, Sat 10am–8pm, Sun noon–8pm.
Café el Popular 5 de Mayo 55 5518 6081;
Metro Allende; map. A cheap place with an
old-fashioned feel, serving simple food round the clock. It’s
almost always crowded, and the turnover is pretty fast, with
great breakfasts, coffee and snacks. Meal deals include beef
with fries, refritos, scrambled egg,
coffee and a roll, all for M$60. Daily
24hr.
Café de Tacuba Tacuba 28 55 5521 2048;
Metro Allende; map. There’s good coffee and
excellent food at moderate prices (pollo al
mole M$205, chiles stuffed with cheese M$172) at
this famous cantina-style restaurant a world apart from the city
life outside. The locals have been packing it out since 1912,
often bringing in mariachi bands off the street who will play
continuously if paid enough. Daily
8am–11.30pm.
Dulcería de Celaya 5 de Mayo 39 55 5521
1787, dulceriadecelaya.com; Metro Allende; map. Founded in 1874, this is
wonderland for sweet lovers, with real old-school fruit-based
confectionery, including candied fruit, dulce
de membrillo (quince jelly), camotes (sweet-potato candy), and limes stuffed
with coconut. Daily
10.30am–7.30pm.
Jugos Canada 5 de Mayo 49 55 5518
3717; Metro Allende; map. Very good torta and juice bar
with decent prices, despite its central location. A vampiro (blood-like combination of orange,
celery and beetroot juice) goes for M$28; licuados start at M$27. Mon–Sat 8am–10pm, Sun 9am–9pm.
Pastelería Ideal Uruguay 74 55 5130 2170,
pasteleriaideal.com.mx; Metro San Juan de Letrán;
map. A cavernous bakery (made to look
even larger by mirrors), with a huge range of cakes, biscuits
and moulded gelatine confections, not to mention luscious
chocolate cherries (M$20/100g). Daily
6.30am–9.30pm.
La Vasconia Tacuba 73 55 5521 0659;
Metro Allende; map. One of the best bread and cake
shops in the centre, founded in 1870, with a huge range of
rolls, biscuits, pastries and even lemon meringue “pay” (M$25). There’s also an eating area
where they serve breakfasts (M$50–90), snacks and main courses
(a quarter of a roast chicken, for example, for M$30). Daily 7am–9.30pm (restaurant
7am–9pm).
AROUND THE ALAMEDA
Café del Palacio inside Bellas Artes 55 5518
5078; Metro Bellas Artes; map. An elegant café-restaurant in
Art Deco surroundings. Enjoy limited views of Tamayo’s murals as
you eat amid business lunchers and pre-theatre diners. The list
of what’s available isn’t huge, but they change it fortnightly.
Typical dishes include huachinango a la
veracruzana (snapper in red chile sauce; M$180), or
roast beef in balsamic sauce (M$180). There’s also a two-course
menu del Palacio (M$280). Meals served daily 1–5pm, coffee served Mon
noon–5pm, Tues–Sat 10am–7pm or later if there’s a
show.
Cafetería el Cuadrilatero Luis Moya 73 55 5521
3060; Metro Balderas; map. Like Mexico City’s other
wrestling cafés, El Cuadrilatero (“the
ring”) is owned and run by Super Astro, an ex-wrestler, with
wrestling masks framed on the walls along with photos of his
glory days. The food’s good, including standard Mexican mains,
burgers and tortas big enough for a wrestler or for two mere
mortals. The house speciality is a 1.3kg solid meat gladiador sandwich – if you can eat it in
15min, it’s free, otherwise M$210 (or get a smaller version for
M$128). Mon–Sat 7am–8pm.
ZONA ROSA
Barro-Barroco Londres 211 55 5207 6433;
Metro Insurgentes; map. A small and peaceful café a little
away from the main bustle of the Zona, serving coffee,
breakfasts and meals at prices that are modest for the area.
Mon–Fri 8am–4.30pm.
Blah Blah Café Florencia 44 (at Londres) 55 5514
6753; Metro Insurgentes; map. Café, bar and Argentine grill, where
an executive steak meal (12.30–8pm) will set you back around
M$178, or you can have a lighter set meal for M$99, or a mixed
grill for M$247. Mon–Fri 11am–midnight,
Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–11pm.
La Casa del Toño Londres 144 55 5386 1125;
Metro Sevilla; map. The spot for pozole, an Aztec pork stew that many see as the
ultimate hangover cure. This 24hr branch of the city-wide chain
serves up piping-hot bowls (M$85) of the delicious stuff along
with tacos and other staples. A very popular place for food
following a party in the Zona Rosa. Daily 24hr.
El Trompito Londres 119-A 55 5511
1015; Metro Insurgentes; map. If you’re looking for a cheap snack
amid the Zona’s tourist traps, this modest little taquería could be the oasis you need, with
tacos (al pastor M$26), tortas
(M$35–55) and alambres (small kebabs;
M$51–93) at reasonable prices in clean surroundings. Mon–Sat 1pm–4am, Sun noon–9pm.
CONDESA
Neve Gelato Cuernavaca 124 (at Michoacán) 55
5256 3345, nevegelato.mx;
Metro Patriotismo or Juanacatlán; map. They do crêpes and cakes here, but
what draws the crowds is the luscious ice cream in flavours
fruity (soursop, black cherry, mamey)
or nutty (toasted almond, amaretto, hazelnut, tiramisú). One
scoop for M$42, two scoops for M$61. Daily 7am–10pm.
Neveria Roxy Tamaulipas at Alfonso Reyes 55
5256 1854, Metro Patriotismo; map. Located on a pretty corner, this
classic of the Condesa has been serving up delicious ice cream
and sorbet since 1946. Two scoops (M$40) served in a cone,
waffle cup or bowl are a delight on a hot day. Also serves up
big sundaes (M$38) and banana splits (M$75). Daily 11am–9pm.
POLANCO
La Ciudad de Colima Horacio 522, at Lamartine 55 5545
2719; Metro Polanco; map. Good but overpriced jugería with some unusual jugos such as (depending on the season) starfruit
(carambola), kiwi, sapodilla
(chicu) and mamey. Prices start at M$35. Daily 7am–9pm.
SAN ÁNGEL AND SOUTH
Café Solo Dios Plaza San Jacinto 2 55 5550
3302; Metrobús Dr Gálvez; map. This popular hole-in-the-wall café
and takeaway spot does great espressos, frappés and all the
usual variations, all made from organic Chiapas beans. Daily 7am–9pm.
Crêperie du Soleil Madero 4-C 55 5550 2585,
creperiedusoleil.com; Metrobús Dr Gálvez; map. Small and peaceful café that’s good
for an espresso, cakes and, of course, crêpes, both sweet (for
example three berries, with blackberries, raspberries and
strawberries for M$80) and savoury (try popeye, with creamed
spinach and cheese for M$65). Daily
8am–7pm.
COYOACÁN
El Caracol de Oro Higuera 22 55 5658 9054;
map. Laid-back restaurant and juice bar
serving salads, pasta dishes (such as vegetarian lasagne for
M$85), chiles stuffed with various fillings (chile stuffed with
cheese in mango sauce is M$75), breakfasts, tea, coffee and
excellent juices and energy drinks. There are always plenty of
vegetarian options on the menu. Mon–Sat
10am–10.30pm, Sun 10am–10pm.
Le Caroz Allende 5, on Plaza Hidalgo 55
5554 6374, lecaroz.com; map. Coyoacán’s excellent local bakery
supplies a wide range of breads, luscious cakes, wobbly
multicoloured jellies and a few savouries. Their speciality is
pan dulce. Mon–Sat 6.15am–10pm, Sun 6.15am–9.50pm.
La Vienet Viena 112, at Abasolo 55 5554
4623; map. A good place for refreshments in
between visits to the Kahlo and Trotsky houses, this small
daytime café serves great coffee and cakes as well as breakfasts
(until noon), lunch-time menus (M$140) and dishes such as
quesadillas sincronizadas (M$70)
and enchiladas suizas (M$85). Mon–Fri 8am–9pm, Sat & Sun
9am–6pm.
RESTAURANTS
AROUND THE ZÓCALO
Casa de los Azulejos Madero 4 55 5512 1331;
Metro Bellas Artes; map. Flagship Sanborns restaurant in a wonderful sixteenth-century
building,
with prime seating around a fountain in an enclosed three-storey
courtyard. The food is Sanborns stock
in trade of well-prepared Mexican staples, though a little
overpriced. Breakfasts are M$88–126, chicken fajitas M$125 and
chicken tacos M$92. Daily
7am–midnight.
Danubio Uruguay 3 55 5512 0912,
danubio.com;
Metro San Juan de Letrán; map. Established restaurant that has
specialized in seafood since 1936. A hearty bacalao a la Vizcaina (Basque-style saltfish, in
red pepper and tomato sauce) is M$280, or there’s succulent
seabass fillet stuffed with seafood for M$305. Mon–Sat 1–11pm.
Gili Pollos 5 de Mayo at Isabel la Católica 10
55 5254 4078; Metro Allende; map. Is your Spanish up to the
wordplay? Either way this is the best rotisserie chicken spot in
the centre. With the sizzling birds seasoned a few different
ways (roasted/BBQ/ranchero) behind the
metal counter, take a seat ringside, upstairs or grab tacos,
tortas and whole (M$86), half (M$49) and quarter (M$28) chickens
to go. Daily 9am–9pm.
Los Girasoles Tacuba 8-A (at Plaza Manuel Tolsá)
55 5510 0630; Metro Allende; map. One of the most appealing
restaurants in the centre, with Mediterranean decor, a casual
atmosphere and great food served at moderate prices, including
burritos of pibil pork (M$98), which
you might follow with chicken in mole
poblano (M$156). Opens earlier for breakfast on
Sun. Mon–Sat 1–11.30pm, Sun
10am–9pm.
Hostería de Santo Domingo Belisario Dominguez 72 55 5526
5276; Metro Allende; map. Full of character, this
moderately priced restaurant in part of a former convent looks
great, with decorations hanging from the ceiling, artesanía all
over the walls and, usually, a pianist and singer in the corner.
But the food is not quite as good as they think it is; even
their signature chiles en nogada
(M$195) is better done elsewhere. There’s a Sun buffet 9am–noon
(including chiles en nogada) for
M$130. Daily 9am–10pm.
Kam Ling Cerrada de 5 de Mayo 14 55 5521
5661; Metro Allende; map. Straightforward Chinese food in
seriously large proportions to eat in or take away. There’s a
buffet for M$73, set menus (M$60–90) or individual dishes such
as Cantonese-style squid with green pepper in black bean sauce
(M$58), or chow mein of chicken, beef or pork (M$55), all washed
down with huge pots of jasmine tea (M$20). Daily 11am–10pm.
Restaurant Bar Chon Regina 160 55 5542 0873;
Metro Merced; map. A veritable eating adventure,
specializing in pre-Hispanic dishes, with starters such as
mescal worms (M$260), escamoles (ant eggs; M$240) or chapulines (grasshoppers; M$100), served
with or without guacamole. If you prefer a main course from
outside the insect kingdom, there’s frogs’ legs (M$140), or
crocodile steak in mole verde (M$230).
Mon–Sat 11am–7pm.
La Terraza 4th floor of Majestic 55 5521 8600; Metro Zócalo; map. Restaurant with a terrace
overlooking the Zócalo, although the view deteriorates
significantly once you’re seated. The buffet breakfast
(7am–noon; M$140 weekdays, M$170 weekends) is good, and in the
evening there’s à la carte dining with well-prepared Mexican
standards such as chicken with a choice of moles (M$140). Daily
7am–11pm.
Terraza 7th floor of Gran Hotel Ciudad de
México 55 1083 7700 or 800 088 7700,
restauranteterrazaciudaddemexico.com.mx; Metro
Zócalo; map. High-class eating and unbeatable
views over the Zócalo at this top-notch renovated rooftop
restaurant bar, and on the way up you can even snatch a peek at
the Gran Hotel’s amazing
Tiffany glass ceiling.
You could just pop up for one of their enormous cocktails (the
house speciality is a gargantuan strawberry margarita for
M$140), but then you’d be missing out on dishes like snapper
steak in garlic with veg of the day (M$250) or pollo en mole poblano (M$115). Alternatively, drop
by any time before 6pm at the weekend for a gluttonous M$290
buffet brunch. Mon–Fri 1–11pm, Sat &
Sun 9am–11pm.
Los Vegetarianos (Vegetariano
Madero) Upstairs at Madero 56 55 3521
6880; Metro Zócalo; map. This sunny, spacious vegetarian
restaurant lurks behind an unprepossessing stairway entrance but
offers some of the best-value vegetarian food around, usually
with piano accompaniment at lunch time. The four-course menu del día (M$75–110) is especially good
value, though they also do great breakfasts. Daily 8am–8pm.
AROUND THE ALAMEDA
La Cocinita de San Juan Ernesto Pugibet 21 55 5512
5237; Metro Pino Suarez; map. If you’re after proper
pre-Hispanic cuisine, including such delights as ant eggs
(escamoles), spiders, wild boar or
crocodile (a real treat), this place beside the exotic meats
market gets them all in fresh daily. You can have your meat a
number of different ways (tacos, tortas, myriad sauces), or opt
for more traditional options like hamburgers or mole, but the truly brave will go for the “mixed
insects” (M$400). Daily
10am–8pm.
Oriental Dolores 27 55 5521 3093;
Metro Bellas Artes; map. A reasonable choice among the
chop-suey houses in Mexico City’s mini-Chinatown, serving the
usual standards (apart from chow mein, which is inexplicably
absent from the menu), as well as its own specialities such as
chicken Canton (M$85) or steamed fish with ginger (M$170).
Daily noon–8.30pm.
ZONA ROSA
Bistrot Mosaico Reforma 316 55 5525 8300;
Metro Insurgentes; map. A chain of French bakeries and
restaurants, this Reforma-side locale serves up fresh bread and
pastries out of the shop-front counter, while those looking for
classic French cooking such as bœuf
bourguignon (M$160) won’t be disappointed in the
restaurant. Also has a good selection of wines (around M$400 for
a good bottle). Daily 8am–11pm.
Don Asado Rio Lerma 210, Cuauhtémoc 55 5533
9000, donasado.com.mx; Metro Sevilla; map. Uruguayan steak house serving
wonderful chargrilled steaks, perfectly done to whatever turn
you so desire. A tira de asado (a
typical Uruguayan cut) will set you back M$140, or you can opt
for a mixed grill for two at M$360. Mon
& Sun 1–8pm, Tues–Thurs 1–11pm, Fri & Sat
1–11.30pm.
La Lanterna Reforma 458, at Toledo 55 5207
9969, lalanterna.neositios.com; Metro Insurgentes;
map. Long-standing and convivial
trattoria with an intimate and suitably Italian feel, enhanced
by pasta freshly made in-house and combined with a choice of
delicious sauces (M$151). The segundi
piatti are equally wonderful, with osso buco alla milanese or saltimbocca alla romana for M$199. Mon–Sat 1–11pm.
Restaurante Vegetariano Yug Varsovia 3 55 5525 5330;
Metro Insurgentes; map. A worthy contact point for
vegetarians and vegans, with breakfasts, salads (house salad
M$51) and antojitos in bright cheery
surroundings. There’s a particularly good buffet lunch upstairs
(1–5pm; Mon–Fri M$90, Sat & Sun M$100). Mon–Fri 7am–9pm, Sat & Sun
8.30am–8pm.
CONDESA
For serious dining, especially in the mid-range, head to Condesa, about 20min walk south of the Zona Rosa. We’ve mentioned a few options in this area, but they are really just starting points, and the real pleasure is in simply wandering around and seeing what takes your fancy. The two principal streets for hungry visitors are Tamaulipas and Michoacán on the west side of Nuevo León, and Amsterdam to the east, the circular road that runs around Parque México.
Agapi Mu Alfonso Reyes 96 55 5286
1384, agapimu.com.mx; Metro Juanacatlán or Patriotismo;
map. The best Greek restaurant in the
city, but very low-key and affordable as long as you don’t go
too mad on the retsina and Hungarian
wines. It’s especially fun from Thurs to Sat, when there’s live
music and Greek dancing. Moussaka (M$155) inevitably heads the
list of main courses, followed by less well-known but equally
delicious dishes such as psári costas
(fish wrapped in vine leaves in an egg and lemon sauce; M$140).
Mon & Sun 1.30–6pm, Tues–Sat
1.30–11pm.
Bellini 45th floor, World Trade Center, Av de
las Naciones 55 9000 8305, bellini.com.mx;
Metrobús Poliforum; map. A posh revolving restaurant at the
top of the city’s third-tallest building,
where business people come to impress their clients, and the
romantically inclined enjoy candlelit dinners. Dishes from an
international menu are prepared to the highest standards and
service is impeccable. It’s obviously not the cheapest place in
town, but not stupidly expensive either: even at the top end of
the menu, you can start with smoked salmon, caviar and avocado
for M$215, followed by red snapper in lobster sauce for M$290.
On Sun there’s a M$350 brunch until 2pm. Mon–Sat 1pm–2am, Sun 9am–11pm.
Bottega Culinaria Sonora 180 55 6434 9592;
Metrobús Sonora; map. A delicatessen with a kitchen
offering some of the best food around Parque México, this
relaxing spot is something of an oasis from the busier street a
few metres beyond the chunky wooden tables. Serves up excellent
cronuts (a croissant-doughnut hybrid), strong coffee and very
tasty sandwiches. Mon–Sat 9am–midnight,
Sun 9am–10pm.
Café la Gloria Vicente Suarez 43 55 5211
4185; Metro Patriotismo or Juanacatlán; map. Pleasant little bistro serving pasta
dishes, salads or the likes of chicken with mushrooms, spinach
and cream of elote (corn), or filet mignon (boh M$175). Desserts include
profiteroles, chocolate mousse or blueberry cheesecake. Mon–Fri 1pm–midnight, Sat & Sun
10am–1am.
Daikoku Michoacán 25 55 5584
9419; Metrobús Sonora; map. The best sushi in Condesa, and
possibly the city as a whole, Daikoku also serves up good ramen,
sashimi, tempura and Japanese desserts for fair prices (around
M$200/person). Also has a cookery school upstairs where you can
spend anywhere from an afternoon to three months learning the
mind-bogglingly precise art of sushi. Daily 1pm–12.30am.
Fonda Garufa Michoacán 93 55 5286
8295, garufa.com; Metro Patriotismo or Juanacatlán;
map. The original eatery of the colonia;
the loyal regulars will tell it you was here before Condesa was
cool, and it’s no wonder it has such longevity. Top-quality
cuisine as well as pastries and excellent coffee. Grab a
street-side table or head for the balony upstairs and watch
peaceful Condesa life go by as you tuck into excellent steaks
(house steak M$190) or dishes such as salmon mayonnaise (M$180).
Daily 8am–1am.
El Jamil Amsterdam 306 (at Celaya) 55 5564
9486; Metro Sevilla; map. A good Lebanese restaurant with
mezze such as hummus or babaghanouj (aka moutabel – eggplant and tahini dip) for M$60, and
mains such as shish tawouk
(charcoal-grilled chicken kebab) for M$155. You can round it off
with coffee and baklava, or sit outside and smoke a sheesha (water-pipe). Mon–Wed 1.30–11pm, Thurs–Sat 1.30–11.30pm,
Sun 9am–8pm.
Kitchen 6 Teotihuacan 14 at Amsterdam 55
5264 1748; Metrobús Sonora; map. Build your own burger (around M$120)
with the best ingredients, choosing everything from the bread
onwards, at this stylish (although rather dark) restaurant with
street-side tables and an extensive selection of craft beer. The
six-sauce fries (M$70) are also a good sharing option as well as
sandwiches and salads for those looking for something different.
Daily 1pm–midnight.
Mercado Roma Queretaro 225 55 5564 1396 mercadoroma.com; Metrobús Sonora; map. A big food hall with a collection of
gourmet world cuisines ranging from fantastic shawarma to
delectable tapas, with a friendly and attractive seating area at
the back, ringed by various bars serving up craft beer, wines
and the country’s best mescal and tequila. There’s a mezzanine
offering desserts and a rooftop bar with microbrewed beers and
signature cocktails. A very popular spot for the trendy crowd at
weekends. Daily 9am–6pm (ground floor),
9am–midnight (mezzanine and rooftop).
Mibong Campeche 396 55 5211
2078; Metro Juanacatlán; map. Serving authentic Southeast Asian
food from an open kitchen with fresh ingredients, this pleasant
restaurant is a popular lunch-time destination for Condesa
residents. The phô soup (M$165) is
particularly good, although you do the majority of the seasoning
yourself. Mon–Wed & Sun 1pm–12.30am,
Thurs–Sat 1pm–1.30am.
Second Amsterdam 76 (at Parras) 55 5553
3902; Metro Juanacatlán; map. Relaxed, low-lit corner restaurant
and café, open on both sides to pavement seating. Salads, pasta
dishes and mains such as chicken breast served with al dente vegetables (M$82) are all well
prepared. Daily 11am–1am.
Tandoor Amsterdam 72 (at Parras) 55 5553
9592; Metro Juanacatlán; map. The best curry in the area, thanks
largely to the fact they use a real tandoor oven, is served up in this maharaja-style
building with a pretty rooftop (the second-generation management
have their roots in Pakistan). The spices are authentic and you
can expect to eat well. Meals around M$300 per person, also does
takeaway. Mon–Sat 1pm–10.30pm, Sun
1–7pm.
El Zorzal Cnr of Alfonso Reyes and Tamaulipas
55 5273 6023; Metro Patriotismo; map. Argentine steakhouse serving up
juicy slices of steer (a 300g churrasco, for example, for
M$160), and alfajor pastries or crêpes
filled with dulce de leche for
dessert. There’s also a famous torta stand that operates on the
same corner (look for the multicoloured umbrella and long queue)
that serves up chilaquiles and chicken
sandwiches. Mon–Sat 1pm–midnight, Sun
1–10pm.
POLANCO
Bistro Charlotte Lope de Vega 341, at Presidente Masaryk
55 5250 4180, Metro Polanco; map. Great little lunch-time bistro where
the menu changes every fortnight or so and always offers an
interesting and international selection (roast beef and
Yorkshire pudding is not unknown, at M$285, even bangers and
mash for M$146, or prawns provençale for M$184). Mon–Fri & Sun 1–6pm.
Butcher & Sons Virgilio 8, at Parque Lincoln 55
5280 4247; Metro Auditorio; map. This chain, which also has a stand
in Mercado Roma, cooks up the best burgers (around
M$140) in Mexico City, with fresh-baked buns, delicious patties
and ingredient combinations named after rock stars. It’s worth
waiting for a street-side table since the interior gets a little
cramped. Mon, Tues & Sun noon–11pm,
Wed–Sat noon–1am.
Denominación de Origen Hegel 406, at Presidente Masaryk
55 5255 0612; Metro Polanco; map. Classy modern Spanish restaurant
with a long bar, lots of whole hams and dishes like bacalao a la vizcaína (saltfish
Basque-style, in sweet pepper sauce; M$314), or a superb
Andalusian gazpacho (M$77). Mon–Sat 1pm–midnight, Sun 1–5pm.
Eltuca’s Newton 116, at Lamartine 55 5545
8388 or 9; Metro Polanco; map. Forget the rubbish they sell at the
international junk-food chains: what you get here are proper
burgers, made from sirloin steak and grilled over charcoal. You
don’t get them flipped in an instant, but they’re worth the
wait. A straight burger is M$55, and for non-carnivores there
are salads, salmon-burgers (M$75) and veggie-burgers (M$75).
Home delivery available within Polanco. Daily noon–10pm.
SAN ÁNGEL AND SOUTH
The southern suburbs of San Ángel and Coyoacán are good hunting grounds and it is worth sticking around for your evening meal after a day’s sightseeing.
El Arroyo Insurgentes Sur 4003, Tlalpan, 6km south
of San Ángel 55 5573 4344, arroyorestaurante.com.mx; Metrobús Fuentes
Brotantes; map. Well off the beaten path, but worth
the journey, this unusual restaurant has a small bullring (used
by novice bullfighters in bloodless corridas April–Oct) and almost a dozen dining
areas that can jointly seat over 2500. There’s always a lively
atmosphere, helped along by mariachis and other entertainment
starting weekdays at 4pm, weekends at 5pm. The Mexican food is
good too – barbecued meats are the speciality, ordered by the
portion or by the kilo (pork barbecued in maguey leaves goes for
M$510 per kilo or M$260 a portion, a kilo being around four
portions) – and they usually keep at least four types of
flavoured pulque. Daily 8am–8pm.
Fonda San Ángel Plaza San Jacinto 3 55 5550
1641, Metrobús Dr Gálvez; map. Moderately priced restaurant
specializing in contemporary Mexican cuisine. Start off with a
“pre-Hispanic platter” of escamoles
(ant eggs), mescal worms and chipulines (grasshoppers) for M$345, followed by
bacalao a la veracruzana (saltfish
with onions and tomatoes) for M$170, or lengua
a la veracruzana (tongue prepared in a similar
fashion) for M$150. Mon–Sat
9am–midnight, Sun 9am–7pm.
San Ángel Inn Diego Rivera 50, at Altavista 55
5616 2222, sanangelinn.com; Metrobús Dr Gálvez; map. Popular with visiting dignitaries
and tourists, this late seventeenth-century former Carmelite
monastery has been an elegant restaurant with a sumptuous garden
setting since 1915. The menu has European overtones, but is
mainly Mexican, featuring starters such as huitlacoche crêpes (M$115), and mains such as
chiles stuffed with meat and cheese (M$160), plus fine wine or
margaritas to accompany it. Reservations required. Daily 1pm–1am.
Zeco Caffé Revolución 1382 55 5680
1092; Metro Barranca del Muerto; map. Smart modern Italian establishment
combining a café and spacious dining area. It is a little
inconveniently sited, but worth the journey for excellent
risotto and pasta dishes (such as risotto with prawns, nopales and green coriander for M$155) and
a wide range of mains (such as roast goat for M$245). It also
doubles as a bar and bakery. Mon–Sat
8am–midnight, Sun 8am–7pm.
COYOACÁN
La Esquina de los Milagros Plaza Jardín del Centenario 18-B
55 5659 2454; map. Elegant indoor dining with white
tablecloths, or outdoors on decking on the main square, with
dishes such as stuffed chile poblano
(M$120) or fish cooked in a banana leaf (M$135). There’s a
lunch-time menu (1–5pm) for M$95, and live jazz music Thurs–Sat
9–11pm, with jam sessions on Mon from 8pm. Daily 9am–midnight.
El Tajín Centro Veracruzano, Miguel Ángel de
Quevedo 687 55 5659 4447, eltajin.com.mx;
map. Veracruz specialities at medium to
high prices; the fish dishes, such as huachinango a la Veracruzana (snapper in tomato,
olive and caper sauce; M$200), and octopus in green herbs
(M$185), are exquisite. Mon–Fri 1–6pm,
Sat & Sun 1–7pm.
PULQUE AND PULQUERÍAS
Pulque is the fermented sap of the maguey cactus, a species of agave that grows in the countryside north and east of Mexico City. A pre-Hispanic concoction traditionally considered to be a poor man’s drink, pulque had its heyday in the first half of the twentieth century – but as beer, wine and spirits became more affordable, pulque’s stock went down. At one time there were over 1400 pulquerías in the capital, but today owners estimate that there are only around a hundred or so left. It’s possible, however that Mexico City’s pulquerías may yet see a revival, as the drink has seen a rise in popularity of late among young Mexicans, particularly students interested in their cultural roots. Regardless of demand, production continues much as it has done for centuries, with barrels being shipped daily to the capital.
Unless you are looking for them, pulquerías are hard to spot; they’re concentrated in less salubrious areas of town mostly unvisited by tourists and often have no sign, just a pair of swinging doors guarding a dark interior. Like cantinas, they are traditionally macho territory, and women are more likely to receive a respectful welcome when accompanied by male friends.
These places are not set up for anything much more sophisticated than knocking back glasses of the slightly astringent, viscous green-white beverage, usually ladled out of barrels behind the bar. The emphasis is as much on socializing as drinking, which is a good thing since most pulque is only two to four percent alcohol and getting drunk requires considerable commitment, particularly since the thick liquid is extremely bloating. The task is made easier when pulque is blended with fresh fruit juices – pineapple, oats, guava and many others – pulque flavoured in this manner is known as curado. The most popular hunting ground is the Plaza Garibaldi, although there’s a chance to try it on a night out in Condesa (see Wichitos).
Los Duellistas Aranda 30; Metro Sam Juan Letrán; map. During the day you are best off exploring the district south of Bellas Artes, where choices include this place which attracts a young clientele. Mon–Sat 9am–9pm.
La Hermosa Hortensia Plaza Garibaldi; Metro Garibaldi; map. Always brightly lit and usually has several good flavours served up to a cross section of men and women, locals and foreigners. Daily noon–midnight.
La Risa Mesones 71, on the cnr of Callejón de Mesones; Metro Isabel La Católica; map. Like the nearby Los Duellistas, this pulquería is another good daytime option, dating back to 1903. Daily 11am–10pm.
Wichitos Tamaulipas 104 
55 5211 7098;
Metro Juanacatlán; map. The only Condesa pulquería, serving up pure or curado flavours including pineapple, oats and guava by
the quarter (M$45), half (M$60) and whole litre (M$100). Has a good
food menu that tries to pack in the whole of Mexican rustic cuisine.
You can also try a sampler of three different pulques for M$35. Gets very lively at the weekends
when crowds come for the regular drinks they also serve. Mon & Sun noon–7pm, Tues & Wed
noon–midnight, Thurs–Sat noon–2am.
DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE
Club-oriented nightlife starts late, with live acts often hitting the stage after 11pm and few places really getting going before midnight. Cuban music is particularly popular, and with Cuba just a short flight away, Mexico City provides a local but international proving ground for the island’s talent.
BARS
Bars range from dirt-cheap pulquerías and cantinas to upscale lounges and hotel bars. As elsewhere in the country, cantinas and pulquerías are still largely a male preserve. More civilized bars, where you might sit around and chat, are relatively thin on the ground.
AROUND THE ZÓCALO AND THE ALAMEDA
La Ópera 5 de Mayo 10, near Bellas Artes
55 12 8959. Metro Bellas Artes; map. The best watering hole downtown,
in the grand tradition of upmarket cantinas with magnificent
fin-de-siècle decor – ornate
mahogany panelling, a brass-railed bar, gilt-framed mirrors in
the booths – and a bullet hole in the ceiling reputedly put
there by Pancho Villa. You also can dine here, but most people
come for a fairly pricey beer, tequila or cocktails in the
booths or at the bar. Mon–Sat
1pm–midnight, Sun 1–6pm.
Tio Pepe Independencia 26, at Dolores 55
5521 9136; Metro Bellas Artes; map. Convivial cantina with moulded
ceilings and wooden bar. Minstrels frequently drop in to bash
out a few numbers, and women are nowadays welcome, but may feel
more comfortable in the saloon (La
Mascota) next door. Mon–Thurs noon–10pm, Fri noon–11pm, Sat
noon–9.30pm.
ZONA ROSA, ROMA AND CONDESA
Wallace Tamaulipas 45, Condesa 55 5256
3534; Metro Chilpancingo; map. A stylish whisky bar on a street
with a number of cool options. The island bar here has over 100
brands of whisky and can make just about any cocktail you
request. There’s a chilled-out lounge upstairs, but reserve a
street-side table ahead of time if you want to make the most of
the street’s party atmosphere. DJs Thurs–Sat. Daily 3pm–2.30am.
SAN ÁNGEL AND COYOACÁN
La Camelia Madero 3 (by Plaza San Jacinto), San
Ángel 55 5616 5643; Metrobús Dr Gálvez; map. Early-evening boozing to recent US
and Latin pop hits, either inside or out on the street, at this
vintage cantina dating from 1931. There’s decent food and a
traditional, if never raucous, cantina atmosphere. Daily noon–11pm.
La Guadalupana Caballo Calco 7, on Plaza Hidalgo,
Coyoacán 55 5554 6253; map. Rather a refined and classic
cantina (established in 1932), and an excellent place to sink a
few beers of an evening. Mon–Sat
1pm–midnight.
El Hijo del Cuervo Jardín Centenario 17, Coyoacán 55
5659 5196, elhijodelcuervo.com.mx; map. Dark and hip bar with seats
overlooking the square and music that ranges from Latin rap to
rock. There’s no cover charge, and a lively evening atmosphere.
Mon–Thurs 4pm–midnight, Fri &
Sat 11am–2.30am, Sun 1–11.30pm.
< Back to Drinking and nightlife
LIVE MUSIC VENUES
The live music scene has broadened appreciably in recent years, and there are venues for all kinds of bands, offering anything from old-fashioned romantic ballads to cutting-edge alternative rock bands.
AROUND THE ZÓCALO AND THE ALAMEDA
Zinco Jazz Club Motolina 20, at 5 de Mayo 55 5512
3369, zincojazz.com; Metro Allende; map. Small but congenial venue,
really just a bar/restaurant with entertainment by local jazz
bands, tucked away in the vaults beneath the Art Deco splendour
of the Banco de México building. Entry M$80–250, depending on
what’s on. Wed–Sat (and sometimes Tues)
9pm–2am.
ZONA ROSA, ROMA AND CONDESA
Cantina Bicentenario Vicente Suarez 42, Condesa 55
5553 5451; Metro Juanacatlán; map. The most authentic cantina in trendy
Condesa, this is the place to come for a real Mexican drinking
experience. Mariachi bands, micheladas and botanas are served up
here with relish, no matter how messy you get. Mon–Wed noon–midnight, Thurs–Sat
noon–2am.
Multiforo Alicia Cuauhtémoc 91, between Colima and
Durango, Roma 55 5511 2100, multiforoalicia.blogspot.mx; Metro Cuauhtémoc;
map. “Who hasn’t been to Alicia doesn’t
know rock music”, they claim, which may be an exaggeration, but
this is still the place to catch Mexico’s latest rock ondas. Most of the action is on Fri &
Sat, from 8.30pm, but some shows start as early as 5pm. Expect
to pay M$70–150, depending who’s on. Hours vary according to programme.
Pata Negra Tamaulipas 30, Condesa 55 5211
5563; Metro Patriotismo or Sevilla; map. Music bar with an impressive
selection of fine spirits and live acts, mainly rock, usually
Mon, Tues & Sat, with DJs Fri and Sun. No cover charge for
the upstairs bar which has salsa classes on Wed and Sat at 8pm.
Main bar daily 1.30pm–2.30am (music
from 8.30pm); upstairs bar Tues–Sat 9pm–3am.
Ruta 61 Baja California 281, Condesa 55
5211 7602; Metro Chilpancingo; map. This cosy little blues club has jam
sessions on Wed (free), and live music Thurs–Sat (M$60–120
entry), with tables to sit at while listening (reservation
advised). Wed–Sat 8pm–2am; music starts
at 10pm.
TOQUES: SUPERCHARGED NIGHTLIFE
When out drinking in Mexico City, it’s not unusual to witness Mexicans electrocuting themselves for fun. The traditional drinking game Toques sees individuals or groups forming a human chain, undergoing increasingly strong electrical currents until they can take no more. The aim is to withstand the current as high up the voltage meter as possible before shouting for mercy, or “Ya!” in Spanish. The voltage starts at 20 and reaches a rare maximum of 120. The difficult leap is from 95 volts to 110. The men who offer this bizarre game patrol a route around the popular drinking areas (particularly the centre, Condesa, Roma, Zona Rosa) and identify themselves by clicking together the metal handles of their apparatus. A game costs around M$20 and ends when you cry for mercy. Groups play by linking hands (or touching any other bare bit of skin) to form a chain which can be broken by releasing any link. Despite the screams it may elicit, the game is safe, although it should be avoided by anyone with a heart pacemaker.
< Back to Drinking and nightlife
CLUBS
Entry can be expensive, as much as M$300 for men (women often get in for much less or sometimes for free), though this is likely to include a drink, or even bar libre, where your drinks are free for at least part of the evening. Be aware that dress restrictions are still very much the order of the day here, and a lot of clubs won’t let you in wearing jeans or trainers.
Love Masaryk 169, Polanco 55 5254
3535; Metro Polanco; map. A discotheque, like they used to
make them, complete with dress-to-impress wardrobe rules, chic decor
and lots of pretty young patrons shaking their booties to pop hits
old and new, but unless you’re a VIP, you’ll need to reserve in
advance (by phone or online) in order to get in. Entry usually M$250
for men, free for women. Wed–Sat
11pm–4.30am.
Mama Rumba Querétaro 230, at Medellin, Roma 55
5564 6920 or 55 5564 7823; Metro
Insurgentes; map. Reservations are advised for this
dance bar. The Hispano-Afro-Caribbean rhythms pumped out by the
Cuban house band get the small dancefloor packed, so come prepared
to move your feet even if you don’t know the steps. Bands come on at
11pm. Wheelchair access. Wed–Sat
9pm–3am.
El Vicio (formerly El Hábito) Madrid 13, Coyoacán
55 5659 1139, elvicio.com.mx;
Metro Coyoacán (800m); map. Small and quirky fringe theatre and
music club, with plays and live jazz. Also on site are Novo’s restaurant and the Teatro la Capilla.
Hours vary according to what’s on, but
typically Wed–Sun 8.30am–2am.
< Back to Drinking and nightlife
GAY BARS
The Zona Rosa (pink zone) is Mexico City’s gay zone, and in particular the northernmost section of Amberes between Hamburgo and Reforma, where you’ll find a slew of gay and lesbian bars. The listings magazine Tiempo Libre also has a section on gay and lesbian events and locales.
El Marrakech Generalito Filomeno Mata 18-H 55 5518
3711; Metro Allende; map. One of the city centre’s most
popular gay spots away from the Zona Rosa, although straight people
are also welcome. There’s a sweaty dancehall at the back which is
definitely for those of rainbow flag persuasion, and lively karaoke
on Sun. Also does decent food until around 7pm. Mon–Wed noon–11pm, Thurs–Sun noon–3am.
Gayta Amberes 18 55 5207 7626;
Metro Insurgentes; map. Pumping house music, black lights
and a generally garish ambience make this pretty loud all round for
such a small venue. Lesbians supposedly have their own smoochy pink
section called the Pussy Bar, although
male-male and male-female couples can also be found there. Mon–Thurs & Sun 1pm–midnight, Fri & Sat
1pm–2am.
Papi Amberes 18 at Estrasburgo 55 5208
3755; Metro Insurgentes; map. Billing itself as “the original fun
bar”, this is a place for kitsch pop music, drag acts, beer,
cocktails and general hedonism, generally for boys rather than
girls, but it’s not as if they’re fussy. Mon–Wed & Sun 4pm–2am, Thurs–Sat 3pm–3am.
Touch Amberes 11 at Reforma 55 3231
9728; Metro Insurgentes; map. A multi-level club offering raucous
karaoke on the ground floor, a disco playing classic hits in the
middle and full-on rave/electro higher up. There’s a quieter terrace
for smoking and chat on the top. Tues–Sun
5pm–2.30am.
ENTERTAINMENT
Mainstream Hollywood movies make it to Mexico
just a few weeks after their release in the US and often before they get a
British or European release. One of the largest concentrations of cinemas is
along Insurgentes, where half a dozen multiplexes total around fifty screens
in all, with prices around M$40–60. While Mexican theatre tends to be rather turgid, there are often excellent
classical music concerts and opera or ballet performances by
touring companies. The Palacio de
Bellas Artes and the Auditorio Nacional are the main venues, but other
downtown theatres, as well as the Polyforum and the Teatro de
los Insurgentes, may have interesting shows. For listings, see the
weekly magazine Tiempo Libre (tiempolibre.com.mx).
Casa del Lago Bosque de Chapultepec (by the lake, near
entrance on Reforma) 55 5553 6362, www.casadellago.unam.mx; Metro Auditorio; map. Music, dance and film all feature among
the cultural activities organized by the University (UNAM) at this
beautiful lakeside mansion in Chapultepec Park, but the most popular
events are the Sat afternoon classical concerts, which are listed on the
website, and almost always free. Sat afternoon
concerts usually either noon–1pm or 1–2pm; times for other events
vary.
SHOPPING AND MARKETS
English-language books and newspapers
The big advantage of shopping in the capital is that you can get goods from all over the country and, if you are flying out of here, you don’t have to lug them around Mexico, though they will usually be more expensive than at the source. An odd hangover from Aztec times is the practice of devoting a whole street to one particular trade, which occurs to some extent throughout the city. There are blocks where you can buy nothing but stationery, while other areas are packed exclusively with shoe shops and still others only sell musical instruments. Every area of the city has its own market selling food and essentials, and many others set up stalls for just one day a week along a suburban street. Replica Mexican football shirts can be found in the tianguis (street markets) on San Juan Letrán between Bellas Artes and Salto del Agua, or those in the streets north and east of the Zócalo.
MARIACHI IN PLAZA GARIBALDI
Plaza Garibaldi (Metros Bellas Artes and Garibaldi) is the traditional final call on a long night around the capital’s bars, and as the night wears on and the drinking continues, it can get pretty rowdy. The plaza is on Lázaro Cárdenas, five blocks north of Bellas Artes in a thoroughly sleazy area of cheap bars, grimy hotels and several brightly lit theatres offering burlesque and strip shows. Despite a high-profile police presence, pickpockets are always a threat and it’s best to avoid coming laden down with expensive camera equipment or an obviously bulging wallet.
Hundreds of competing mariachi bands gather here in the evenings, all in their tight, silver-spangled charro finery and vast sombreros, to play for anyone who’ll pay them. A typical group consists of two or four violins, a brass section of three trumpeters standing some way back so as not to drown out the others, three or four men on guitars of varying sizes and a vocalist, though a truly macho man will rent the band and do the serenading himself. Mariachis take their name, supposedly, from the French mariage, it being traditional during the nineteenth-century French intervention to rent a group to play at weddings. You may also come across norteño bands from the border areas with their Tex-Mex brand of country music, or the softer sounds of marimba musicians from the south. Simply wander round the square and you’ll get your fill – should you want to be individually serenaded, pick out a group and negotiate your price.
At the back of the square is a huge market hall in which a whole series of stalls serve simple food and vie furiously for customers. Alternatively, there is at least one prominent pulquería on the square, and a number of fairly pricey restaurant/bars, which try to drown out the mariachi bands with their own canned music, and tempt customers with their no-cover entry. The last Metro leaves at midnight.
DEPARTMENT STORES
Liverpool Carranza 92 (across 20 de Noviembre from El
Palacio de Hierro) 55 5133 2800, liverpool.com.mx;
Metro El Sagrario; map. The original branch of a
nationwide chain founded in the nineteenth century, which originally
imported much of its stock from the English port from which it takes
its name. Mon–Fri 11am–8.30pm, Sat 11am–9pm,
Sun 11am–7.30pm.
El Palacio de Hierro 20 de Noviembre 3 (just south of the Zócalo)
55 5728 9905, elpalaciodehierro.com.mx; Metro El Sagrario; map. A department store whose
original branch, established in 1891, is actually in colonia Roma
(at Durango 230). It’s generally considered the most upmarket of
Mexico City’s department stores. Mon–Fri
11am–8.30pm, Sat 11am–9pm.
Sanborns Madero 4 (near the main post office)
55 5512 7882, sanborns.com.mx;
Metro Bellas Artes; map. Sells books, maps and quantities
of tacky souvenirs, and also has a sizeable pharmacy, as well as a
good restaurant, all housed in the beautiful Casa de los Azulejos. Daily 7am–1am.
< Back to Shopping and markets
CRAFTS
Central Artesanal Buenavista Aldama 187, just east of the former train station; Metro Buenavista; map. Handicrafts from around the country in what is claimed to be Mexico’s largest shop. Rather pricey compared to the Ciudadela, and less characterful. Daily 9am–6pm.
Centro Artesanal de San Juan (Mercado de Curiosidades Mexicanas) About five blocks south of the Alameda along Dolores; Metro San Juan de Letrán; map. Modern tourist-oriented complex that’s possibly the least appealing of the major artesanía markets, though there are still deals to be had (particularly in silver), provided you haggle. Mon–Sat 9am–7pm, Sun 9am–4pm.
Ciudadela cnr of Balderas and Emilio Donde; Metro Balderas; map. The best place in the capital to buy regional crafts and souvenirs from every part of the country. If you forgot to pick up a hammock in the Yucatán or some Olinalá lacquerwork in Guerrero, fear not: you can buy them here for not a great deal more. Bargaining has limited rewards. Mon–Sat 9am–7pm, Sun 9am–6pm.
FONART Juárez 89 (at Balderas) 55 5521
0171, fonart.gob.mx; Metro Hidalgo; map. FONART is a government agency
that promotes crafts and helps the artisans with marketing and
materials. The fixed prices are usually higher than elsewhere, but
it is worth visiting to check price and quality before venturing to
the markets. FONART also has outlets at Reforma 116 (at Milán; Metro
Cuauhtémoc) and the airport (Terminal 2). Mon–Fri 10am–7pm, Sat 10am–6am, Sun 10am–4pm.
BALLET FOLKLÓRICO
The Ballet Folklórico (55
5529 9320 to 22, balletamalia.com) is
a long-running, internationally famed compilation of traditional
dances from all over the country, elaborately choreographed and
designed, and interspersed with Mexican music and singing. Despite
the billing, it isn’t really very traditional – although it does
include several of the more famous native dances, they are very
jazzed up and incorporated into what is, in effect, a regular
musical that wouldn’t be out of place on Broadway.
The Ballet Folklórico perform in the Palacio de Bellas Artes, where the theatre is an attraction in itself.
Performances are on Sunday at 9.30am and 8.30pm, and Wednesday at
8.30pm. You should try to book at least a couple of days in advance
– tickets (M$300–800) are available either
from the Palacio de Bellas Artes box office direct (Mon–Sat
11am–7pm, Sun 8.30am–7pm) or through Ticketmaster (55 5325
9000, ticketmaster.com.mx) – or arrange to go with an organized
tour, for which you’ll pay a considerable premium.
< Back to Shopping and markets
MARKETS
Bazar Sábado Plaza San Jacinto, San Ángel; Metrobús Dr Gálvez; map. Very popular open-air art and sculpture market that operates on Sat only, although pretty much the same market moves lock, stock and barrel the next day (Sun) to Parque Sullivan, just north of the Zona Rosa. Sat 11am–5pm.
Coyoacán markets Metro Viveros; map. There are two interesting markets in Coyoacán: the daily market, three blocks up from Plaza Hidalgo, on Allende between Malintzin/Xicoténcatl and Plaza Hidalgo, is mostly given over to food, although it also sells crafts, clothing and other things; the Mercado de Artesanías, at Carrillo Puerto 25, is a covered market for crafts and street fashion formerly held on Sun in the main square. Daily market 9am–7pm; Mercado de Artesanías daily (but biggest day Sat) 10am–9pm.
La Lagunilla Spreading along Rayon, a couple of blocks north of the Plaza Garibaldi; buses (“La Villa”) heading north on Reforma, or Metro Garibaldi; map. Comes closest to rivalling La Merced in size and variety, but is best visited on a Sun when the tianguis expands into the surrounding streets, with more stalls selling stones, used books, crafts and bric-a-brac. Daily 10am–7pm.
Mercado de Sonora Three blocks south of La Merced on Fray Servando Teresa de Mier; Metro La Merced; map. This market is famous for its sale of herbal medicines, medicinal and magical plants, and the curanderos (indigenous herbalists) who go there. Nowadays you’ll find anything from conjuring tricks and novelties to statues of underground religious figures such as La Santa Muerte and Jesús Malverde. Mon–Sat 8am–7pm, Sun 8am–5pm.
La Merced Corner of Izazaga San Pablo and Eje 1 Ote; Metro La Merced; map. The city’s largest market, a collection of huge modern buildings, which still can’t contain the vast number of traders who want to set up here. Almost anything you could conceive of finding in a Mexican market (and much more) is sold here, though fruit, vegetables and other foods dominate. Even if you’re not buying you could easily spend half a day browsing metre-diameter columns of nopal leaves as high as a man, stacks of dried chiles and all manner of hardware from juice presses to volcanic-stone mortars known as molcajetes. The Metro takes you right into the heart of things. Daily 6am–6pm.
Palacio de las Flores Corner of Luis Moya and Ernesto Pugibet; Metro Salto de Agua or Balderas; map. A small market selling nothing but flowers – loose, in vast arrangements and wreaths, growing in pots, even paper and plastic. Similar markets can be found in San Ángel and Xochimilco. Mon–Sat 8am–8pm, Sun 8am–2pm.
THE DEMISE OF HAGGLING
Haggling for a bargain is no longer the thrilling (or daunting) prospect it once was in Mexico City. The nation’s increasing prosperity and sophistication means that most things have fixed prices. As a tourist (and especially if your Spanish is poor) you can expect people to try to bump up the price occasionally, but on the whole what you see is what you pay.
< Back to Shopping and markets
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE BOOKS AND NEWSPAPERS
International weeklies are available downtown from newspaper stands (especially along 5 de Mayo). Sanborns, dotted all over town, usually have a modest supply of English-language material, much of it business-oriented. Terminal 1 at the airport has numerous small shops partly stocked with English-language magazines and airport novels, plus a few foreign newspapers.
American Book Store Bolivar 23, Centro Histórico 55 5512
0306; Metro Allende; map. Despite the name, their stock of
books in English is limited and mostly business or
computer-oriented. OK for a few paperbacks, magazines and
newspapers. Mon–Fri 10am–6.45pm, Sat
10am–5.45pm.
La Torre del Papel Callejón de Betlemitas 6a, beside the Museo del Ejército y Fuerza, near the central post office; Metro Bellas Artes; map. Stocks up-to-date newspapers from all over Mexico and Latin America as well as a good showing of US, British, Spanish and Italian newspapers, plus magazines such as National Geographic, The Economist, Entertainment Weekly and Paris Match. Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–3pm.
LA LUCHA LIBRE
Though its popularity has waned in recent years, lucha libre, or wrestling, remains one of Mexico’s most avidly followed spectator sports. Over a dozen venues in the capital alone host fights several nights a week for a fanatical public. Widely available magazines, comics, photonovels and films recount the real and imagined lives of the rings’ heroes and villains, though the nightly telecasts are now a thing of the past.
Mexican wrestling is generally faster, with more complex moves, and more combatants in the ring at any one time than you would normally see in an American or British bout. This can make the action hard to follow for the uninitiated. More important, however, is the maintenance of stage personas, most of whom, heroes or villains, wear masks. The rudos tend to use brute force or indulge in sneaky, underhanded tactics to foil the opposition, while the técnicos use wit and guile to compensate for lack of brawn. This faux battle, not at all unlike WWE on-screen antics, requires a massive suspension of disbelief – crucial if you want to join in the fun.
One of the most bizarre features of wrestling was the emergence of wrestlers as political figures – typically still in costume. The most famous of these, Superbarrio, arose from the struggle of Mexico City’s tenant associations for fair rents and decent housing (after the 1985 earthquake), to become part of mainstream political opposition, even challenging government officials to step into the ring with him, and acting as a sort of unofficial cheerleader at opposition rallies.
The most famous wrestler of all time, however, was without doubt El Santo (“the Saint”). Immortalized in more than twenty movies, with titles such as El Santo vs the Vampire Women, he would fight, eat, drink and play the romantic lead without ever removing his mask, and until after his retirement, he never revealed his identity. His reputation as a gentleman in and out of the ring was legendary, and his death in 1984 widely mourned. His funeral was allegedly the second best-attended in Mexican history after that of President Obregón.
In Mexico City, fights can usually be seen on Tuesdays at the Arena Coliseo, Peru 77 (Metro Allende), and on Fridays at the Arena México, Dr Lucio 197 at Dr Lavista, Colonia Doctores (two blocks south and one east of Metro Balderas, but not a good area to be in at night). Tickets are sold on the door.
SPORT
Sport is probably the city’s biggest obsession, and while football, wrestling and bullfighting are the three leading lights, the sporting calendar doesn’t stop there. One sport that’s missing is Frontón, which used to be played at Frontón México, on Plaza de la República, but it closed when the players went on strike in 1993, and has never reopened.
HORSE RACING AND RODEO
Hipodromo de las Americas Industria Militar, Lomas de Sotelo 55
5387 0600, hipodromo.com.mx; Metro Cuatro Caminos; map. Horse racing throughout the year,
particularly Sat afternoons; buses and peseros heading west on Reforma will take you there –
look for “Hipodromo”.
Rancho del Charro Constituyentes 500 (near the Third Section
of Chapultepec Park) 55 5277 8706, asociacionnacionaldecharros.com; pesero (routes #2,
#24 and others) along Constituyentes from Metro Chapultepec;
map. More exciting horse action in the
charreadas, or rodeos, put on here by
amateur but highly skilled aficionados most weekends (often free);
call or check their website to find out what’s going on.
FOOTBALL
Fútbol (football, meaning soccer) is undoubtedly Mexico’s most popular
sport. There are usually at least two games every Sun afternoon
(Jan–June & Aug–Nov; check local papers for fixture details) and
you can almost always get a ticket (M$100–1500) at the gate. The
exceptions are the big games such as major local derbies, and “El
Clásico”, when América host Chivas from Guadalajara, the biggest
team from the country’s second-largest city; if you want to be sure
of a ticket, they can be bought in advance from Ticketmaster
(55 5325 9000, ticketmaster.com.mx).
Estadio Azteca Tren Ligero or Ruta #26 (“Xochimilco”) colectivo, both from Metro Tasqueña; map. The big games are held at the 114,000-seat Estadio Azteca, which hosted the World Cup finals in 1970 and 1986, and is home to América (Las Águilas, or The Eagles), the nation’s most popular and consistently successful club side. Mexico City’s other major team, Atlante (Los Potros, “the Colts”), shares the stadium with América.
Estadio Azul Metro San Antonio or from Metrobús station Ciudad de los Desportes on Insurgentes; map. Cruz Azul (known as Los Cementeros for having been started and still owned by a cement company to the north of the city) pack out Estadio Azul right by the city’s main bullring.
Estadio Olímpico “Tlalpan” bus from Metro Chilpancingo; map. Elsewhere in the city, the university side, UNAM (Las Pumas), have a strong following at the Estadio Olímpico across the road from the university.
BULLFIGHTING
Plaza México Ciudad de los Deportes lamexico.com;
Metrobús down Insurgentes to Ciudad de los Deportes, or walk
10min east from Metro San Antonio; map. This giant 48,000-seat arena is the
largest bullring in the world, with elaborate posters around town
and most major newspapers advertising upcoming events. Look out too
for the weekly coverage of the scene in the press during the season.
Tickets can be bought at the gate and you can pay as little as M$70
for general admission to sunny concrete benches far from the action.
Ten pesos more and you’ll have the luxury of some shade, and from
there prices rise rapidly the closer you get to the ring, reaching
as much as M$700 for a front-row seat in the shade. During the season (the longer temporada grande,
late Oct or early Nov to early April, or the shorter temporada
chica, July to early Oct) fights take place every Sun at
4pm.
BULLFIGHTING
Soccer and wrestling may be more popular, but there is no event more quintessentially Mexican than the bullfight. Rooted in Spanish machismo and imbued with multiple layers of symbolism and interpretation, it transcends a mere battle of man against animal. If you don’t mind the inherent cruelty of the spectacle (essentially you’re watching an animal being artfully tortured to death), it’s worth attending a corrida de toros to see this integral part of the Mexican experience. It is a sport that transcends class barriers; every Sunday afternoon during the winter season men and women from all walks of Mexican society file into the stadium – though some admittedly end up in plush sombra (shade) seats while the masses occupy concrete sol (sun) terraces.
Each corrida lasts around two hours and involves six bulls, all from one ranch, with each of three matadors taking two bulls. Typically there will be two Mexican matadors and one from Spain, which still produces the best performers. Each fight is divided into three suertes (acts) or tercios (thirds), each announced by a trumpet blast. During the first tercio, several toreros with large capes tire the bull in preparation for the picadores who, from their mounts atop heavily padded and blindfolded horses, attempt to force a lance between the bull’s shoulder blades to further weaken him. The toreros then return for the second tercio, in which one of their number (and sometimes the matador himself) will try to stab six metal-tipped spikes (known as bandilleras) into the bull in as clean and elegant a manner as possible.
Exhausted and frustrated, but by no means docile, the bull is now considered ready for the third and final tercio, the suerte de muleta. The matador continues to tire the bull while pulling off as many graceful and daring moves as possible. By now the crowd will have sensed the bravery and finesse of the matador and the spirit of the bull he is up against, and shouts of “¡Olé!” will reverberate around the stadium with every pass. Eventually the matador will entice the bull to challenge him head-on, standing there with its hooves together. As it charges he will thrust his sword between its shoulder blades and, if it is well executed, the bull will crumple to the sand. However barbaric you might think it is, no one likes to see the bull suffer and even the finest performance will garner the matador little praise without a clean kill. Successful matadors may be awarded one of the bull’s ears, rarely two, and perhaps two or three times a season the tail as well. An especially courageous bull may be spared and put out to stud, a cause for much celebration, but this is a rare spectacle.
DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange ATMs are widespread. If using a bank, note that many will only change money in the morning, and may not change currencies other than US dollars; Banamex is generally your best bet. Most large hotels and shops will change dollar travellers’ cheques and cash dollars, but the quickest and easiest places to change money are casas de cambio, scattered all over town. In the centro histórico try CI Banco, Madero 27, at Bolivar (Mon–Fri 9am–6pm, Sat 10am–4pm), or Cambios Exchange, at Madero 13, near Gante (Mon–Sat 9.30am–7pm, Sun 10am–6pm). You’ll find several in the Zona Rosa, especially on Amberes, Londres and Liverpool, and a couple on the south side of Reforma, just south of the Monumento a la Revolución.
Courier services DHL, Madero 70-C, Centro Histórico 800 765 6345, dhl.com.mx; FedEx, Reforma 308,
Zona Rosa (Mon–Fri 9am–7pm, Sat 9am–2pm), and other locations
(800 900 1100, fedex.com/mx_english).
Cultural institutes Several countries maintain cultural institutes and libraries for their
nationals within Mexico City, often allowing short-term visitors to use
some of their facilities. They can also be useful places for contacts,
and if you’re looking for work, long-term accommodation or travelling
companions, their notice boards are good places to start. The US has the
Biblioteca Benjamín Franklin, Liverpool 31, at Berlin (Mon–Fri 10am–7pm;
55 5592 3483, usembassy-mexico.gov/biblioteca; Metro Cuauhtémoc); the UK
has the British Council, Lope de Vega 316, Chapultepec (Mon–Fri 8am–7pm;
55 5263 1900; Metro Polanco).
Embassies and consulates Australia, Rubén Darío 55, Polanco (55 1101 2200, mexico.embassy.gov.au; Metro Auditorio); Belize, Bernardo de
Gálves 215, Lomas de Chapultepec (55 5520 1274,
embelize@prodigy.net.mx); Canada, Schiller 529,
Polanco (55 5724 7900, toll-free emergency number for
Canadians 001 800 514 0129, canadainternational.gc.ca/mexico-mexique; Metro Polanco);
Guatemala, Explanada 1025, Lomas de Chapultepec (55 5520
6680, embajadaguatemalamx.mex.tl); Ireland, Manuel Avila Camacho 76
3°, Lomas de Chapultepec (55 5520 5803, irishembassy.com.mx;
Metro Polanco or Auditorio); New Zealand, Jaime Balmes 8 4°, Polanco
(55 5283 9460, nzembassy.com/mexico;
Metro Polanco); South Africa, Andrés Bello 10 9°, Polanco (55
1100 4970, safrica@prodigy.net.mx; Metro
Polanco); UK, Río Lerma 71, consular section at Rio Usumacinta 30,
Cuauhtémoc (55 1670 3200, ukinmexico.fco.gov.uk/en; Metro Insurgentes); US, Reforma 305
at Danubio, Zona Rosa (55 5080 2000, mexico.usembassy.gov;
Metro Insurgentes).
Emergencies All emergency services (police, fire, ambulance) 080;
police 060; fire department 068; Red Cross
ambulance 065; Locatel, which gives information on
missing persons and vehicles, medical emergencies, emotional crises and
public services 55 5658 1111, locatel.df.gob.mx;
tourist helpline 55 5250 0123 or 55 5250
0151.
Hospitals The American-British Cowdray Hospital (ABC) is at the junction of
Observatorio and Sur 136, Col Las Américas (55 5230 8000,
abchospital.com;
Metro Observatorio). Embassies should be able to provide a list of
multilingual doctors if necessary. As for pharmacies, Sanborns offers a
wide range of products at most branches, as well as dispensing some
prescription drugs. Other options include El Fénix, Madero 41 (at
Motolinia; 55 5527 0060), and Isabel la Católica 15 (at 5
de Mayo; 55 5527 0060). There are homeopathic pharmacies
at Mesones 111-B (at 20 Noviembre; 55 5542 2755) and
República Guatemala 16 (behind the cathedral; 55 5512
3527).
Internet Cybercafés generally charge around M$10–15/hr. Those in the suburbs (there are several in Xochimilco, for example) tend to be slightly cheaper than those in town. In the centre, most places are closed at weekends; options include: Internet Express, ground floor, Centro Comercial Bialos, Donceles 87, on the corner of Brasil (Mon–Sat 10am–6pm; M$20/hr; Metro Zócalo or Allende); Lafoel Internet Service, Donceles 80, at Brasil (Mon–Fri 9am–9pm; M$25/hr; Metro Zócalo or Allende); Alegro, Tacuba 849 (Mon–Fri 9am–8pm; M$25/hr; Metro Allende). In the Zona Rosa, there are several inside the roundabout at Glorieta Insurgentes, all charging around M$20/hr.
Laundry Self-service launderettes are surprisingly rare in Mexico City, but most hotels should be able to point one out. Options include: La Maquina, 2nd floor, Centro Comercial Bialos, Donceles 87, on the corner of Brasil (Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–2pm); and Lavandería Automática Edison, Edison 91, at Arriaga, near the Plaza de la República (Mon–Fri 9am–7pm, Sat 9am–6pm; Metro Revolución).
Left luggage Most hotels will hold your bags for the rest of the day after you’ve checked out, and some will allow you to leave excess luggage for several days, sometimes for a small charge. All four main bus terminals and both airport terminals have left-luggage facilities, though prices vary vastly (the Central del Norte is the cheapest).
Photographic supplies For specialist needs, head to C Donceles, between Republica de
Argentina and Allende, or Foto Regis at Juárez 80, on the south side of
the Alameda (fotoregis.com).
Post office The main post office is on Lázaro Cárdenas at Tacuba, across the street from Bellas Artes (Mon–Fri 8am–5.30pm, Sat 8am–1.30pm). Branch offices (Mon–Fri 8am–4.30pm, Sat 8.30am–noon) can be found at Ponciano Arriaga 11, near the Revolution Monument, and Higuera 23 in Coyoacán, among other places. For speedier and more reliable delivery (though a lot more expensive, of course), see “Courier services”.
Spanish courses There are many Spanish courses in the city, though most people prefer
to study in such places as Cuernavaca, San Miguel de Allende and
Guanajuato. For those who prefer the metropolis, the most prestigious
language school in town is the Universidad Autonomo’s Centro de
Enseñanza para Extranjeros, located at Universidad 3002 in the Ciudad
Universitaria (55 5622 2470, cepe.unam.mx). Also worth
checking out is planeta.com/mexico.html, which has good links to Mexican
language schools.
Telephones Local, domestic long-distance and international phone calls can be made from any public phone with a phonecard. Cheaper international calls can be made via the internet, though very few internet locales offer this service – those which do include a couple inside the roundabout at Glorieta Insurgentes. Otherwise, a number of shops have public phones (for international services look for the blue “Larga Distancia” signs). You can dial direct from most big hotels, but it will cost much more. Casetas de larga distancia are closing down in the face of widespread use of cardphones.
Visas and tourist cards Should you lose your tourist card, or want an extension, apply, when
your original length of stay is almost finished, to the Instituto de
Migración, Ejército National 862, at the western end of Polanco (Mon–Fri
9am–1pm; 800 004 6264; peseros
from Chapultepec to Toreo run along Ejército Nacional). Extensions are
pretty much routine if the period is two weeks or less, and should take
around half an hour; go to desk D23 – “Ampliación de Estancia”. Longer
extensions will require copies, form filling and possibly an onward
ticket or proof of sufficient funds.
Travel agencies A particularly good firm for youth and student fares is Mundo Joven
(mundojoven.com), with
offices at Guatemala 4 behind the cathedral (55 5518
1755), Eugenio Sue 342, at Homero in Polanco (55 5250
7191), and Terminal 1, Sala E2 in the airport (55
2599 0155).
FIESTAS IN MEXICO CITY
Día de los Santos Reyes (Jan 6). Celebrations include a fiesta with dancing at Nativitas, a suburb near Xochimilco.
Bendicíon de los Animales (Jan 17). Children’s pets and peasants’ farm animals are taken to the cathedral to be blessed.
Día de San Pedro (June 29). Marked by traditional dancing in San Pedro Actopan, on the southern outskirts of the DF.
Día de Santa Marta (July 25). Celebrated in Milpa Alta, near Xochimilco, with Aztec dances and mock fights between Moors and Christians.
Independence Day (Sept 15). The president of the republic proclaims the famous Grito at 11pm in the Zócalo, followed by the ringing of the Campana de Dolores and a huge firework display.
Día de Santa Cecilia (Nov 22). Santa Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians, and her fiesta attracts orchestras and mariachi bands from all over to Santa Cecilia Tepetlapa, near Xochimilco.
Día de la Señora de Guadalupe (Dec 12). The saint’s day of Mexico’s favourite Virgin heralds a massive pilgrimage to the Basilica of Guadalupe, running for several days, with a more secular celebration of music and dancing.