The Historic Center
The historic center of Mexico City (el Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México) is a World Heritage Site of unparalleled beauty that you will probably want to explore over the course of at least two days. Built on the site of México-Tenochtitlan (the former capital of the Aztec Empire), it preserves the soul of two distinct worlds that fused to give birth to a new and fascinating culture.
The pre-Hispanic heritage is present in the ruins that sprawl right next to the Metropolitan Cathedral, but also in the street commerce that hearkens back to a time when the Aztecs bartered in open air markets, and the ancient ritualistic dances that still take place in and near the main square. The colonial heritage is dominant, though. Most of the historic buildings that you will see were built during the New Spain era that started with the conquest in 1521 and came to an end with the victory of the Mexican War of Independence in 1821.
The historic center is home to:
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9,362 buildings, 3,504 of which are protected by the National Institute of Anthropology and History, the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature, and the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing
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46 museums
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67 religious monuments
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78 squares and gardens
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over 2,000 restaurants / food stalls
💡 The historic center is usually crowded and there are so many attractions everywhere, so remember to keep an eye on your belongings to prevent theft.
💡 Not far from the historic center lies Tepito, a neighborhood that is notorious for criminal activities. So explore the streets of El Centro and enjoy the experience, but make sure you don't venture into Tepito.
1. What to see
1.1. El Zócalo
1.2. Catedral Metropolitana
1.3. Templo Mayor
1.4. Palacio Nacional
1.5. Palacio de Bellas Artes
1.6. Torre Latinoamericana
1.7. Palacio Postal
1.8. Alameda Central
1.9. Museo de Arte Popular
2. Where to eat
2.1. El Balcón del Zócalo
2.2. Sanborns (est. 1903)
2.3. El Cardenal
2.4. Café de Tacuba (est. 1912)
2.5. Café El Chavelete
What to see
📷 El Zócalo
The word zócalo refers to the main square of a town or city in Mexico. This one, officially known as Plaza de la Constitución (Constitution Square), was built in 1521-1523 by the Spanish and throughout the centuries it has seen it all, from battles and floods to luxuriant gardens, circus performances and pop concerts. In December 2019, it became home to the largest synthetic ice skating rink in the world (43,055 ft² / 4,000 m²) and in 2000, it witnessed the largest crowd at a concert, when 350,000 people gathered here to see Mexican music legend Juan Gabriel.
📷 Catedral Metropolitana
9 am - 5:30 pm daily
Bell tower guided tour (every 40 minutes) fee: 30 MXN
10:40 am - 6 pm Mon-Fri
10:40 am - 7 pm Sat
It is the largest cathedral in Latin America and it took almost 250 years to build (1573-1813), so it will come as no surprise to see a mixture of styles here: Gothic, Plateresque, Baroque and Neoclassical. The Spanish used stones from the pyramid of Aztec war god Huitzilopochtli in the first phase of the construction and built the cathedral over the main temple of the Aztec capital (Templo Mayor).
The mass schedule:
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Mon-Thurs 10:30 am, 12, 1, 6, 7 pm
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Fri 10:30 am, 12:00, 1:30, 7 pm
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Sat 10:30 am, 12, 1, 6, 7 pm
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Sun 8, 9:30, 10:30 am, 12, 1:30, 4, 5, 6, 7 pm
📷 Templo Mayor
9 am - 5 pm Tue-Sun
Entry fee: 90 MXN
Built by the Aztecs in 1325, Templo Mayor (the Main Temple) was dedicated to Huitzilopochtli (god of war) and Tlaloc (god of rain and agriculture). Before they settled here, the Aztecs lived somewhere in northwestern Mexico; it is not known exactly where, but this mythical place was called Aztlán. It is said that in 1116 Huitzilopochtli ordered the tribe to set off and build a city only in that place where they would find a golden eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus devouring a snake. Legend has it that in 1325 they saw that eagle on the future site of Templo Mayor and settled here, building not only a city, but an empire. The Mexican coat of arms depicts the eagle scene.
The Spanish destroyed the temple almost completely and the parts that were not destroyed were buried. They used the temple stones to build the cathedral and other important buildings in the newly conquered city.
In 1978, workers of the electric company were digging at the corner of Guatemala and Argentina Streets, when they uncovered a sculpture of moon goddess Coyolxauhqui (pronounced co-yol-SHAU-kee). An excavation project began in order to unearth the temple ruins.
💡 While the term 'Aztecs' is broadly used to refer to the indigenous population that lived in the Valley of Mexico and in the neighboring territories at the time of the Spanish conquest, the historically correct term for the people who founded Tenochtitlan (the capital of the Aztec Empire) is Mexica (pronounced me-SHEE-ka). Because most tourists are familiar with the term 'Aztecs', and it is the term you will find in most guidebooks and brochures, I will keep using it to refer to the Mexica, who were actually descendants of the Aztecs.
📷 Palacio Nacional
9 am - 5 pm Tue-Sun
Free entry
The central patio of Palacio Nacional
Palacio Nacional (the National Palace) is the seat of the executive branch of the government, which is why you will see many office workers around and you will be required to show identification. The construction of the palace began in 1522, one year after the conquest, on the site of Aztec king Moctezuma's residential complex. The façade is typical of many historic buildings from that time and it owes its red hues to the tezontle, a porous volcanic rock used extensively in Mexico.
You will see Diego Rivera's panoramic mural The History of Mexico, a beautiful 18th-century patio, the parliamentary precinct and various historical exhibits. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador currently resides in the National Palace.
Every September 15, the eve of Independence Day in Mexico, people remember the famous Cry of Dolores. Catholic priest and leader of the War of Independence Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the church bell in the small town of Dolores and gave the call to arms on September 16, 1810, the date that marks the beginning of the war. Eleven years later, Mexico was an independent nation. So on September 15 at around 11 pm the Mexican president re-enacts Hidalgo's cry from the balcony of the National Palace, mentioning important heroes of the war and then ringing the bell, which is the same bell Hidalgo rang in 1810.
The Cry of Dolores
¡Vivan los héroes que nos dieron patria!
¡Viva Hidalgo!
¡Viva Morelos!
¡Viva Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez!
¡Viva Allende!
¡Vivan Galeana y los Bravo!
¡Viva la Independencia Nacional!
¡Viva México! ¡Viva México! ¡Viva México!
Mexicans!
Long live the heroes who gave us our homeland!
Long live Hidalgo!
Long live Morelos!
Long live Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez!
Long live Allende!
Long live Galeana and the Bravos!
Long live Aldama and Matamoros!
Long live the nation's independence!
Long live Mexico! Long live Mexico! Long live Mexico!
The presidents usually change the text so that it better reflects their preferences and feelings, so with every new president the Cry of Dolores sounds a little (sometimes a little more) different.
Watch the ceremony 👉here.
📷 Palacio de Bellas Artes
11 am - 5 pm Tue-Sun
Entry fee: 80 MXN
Photo fee: 30 MXN
Palacio de Bellas Artes (the Palace of Fine Arts) was built between 1904 and 1934 and it is without a doubt the most beautiful and prominent cultural center in Mexico. Apart from opera, ballet, theater and folk dances, it is an important venue for painting and sculpture exhibitions as well. You will see here Diego Rivera's famous mural Man, Controller of the Universe (1934). The artist painted it for the Rockefeller Center in New York, but the Rockefellers rejected his work because he included a portrait of communist leader Lenin, and they had the painting destroyed. Diego was a member of the Mexican Communist Party and socialist themes abound in his paintings. Two years later, he recreated the mural in Palacio de Bellas Artes.
See the upcoming events that will be held in Palacio de Bellas Artes and buy tickets 👉here.
I highly recommend Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández, a folk dance company founded in 1952 by dancer and choreographer Amalia Hernández. They have toured 60 countries and over 300 cities. See their event dates 👉here.
Man, Controller of the Universe by Diego Rivera
📷 Torre Latinoamericana
9 am - 10 pm daily
Entry fee: 180 MXN
It is 594.8 ft (181.3 m) high and it has 44 floors. From 1956 to 1972, Torre Latinoamericana (the Latin American Tower) was the tallest skyscraper in Mexico City.
The general ticket will give you access to:
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the lookout point on the 44th floor
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a museum of the history of the tower and Mexico City on the 38th floor
For 20 MXN you can visit the Bicentennial Museum on the 36th floor, another history museum where you will see exhibits from the New Spain era, but also from the War of Independence and the Mexican Revolution.
At the basement level of the tower (Sótano 1) you will discover Viaje Fantástico (Fantastic Journey), a fun experience that will take you from a spinning tunnel to a mirror maze and a 4D adventure. You can buy your ticket 👉here. I recommend buying the 120 MXN ticket because it includes the three experiences.
If you are visiting Mexico City in March or April, a visit to the tower is a must because that's when the purple jacaranda trees are in bloom. You will love the stunning view of the purple city from the 44th floor, but also from the 41st floor, where you could have breakfast at Miralto.
Currently, the tallest skyscraper in Mexico City is Mítikah Torre Residencial with a height of 876.9 ft (267.3 m) and 68 floors.
📷 Palacio Postal
8 am - 4 pm Mon-Fri
8 am - 12 am Sat
Free entry
Palacio Postal (The Postal Office Palace) is a symbol of the period known in the history of Mexico as Porfiriato (1876-1911), during which dictator Porfirio Díaz was in power (he was elected seven times). Díaz was considered a good dictator because during his 35 years of rule Mexico thrived economically. However, the shortcomings of his regime led to a revolution and the dictator's exile. The Porfiriato was a flourishing time for the upper class, but it provided very little to the poor Mexicans that comprised most of the population at the time. The Post Office Palace was designed by Italian architect Adamo Boari and it was built between 1902 and 1907.
📷 Alameda Central
View of the Alameda Central Park from the Miralto restaurant (on the 41st floor of the Latin American Tower)
It is the oldest park in America (1592) and it was built on the model of the Alameda de Hércules park in Seville, the oldest park in Europe (1574). Its name comes from the many álamos (poplars) that were planted here in the 16th century.
📷 Museo de Arte Popular
10 am - 6 pm Tue-Sun
Entry fee: 60 MXN
Piñata contest at Museo de Arte Popular
Museo de Arte Popular (the Folk Art Museum) is probably my favorite museum in the historic center. I love Mexican handicrafts and I always get excited when I visit this museum and the handicraft market known as La Ciudadela, not far from here actually (a five-minute walk). I actually recommend getting acquainted with Mexican folk art at the museum and then shopping for souvenirs at La Ciudadela.
The museum displays a wide variety of handicrafts from each of the 32 Mexican states, from pottery, glasswork and sculpture to silverware and goldsmithing. The Art Deco building that houses the museum was built in 1928 and it is one of the most important historic landmarks in Mexico City.
Impressive peacock alebrije (Mexican folk art sculpture)
Where to eat
For breakfast:
El Balcón del Zócalo
📍 Avenida 5 de Mayo 61, Centro
📅 9 am - 10:30 pm daily
💚 Try: chilaquiles verdes (tortilla chips topped with a green chili pepper or tomato sauce, sour cream and cheese)
Sanborns (est. 1903)
📍 Avenida Francisco I. Madero 4, Centro
📅 7 am - 12 am Sun-Thurs
7 am - 1 am Fri-Sat
💚 Try: huevos rancheros (fried eggs served on corn tortillas with tomato and chilli sauce), huevos Sanborns (eggs served with tomato and pepper sauce, poblano pepper, cream, cheese and beans)
📜 Sanborns was founded in 1903 by US immigrants Walter and Frank Sanborn and is now one of the most successful department stores in the country, with 202 branches. The 18th-century Baroque palace that houses the restaurant is an attraction in itself. Its façade is completely covered with blue and white tiles from the state of Puebla. In 1919 the Sanborn brothers bought the palace and opened Mexico's first soda fountain here.
For lunch and dinner:
El Cardenal
📍 Calle de la Palma 23, Centro
📅 8 am - 6:30 pm Mon-Sat
8:30 am - 6:30 pm Sun
💚 Try: queso tapado (cheese topped with squash blossoms), chile relleno a la oaxaqueña (Oaxacan-style pork or beef stuffed pepper)
Café de Tacuba (est. 1912)
📍 Calle de Tacuba 28, Centro
📅 8 am - 11 pm daily
💚 Try: ensalada de nopales (prickly pear cactus salad), filete de huachinango estilo Tacuba (Tacuba-style red snapper fillet)
📜 Painter Diego Rivera and novelist Guadalupe Marín held their wedding reception here in 1922.
📜 Veracruz governor Manlio Fabio Altamirano Flores was assassinated here in 1936.
For coffee:
Café El Chavalete
📍 Ayuntamiento 18, Centro
📅 8 am - 8 pm Mon-Sat
10 am - 7 pm Sun
Pastelería Ideal
For dessert:
Pastelería Ideal
📍 Plaza del Carmen 4
📅 8 am - 10 pm daily
📜 It opened its doors in 1927 and is the largest pastry shop in Mexico City. Downstairs there are hundreds of cakes, cookies and panes dulces (Mexican sweet bread of different flavours) and upstairs there's a cake museum.
Dulcería de Celaya (est. 1874)
📍 Avenida 5 de Mayo 39
📅 10 am - 7 pm Mon-Sat
📜 Just a few steps away from El Cardenal you will find the oldest candy store in Mexico and the perfect place to try a traditional dessert. My top choices are glorias (goat milk almond candy) and jamoncillo de piñón (caramelized milk fudge with pine nuts).
See the the product list 👉here.
Ecobici (bike share program) station on Calle Licenciado Verdad (pedestrian street)