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62°F / 17°C
(Passing Clouds. Mild.)
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Imagine the largest city in the world, then picture the sheer diversity of choices for entertainment and sightseeing. From the very ancient to ultra-modern, Mexico City offers all that and more.
Museums
Mexico City is home to over 150 museums, the most of any city in the world, so to visit them all would be quite challenging. However, there are various museums in the city that are not to be missed. The Museo Nacional de Antropología (National Anthropology Museum is one of the most renowned anthropology museums in the world, and houses extensive collections of artifacts from Mesoamerica, including the famous Aztec Sun Stone. The Museo Arqueológico de Xochimilco (Archaeological Museum of Xochimilco) is a recreation of what life was like in Xochimilco in pre-Hispanic times. The museum houses objects that date as far back as to the Olmec culture, or around 9000 BCE. The Museo Nacional de Historia (National History Museum) is located in the Castillo de Chapultepec and features exhibits about the social and political history of Mexico. The museum also features murals by some of Mexico’s most famous artists. The Museo del Templo Mayor is a modern building constructed on the site of the Aztec Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan. Here you can view artifacts from the temple, including the original stone depiction of the goddess Coyolxauhqui. Mexico City has also been home to many famous artists, and there is certainly no shortage of museums dedicated to them. The
Frida Kahlo Museum is located in the artist’s former home, and in addition to her own works, you can view other personal possessions of hers as well as works by other Mexican painters. Another artist who has several museums dedicated to him is Diego Rivera. The Museo Estudio Diego Rivera (Diego Rivera Studio Museum) is the artist’s former studio which has been basically left alone since the day he died, so you can see the studio as it was. The Museo de Arte Moderno (Museum of Modern Art) features works from many different painters of the Mexican school of painting.
Theater
Mexico City is home to many theater and many theater productions of all kinds. Among the best-known theatres for live drama or comedy are the Centro Teatral Manolo Fábregas and the Teatro Insurgentes. Teatro Sergio Magaña in Santa María La Ribera presents mainly comedies featuring television actors and actresses while Teatro Coyoacán puts on contemporary works and Mexican cultural theater. Teatro Benito Juárez puts on Greek plays as well as other internationally famous works for incredibly affordable prices, and Teatro Pedregal presents drama at its finest, with well known actors and directors.
Music
Being one of the world’s largest cities, Mexico City often hosts some of the world’s biggest names and concerts in music. The Estadio Azteca and the Teatro Metropólitan host many of these blockbuster events. The Palacio de Bellas Artes, along with being one of the city’s most beautiful landmarks, also plays host to classical concerts, opera, and some theater as well. Among those who perform at the Palacio de Bellas Artes is theOrquesta Sinfónica Nacional, who perform both classical and contemporary works. The Orquesta de Cámara de Bellas Artes puts on classical, chamber music and choir performances throughout the year while the Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México frequently hosts guest musicians and composers at the Ollín Yoliztli Cultural Centre.
Outdoors
Mexico City is full of parks and other opportunities to spend time outdoors. The 1600 acre Bosque de Chapultepec is a large park just east of the center of the city which is home to numerous attractions, including a lake, where you can hire a boat and paddle around. The Bosque de Chapultepec makes for a fun day out, whether you are taking a bike ride, a walk or just lying in the grass. Another of the city’s main parks is the Alameda central, where visitors will find a number of statues and monuments among the greenery and fountains. The Alameda Central is also a historic site in the city, as it dates back to the 16th Century. One of the oldest attractions in Mexico City are the ancient canals, or chinampas of Xochimilco, which means “land of the flowers in Nahuatl. These canals are lined with flowers and vendors, while visitors can cruise the 14 kilometers of canals in wooden boats decorated with flowers. There are several good outdoor retreats just outside the city as well. The Bosque Nacional del Desierto de los Leones (National Forest of the Lion’s Desert is a 200 hectare retreat of greenery where people go to escape the city by bicycling, jogging, and doing other outdoor activities. The Cerro de la Estrella (Hill of the Star) is located next to Lake Texcoco, and is the ancient site of Aztec sun renewal ceremonies. Aside from visiting the hill itself, visitors can go to the museum to learn more about the history of this special place.
Family & Kids
Being that Mexico City is one of the largest in the world, there is no shortage of family and kid friendly activities. For something a little educational that the whole family will find interesting, the Papalote Museo del Niño (Children’s Kite Museum), with its interactive exhibits and IMAX theater. Another museum the kids will enjoy is Ripley's Ciudad de México, where you will be immersed in a world of stuff that’s almost too hard to believe, like shrunken heads and human hair dresses. Mexico City is also home to a number of amusement parks, like Six Flags México and Funny Land. As it gets very hot here during certain times of year, there are also a number of water parks like Parque Acuático El Rollo. Here in the city, you will also find a number of zoos, like the Parque Zoológico de Chapultepec, located in the Bosque de Chapultepec, the Zoológico de Zacango, located just about 30 minutes outside the city, and the Zoológico Los Coyotes.
Historic Attractions
As Mexico City is such an old, historic city, the numbers of historic attractions in and near the city are endless. Probably the most popular attraction is the ancient city of Teotihuacan, with its grand pyramids of the sun and moon, along with 156 square kilometers of temples, altars and other fascinating objects. The Arbol de la Noche Triste (Tree of the Sad Night) is the tree under which the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés is said to have cried during his troops retreat from the city of Tenochtitlan. Another historic sight pertaining to Cortés is the Casa de la Malinche, the house where his Aztec lover and interpreter once lived. The Plaza de la Constitución / El Zócalo was constructed on top of the ceremonial site of Tenochtitlan beginning in the 16th Century, and today serves as the city’s primary plaza. Another Spanish building built on top of a sacred Aztec site is the Palacio Nacional, built by Cortés on top of the kind Moctezuma’s royal residence. The Palacio contains several murals by Mexico’s most famous painter, Diego Rivera. The historic Castillo de Chapultepec, located in the Bosque de Chapultepec was once home to the Emperor Maximilian and Empress Carlotta during the French occupation of Mexico. Since 1939, the Castle has been the home of the National History Museum. The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe) is built on the famed spot where an indigenous man named Juan Diego had a vision of the Virgin Mary. After Juan Diego told the bishop, he was skeptical and demanded proof, and Juan Diego had another vision, the image of the virgin appeared in a cape with which Diego was carrying roses. The bishop immediately ordered a church built on the site of these visions. Today, visitors can see the miraculous cape in a case behind the altar. Mexico City also has its fair share of monuments, commemorating the many wars, struggles and heroes throughout the city and country’s history. Probably the city’s most famous monument is the Monumento a la Independencia, also known as El Ángel (the angel). El Angel was built to commemorate the centennial of Mexico’s war of independence, and it was erected in 1910, after being commissioned by President Porfirio Díaz in 1902. The monument also features a mausoleum at is base which holds the remains of 12 heroes of Mexican independence. Also commissioned by Porfirio Díaz is the Monumento a la Revolución, which stands in the Plaza de la República next to the Museo Nacional de la Revolución, and is home to the remains of two Mexican presidents. Another monument to Mexico’s heroes is the Monumento a los Niños Héroes (Monument to the Boy Heroes, was built in honor of the six teenage cadets who died defending the Chapultepec Castle from United States forces in 1847, and the niños heroes are honored in various ways all over Mexico City and the entire country.
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