Turistic Sites in Mexico City

The sites registered by the Ministry of Tourism are more than 600, which include archaeological sites, religious, governmental, residential, cultural, and gastronomic buildings, etc.

The most visited places by tourists in Mexico City and its surroundings, we have divide it by ages of its history, and are the following:

Archaeological sites:

Cuicuilco (first city with monumental buildings in Mexico, the most important being the so-called circular pyramid), Teotihuacán (the largest and most important city before the seventh century, whose real name is not known and housed around one hundred and fifty thousand people), Tenochtitlan (the most important city in Mexico, founded by the Aztecs, which housed around two hundred and fifty thousand people and dominated from the southern of Mexico and the north of Central America -Mesoamerica-), Tlatelolco (City founded by a separate group of Mexicas, where the fiercest battle against the Spaniards took place, preserves the pre-Hispanic temples, the church built with the stones of the Mexica temples, and where in 1968 the most important demonstration of students was repressed with bullets by of the government, took place). Xochimilco (you can see how the lakes in the Valley of Mexico were populated, and you can see how the ancient Mexicans made artificial islands that covered the surface of the lakes that flooded the entire Valley of Mexico, and lived and croped on top of the water).

Also very much visited the Museum of Anthropology: (it shows the most representative art and life of the ancient Mexicans and modern natives).

Colonial time or viceroyalty:

The National Palace (Hernan Cortes’s house, where the Palace of Moctezuma Ilhuicamina was, it was bought by the viceroyalty for the government palace, and is the official government precinct untill today. Also, prehispanic and modern Mexico’s history is painted with murals by Diego Rivera), the Cortes’ Hacienda of Coyoacan, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Villa of Guadalupe (where the Virgin Mary appeared and millions of pilgrims arrive every day), the Church of the old convent of San Francisco (first convent of Mexico), the College San Ildefonso (first school in post-Columbian Mexico), the Church of the Profesa (which preserves an excellent pinacoteca of the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries), the Church of the old convent of Santo Domingo and the Palace of the Inquisition (which the Dominicans managed), the sculpture of El Caballito (first equestrian sculpture of the Americas), the Mining Palace  (which conserves huge meteorites and is a masterpiece of architecture), the Palace of Iturbide (architectonic jewel of the baroque that also hosts exhibitions), the House of Azulejos (house of walls of excellent Mexican ceramic walls).

Church and museum of Carmen (monastic life display), Saint Angel Square (sample of the colonial urbanization), Former Hacienda of Goicoechea or San Angel Inn (sample of  colonial mansions).

The Castle of Chapultepec (viceregal rest palace, the only real royal palace of the Americas, old military academy and presidential residence).

Independient Mexico:

The Reforma Boulevard (the most exquisite boulevard of the city, built as a royal walk to the Chapultepec woods, where the Aztec or Mexica emperors rested, as did the city dwellers, before the urbanization reached it in the 20th century).

Porfiriato (end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century):

The Palace of Fine Arts and the Post Office Palace (considered as the greatest architectural beauty of the city), the Mexican Building, the Emerald Building, the Tacuba Café.

Modern time:

The University City, with holds murals on the University Library and the Olympic Stadium, Diego Rivera’s Studio (shows some of his non-mural works), the Frida Kahlo’s House Museum (showing where she lived, her furniture and some of her works, along with photographs of her life).

Other sites of interest are:

Churubusco, Mexicaltzingo, Mixquic, Hill of the Star in Iztapalapa, Tlacopan (Tacuba), Texcoco, old palace of Axayácatl, The Merced, Mexicaltzingo, Pyramid of Ehecatl, The tree of the sad night.

Chapel of the Conception, House of Tlaxcala, Square and Church and Fountain of Loreto, Church and former convent of Saint Theresa la nueva, House of the Captain of Chavarria, Houses oficina the Estate of Guerrero, Palace of the Archbishopric, building of the Supreme Court of Justice , The Alameda, The Viga, Church of the former convent of Saint Hipólito, Church of Saint Veracruz, Salto del Agua (Fountain of the Waterfall), Convent of Tepotzotlán, Church of the Conception (women convent in Belisario Domínguez street that was fractioned to open the street of the Republic of Cuba), Saint Jeronimo (today ex-convent of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz), Monte de Piedad building, Bucareli boulevard, Archbishopric of Tacubaya, Tlaxcoaque church, Saint Jacinto’s Square in Saint Angel neiborhood.

National Theater, Chamber of Senators, Clavería Hacienda, Condesa neiborhood, convent of Churubusco, National Museum of Interventions, Church of Saint Philip of Jesus, Museum of Saint Carlos.

Morisco Kiosk, Museum of the Cavalry, Chamber of Senators, San Juan Market, Lecumberri, Chopo Museum, Chinese Clock, Ottoman Clock, Church of the Holy Family, Altar to the Fatherland.

Bullring, Sunken Park, Buenavista Railway Station, Coyoacan Botanic garden, Latin American Tower.

Aztec Stadium, The Sports City, The Mexico Arena, The Insurgentes Theater, The Cuemanco Olympic Track, The Olympic Pool, the Insurgentes Theater, the Cuemanco Olympic Track, the Olympic Pool.

Papalote Children’s Museum (the first museum of its kind in the country, it is an interactive space), Dolores Olmedo Museum (located in the Hacienda La Noria that dates back to the 16th century, was owned by Dolores Olmedo, friend by Frida Kahlo), National Museum of Art, Chocolate Museum, Alameda neiborhood (1920’s Art Deco building), Memory and Tolerance Museum, Soumaya Museum in Carso sqare (inaugurated in 2011, is an for profit), Franz Mayer Museum (with 3,000 pieces), Independencia Market, Zócalo or Constitution Square, Coyoacan (one of the most popular areas of the city, with beautiful old streets), Roma Market (Recently inaugurated, gastronomic market with some of the best restaurants), Aquarius Inbursa (inaugurated in June 2014, took two years to build and is the largest in the country), Bazar on Saturday (since 1960, it is the city’s artisanal center), Tamayo Museum of Contemporary Art  (located inside Chapultepec woods, was named in honor of the renowned Mexican painter Rufino Tamayo), Ancient Mexican Toy Museum (exhibits 40,000 thousand toys), Garibaldi Square (born in 1850 as a plaza de vintage), Monument to the Revolution (located in the Republic Square), National Museum of Popular Cultures (seeks to disseminate and preserve its different manifestations), Celaya Mexican Candy Store (founded in 1874 by the Guízar family, occupies the current premises since the beginning of XX century), Universum (fun science museum through games), Mexico Arena (mexican wrestling since 1843), Desert of the Lions (monastery within a large nature reserve of great importance due to the variety of flora and fauna species), Duelistas (Pulque bar),   Ajusco hills National Park, Coyoacán National Park (botanical research area of ​​390,000 square meters), Chapultepe Fair (with more than 30 attractions), San Juan Market.

These sites are some of the most visited. As  you can see, the offer of tourist sites in Mexico City is huge, people who have lived for decades can’t even begin to imagine the number of places they can get to know, and be able to learn of the history of the place where they live, and be admired by it.

Many prefer to simply stay at home watching television. Would not you like to know what happened in this part of the world?, considered by all mesoamerican as the center of the universe, that’s what the word Mexico means: «Belly bottom of the Moon», and it’s most important symbol that represents that factura is the  four petal flower. México is the fifth path of the universe, the union between the two lines of the universe that we know as North-South, and East-West.

What are you waiting for?

Carlos Cas