Tlalpan
Prickly pear cacti growing around the pyramid of Cuicuilco
Tlalpan is without a doubt one of my favorite boroughs and it is always a pleasure to walk along its cobbled streets and explore its pre-Hispanic and colonial past and the traditions that are still present. It covers 20.7% of the city's area, which makes it the largest borough in Mexico City, but it is one of the least crowded ones with a population of approximately 700,000 inhabitants.
Its vast green spaces, home to many endemic species, make it the most biodiverse borough in the city. And when it comes to earthquakes, Tlalpan is very safe because it was built on solid rock, not on the lake. Even its name says it: tlalli = land, pan = on.
Apart from its many parks and historic mansions, Tlalpan boasts an important archaeological site and plenty of entertainment options for the whole family, like the most visited theme park in Latin America or a child-size replica of a city.
1. What to see
1.1. The round pyramid of Cuicuilco
1.3. Six Flags México
1.4. El Centro
1.5. Parroquia de San Agustín de las Cuevas
2. Where to eat
2.1. Saks Tlalpan
What to see
📷 The round pyramid of Cuicuilco
9 am - 5 pm Tue-Sun
Free entry
Cuicuilco is worth visiting because it is believed to be the first large stone construction in Mesoamerica. It is a round pyramid built by the Cuicuilcas, an ethnic group that lived in the Valley of Mexico way before the Aztecs, from 800-700 to 50 BC.
In 300-150 BC, Cuicuilco had a population of approximately 40,000 inhabitants and it became the most important urban center in the Valley of Mexico. Their rise had an abrupt fall, though. The Xitle volcano erupted in 50 BC and they had to abandon the city, which is ironic, because in Cuicuilco they were worshipping Huehuetéotl, the god of fire.
Their architectural and urban planning mastery served as inspiration in the development of the two most important cities of the Central Mexican Plateau, Teotihuacán and Tula.
📷 KidZania Cuicuilco
11 am - 7 pm daily
The fees vary depending on the age of the visitor.
0-1: free entry
2-3: 210 MXN
4-16: 425 MXN
17+: 210 MXN
KidZania is a Mexican chain of indoor family entertainment centers where children from 4 to 16 years old can explore a child-size replica of a city and feel like adults for a couple of hours. They could choose from a list of dozens of popular jobs and become firefighters, doctors, police officers or pilots, but they could also work at a McDonald's restaurant or in a Coca-Cola bottling plant. They get paid for their work in kidZos (the KidZania currency), which they can spend on products and services in the KidZania city.
The children's safety comes first, of course, so they must wear tracking bracelets at all times so you will always know where they are. If the children are 8 years old or older, you can leave them alone in the KidZania city, but you will have to show / purchase the tickets yourself and provide your phone number before leaving.
There are currently 38 KidZania centers in Mexico and around the world. The largest one is in Cuicuilco.
Buy your tickets 👉here.
📷 Six Flags México
10 am - 8 pm Tue-Sun
The fees vary depending on the height of the visitor.
1.20 m / 3.9 ft or taller: 899 MXN
Under 1.20m / 3.9 ft: 499 MXN
Under 90 cm / 2.9 ft: free entry
Six Flags is an American amusement park founded in the 1960s in Texas. It was called 'Six Flags' for the six nations that have ruled over Texas: the Kingdom of Spain, the Kingdom of France, the Republic of Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America and the United States of America.
This particular Six Flags park is the first one ever built outside the United States and Canada. It was opened in 1982, first under the name of Reino Aventura (the Adventure Kingdom), but after being acquired by Premier Parks (the company that owned Six Flags at the time), it changed its name to Six Flags México in 2000.
It boasts a total of 50 rides that include 9 rollercoasters (more than any other amusement park in Mexico) and 4 water rides.
You might like to try the park's best rollercoaster experiences:
Buy your tickets 👉here.
📷 El Centro
Alcaldía Tlalpan (the town hall)
The center of Tlalpan is replete with historic buildings and street vendors, so there is a quaint colonial quality to this place that you will better understand if you visit on a weekend when it gets a little more crowded.
Now that you are in the heart of the borough, you might want to go for at least one of these cherished local experiences:
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Visit Mercado La Paz (open from 7 am to 6:30 pm daily) to try local fruit and vegetables and traditional candy.
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Choose from the many flavors of La Nueva Michoacana (open from 12 pm to 9 pm daily) and buy a Mexican sorbet. I recommend having your sorbet on a bench in Parque de la Constitución, the park that lies right in front of the town hall.
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Other delicious local foods you could eat in the park are churros from La Churrería Tlalpan (open from 10 am to 12 am daily) or elotes that you can buy from street vendors.
📜 Mexican elote = grilled corn on the cob slathered in mayonnaise, rolled in cheese and seasoned with chili powder and lime.
Parque de la Constitución
📷 Parroquia de San Agustín de las Cuevas
7 am - 2:30 pm, 6 pm - 8 pm Mon-Fri
10 am - 1 pm Sat
The history of this church is closely tied to the history of the center of Tlalpan and it starts in 1532, the year when the small town of San Agustín de las Cuevas was founded. The Dominican friars built a chapel here dedicated to Virgin Mary (Nuestra Señora del Rosario), and in the 17th century the current church and a convent were built by the Franciscan friars on this site. The small chapel of Nuestra Señora del Rosario can still be seen in the church, where it serves as a tabernacle.
The center of Tlalpan is also known as 'Little Vatican' because the church is the most prominent religious center in the borough and it occupies a vast territory. The Pontifical University of Mexico (established by the Holy See) is located very close to the church.
📷 The historic mansions
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Casa 'Frissac', residence of ex-president Adolfo López Mateos, now functioning as an art gallery
📍 Calle Moneda sn, Tlalpan Centro I
📅 8 am - 8 pm daily
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Casa Chata, an 18th-century mansion that currently houses a bookshop, Casa Chata Librería CIESAS
📍 Miguel Hidalgo s/n, Tlalpan Centro I
📅 8:30 am - 5 pm Mon-Fri
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Casa del Conde de Regla, another 18th-century mansion that belonged to Pedro Romero de Terreros, mining magnate and the first Count of Regla
📍 Calle Congreso 20, Tlalpan Centro I
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Casa Catipoato
Mexican golden age actress María Félix lived here. She married legendary actor Jorge Negrete in this house in 1952. Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo were two of the most prominent guests at the event.
📍 Calle Mariano Matamoros 1
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Casa de Antonio López de Santa Anna, the former president's 17th century vacation home
📍 Avenida San Fernando 106
📷 The parks
Tlalpan boasts 180 parks and urban gardens, so exploring its natural beauty is definitely one of the most enjoyable experiences most tourists have when they visit this borough.
Here are three parks you could visit in the center of Tlalpan:
🌳 Parque de la Constitución
This park lies right in the heart of Tlalpan in front of the town hall and it is always a good idea to sit on one of its white benches and enjoy a cup of sorbet.
🌳 Parque Juana de Asbaje
Some of the fruit trees that you will see here were planted by primary school students over 70 years ago.
🌳 Parque Leona Vicario
The park was named after one of the most prominent figures of the Mexican War of Independence and the first female journalist in Mexico.
If you have the time to walk a little further and explore Tlalpan's most famous and biggest parks, go to:
🌳 Parque Nacional Fuentes Brotantes
It was declared a national park in 1936, when it sprawled over 318.7 ac (129 ha). The current park only occupies 19.7 ac (8 ha) due to the growth of the city and the urbanization of the landscape. According to CONABIO (the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity), the park is home to over 200 species of plants and animals, of which 11 are endangered.
🌳 Parque Nacional Bosque de Tlalpan
It sprawls over 625.1 ac (253 ha) and it is probably the perfect place to train if you love running. Actually, 63.5% of the park's visitors are runners. It is also a very biodiverse park with 206 plant species, 60 species of butterflies, 83 species of birds and 9 of reptiles. You will probably meet the cute 👉cacomixtle in this park.
Choose from these routes for an excellent walking / running experience:
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Pista de arcilla (0.55 mi / 886 m)
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Pista de las bugambilias (0.59 mi / 958 m)
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Circuito de los leones (0.72 mi / 1162 m)
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Circuito de los cedros (0.88 mi / 1423 m)
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Circuito de la montaña (3.69 mi / 5943 m)
🌳 Parque Nacional Cumbres del Ajusco
Cumbres del Ajusco was declared a national park in 1936 and it was named after the lava dome volcano that marks the highest point in the city (3,930 m / 12,894 ft).
📜 There are 8 extinct volcanoes in Mexico City: Xitle, Pelado, Teuhtli, Chichinautzin, Cuauhtzin, Tláloc, Guadalupe and Ajusco.
📜 Popocatépetl, probably the most famous active volcano in Mexico, is located in the states of Puebla and Morelos and the State of Mexico, not in Mexico City. However, because it is relatively close to Mexico City, some neighborhoods may be covered by a thin layer of ash when it erupts.
Where to eat
For breakfast:
Saks Tlalpan
📍 Avenida Insurgentes Sur 4342, La Joya
📅 7 am - 6 pm Mon
7 am - 6:30 pm Tue-Wed
7 am - 11 pm Thurs-Fri
8 am - 11 pm Sat
8 am - 6 pm Sun
💚 Try: omelette de rajas poblanas (poblano pepper omelet topped with squash flower sauce and served with refried beans)
La Selva Café
📍 Plaza de la Constitución 17-F
📅 8:30 am - 11:30 pm daily
💚 Try: enchiladas (chicken-stuffed rolled tortillas with green salsa and sour cream)
For lunch and dinner:
Antigua Hacienda de Tlalpan
📍 Calzada de Tlalpan 4619, Tlalpan Centro I
📅 8 am - 1 am Mon-Fri
9 am - 1 am Sat
9 am - 7 pm Sun
💚 Try: chile en nogada
📜 In 1821, the nuns of the Santa Mónica Monastery in the state of Puebla created the chile en nogada recipe to celebrate Mexico's independence from the Spanish crown. In the colors of the Mexican flag, chile en nogada is the ultimate Mexican dish and the star of the national day festive meal on September 16. It is a poblano pepper stuffed with fruit, meat and spices, and topped with a walnut sauce with pomegranate seeds and parsley. This recipe was recognized by UNESCO in 2010.
📜 Dictator Porfirio Díaz and Mexican golden age cinema star Maria Félix lived in Antigua Hacienda de Tlalpan.
Restaurante Arroyo (est. 1940)
📍 Av. Insurgentes Sur 4003, Sta Úrsula Xitla
📅 8 am - 8 pm daily
💚 Try: guacamole, ensalada de nopales (prickly pear cactus salad with tomatoes, onions, avocado and cheese), nuestro mole con pollo (the restaurant's signature chicken dish with mole sauce), flan (creamy custard)
For coffee:
📍 Francisco I. Madero 15, Tlalpan Centro I
📅 8 am - 9 pm Mon-Fri
9 am - 9 pm Sat
9 am - 7 pm Sun
For dessert:
Panetela
📍 Calle Chimalcoyotl 100, Toriello Guerra
📅 7 am - 8 pm Mon-Thurs
7 am - 9 pm Fri
7 am - 7 pm Sat
8 am - 6 pm Sun
The Villa Olímpica metrobus station near the archaeological site of Cuicuilco. I often see trees incorporated in architectural projects in Mexico City like this palm tree that was not cut down when they built the bridge 💚