Must-see attractions in Centro Histórico

  • Courtyard of the Secretaría de Educación Pública with series of arches paintings by Diego Rivera.

    Secretaría de Educación Pública

    Centro Histórico

    To the casual observer this little-visited government building holds nothing of interest but those in the know flock here to gaze at the 120 murals tucked…

  • Fountain in the courtyard of a government building, National Palace, Zocalo, Mexico City, Mexico

    Palacio Nacional

    Centro Histórico

    As the seat of the federal branch of the Mexican government, the Palacio Nacional (National Palace) is home to the offices of the president of Mexico and…

  • Torre Latinoamericana

    Centro Histórico

    The Torre Latinoamericana was Latin America’s tallest building when constructed in 1956, and remains the dominant focal point of Centro Histórico. It's an…

  • The ruins of the Templo Mayor in Mexico City.

    Templo Mayor

    Centro Histórico

    Before the Spaniards demolished it, the Aztec 'Great Temple' Teocalli of Tenochtitlán covered the site where the cathedral now stands, as well as the…

  • The Metropolitan Cathedral seen from the Zocolo in Mexico City.

    Catedral Metropolitana

    Centro Histórico

    One of Mexico City’s most iconic structures, this cathedral is a monumental edifice: 109m long, 59m wide and 65m high. Started in 1573, it remained a work…

  • Avenida Madero

    Centro Histórico

    This stately pedestrianized shopping avenue west of the Zócalo, linking Bellas Artes and the Zócalo, boasts a veritable catalog of architectural styles…

  • Happy 5 de Mayo

    Zócalo

    Centro Histórico

    The heart of Mexico City is the Plaza de la Constitución. Residents began calling it the Zócalo, meaning ‘base,’ in the 19th century, when plans for a…

  • 500px Photo ID: 90987349 - Trumpet player in Mariachi band

    Plaza Garibaldi

    Centro Histórico

    Every night the city’s mariachi bands belt out heartfelt ballads in this festive square. Wearing silver-studded outfits, they toot their trumpets and tune…

  • Part of the facade of La Casa de los Azulejos in Mexico City.

    Casa de los Azulejos

    Centro Histórico

    Past the pedestrian corridor Gante stands the amazing Casa de los Azulejos. Dating from 1596, it was built for the Condes (Counts) del Valle de Orizaba…

  • Mural at Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso.

    Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso

    Centro Histórico

    Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Siqueiros painted murals here in the 1920s. Most of the work on the main patio is by Orozco; look for the…

  • Suprema Corte de Justicia

    Centro Histórico

    In 1940 Mexican muralist José Clemente Orozco painted four panels around the 2nd level of the Supreme Court's central stairway, two dealing with the theme…

  • Plaza Santo Domingo

    Centro Histórico

    Smaller and less hectic than nearby Zócalo, this plaza has long served as a base for scribes and printers. Descendants of those who did the paperwork for…

  • Centro Cultural de España

    Centro Histórico

    The Centro Cultural de España always has a variety of cutting-edge art exhibitions going on, such as 'Vibraciones' where visitors 'listened' to music…

  • Palacio Postal

    Centro Histórico

    More than just Mexico City’s central post office, this golden palace built in 1907 is an Italianate confection designed by the Palacio de Bellas Artes’…

  • Templo de San Francisco

    Centro Histórico

    The Templo de San Francisco is a remnant of the vast Franciscan monastery erected in the early 16th century over the site of Moctezuma’s private zoo. The…

  • Museo del Calzado El Borceguí

    Centro Histórico

    At this shoe museum – and the oldest shoemaker in Mexico, operating since 1865 – there are over 2000 pieces of footwear on show, many from famous feet…

  • Museo del Estanquillo

    Centro Histórico

    Housed in a gorgeous neoclassical building two blocks from the Zócalo, this museum contains the vast pop-culture collection amassed over the decades by…

  • Palacio de Minería

    Centro Histórico

    The Palacio de Minería was where mining engineers trained in the 19th century. A neoclassical masterpiece, the palace was designed by Tolsá and built…

  • Museo de la Ciudad de México

    Centro Histórico

    Formerly a palace of the Counts of Santiago de Calimaya, this 18th-century baroque edifice now houses a museum with extensive exhibits focusing on the…

  • Palacio de Iturbide

    Centro Histórico

    Built for colonial nobility, in 1821 this became the residence of General Agustín Iturbide, a Mexican independence hero who was proclaimed emperor here in…

  • Museo José Luis Cuevas

    Centro Histórico

    This museum showcases the works of artist Cuevas, a leader of the 1950s Ruptura movement, which broke with the politicized art of the post-revolutionary…

  • Plaza Tolsá

    Centro Histórico

    Several blocks west of the Zócalo near Alameda Central is this handsome square, named after Manuel Tolsá, the illustrious late-18th-century sculptor and…

  • Museo Nacional de Arte

    Centro Histórico

    Built around 1900 in the style of an Italian Renaissance palace, this museum holds collections representing every school of Mexican art until the early…

  • Templo de la Santísima Trinidad

    Centro Histórico

    The profusion of ornamental sculpture on the baroque facade, including ghostly busts of the 12 apostles and a representation of Christ with his head in…

  • Futura CDMX

    Centro Histórico

    The star attraction at this interactive center is a 234-sq-meter scale model of Mexico City, with a projection mapping presentation in Spanish (or English…

  • Museo de la Tortura

    Centro Histórico

    Displaying European torture instruments from the 14th to 19th centuries, including a metal-spiked interrogation chair and the menacing skull splitter,…

  • Sagrario Metropolitano

    Centro Histórico

    Adjoining the east side of the Catedral Metropolitana is the 18th-century Sagrario Metropolitano. Originally built to house the archives and vestments of…

  • Museo del Tequila y el Mezcal

    Centro Histórico

    This museum on Plaza Garibaldi has exhibits explaining the origins and production process of Mexico’s two most popular distilled agave drinks. The tour…

  • Museo Nacional de las Culturas del Mundo

    Centro Histórico

    Constructed in 1567 as the colonial mint, this renovated museum exhibits the art, dress and handicrafts of Mexico's and the world’s cultures. Mixed in for…

  • Ex Teresa Arte Actual

    Centro Histórico

    Mexico City was built atop a sloshy lake bed and it's sinking fast, as evidenced by this teetering former convent. The 17th-century building now serves as…

  • Museo Interactivo de Economía

    Centro Histórico

    The former hospital of the Bethlehemites religious order has been the home of this economics museum since 2006. A slew of hands-on exhibits is aimed at…

  • Museo Archivo de la Fotografía

    Centro Histórico

    Occupying a 16th-century colonial-era building, the city's photo museum hosts changing exhibits focusing on all things Mexico City. Additionally, the…

  • Palacio de la Inquisición

    Centro Histórico

    This was the headquarters of the Holy Inquisition in Nueva España until 1812. Today it houses the Museum of Mexican Medicine. The facade is covered in a…

  • Postal Museum

    Centro Histórico

    Philatelists can ogle a design of Mexico's first stamp and other relics in the 1st-floor postal museum at Mexico City's main post office.

  • Iglesia de Santo Domingo

    Centro Histórico

    This Baroque church is all that remains of the first Dominican monastery to be established in Mexico. It makes a quieter alternative to the Catedral…

  • Parroquia de Santa Catarina

    Centro Histórico

    The main church in the Lagunilla neighborhood, dating from the 16th century. Celebrations to its patron saint occur here every November 25.

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