Edificio de Correos

Edificio de Correos - The post office building ..
When most people visit the city they cant imagine why i tell them to go to the post office building , yet they are always blown away by the architecture and the stamp murals.
All you need is about 20 minutes to see what the building has but it really is not to be missed.


Address: Calle Tacuba 1 y Eje Central LAizaro CAirdenas Mexico City 06060
Tel: +52 5 5102999

Plaza de las Tres Culturas

Plaza de las Tres Culturas - (the Square of the three cultures )
This is perhaps the one of the most important sites in Mexico City and showcases Mexicos unique cultural heritage. With modern, colonial and aztec building coming together in one place.
In pre-Columbian times it was the centre of the city of Tlatelolco, whose people sided with the Spanards against the Aztecs of Tenochtitlan (mexico city). In colonial times, there was an important church here. Then in 1968, the area was the focus of a horrifying government massacre in the run-up to the Mexico City Olympics. Hundreds are thought to have died, many of them local residents caught up in the crossfire. There is now a monument to the dead in the square, with a beautiful poem by Rosario Castellanos. Anyone interested in the history of the city should check out the square.


Address : Eje Central esquina Eje Uno Norte Mexico City Mexico

San Jacinto Plaza

San Jacinto Plaza
This plaza is in the San Angel part of the city and Diego Rivera's house is also nearby. The pretty and colourful park is not very large but is a good bet for anyone that would like to see something "traditional" in the city.The plaza is a good place to relax and listen to one of the many musicians that play in the area.
On weekends artwork is sold in the plaza and there are a number of good restaurants dotted around too.

We recommend that you check it out !

Address : Between Miramon Cda. Santisima, Dr. Galvez, Mexico City 01910

Free ! Free tours and things to do in the City

A day in the park...Chapultepec Park is home to a castle, zoo and a large lake - and its Free !

Address : Bosque de Chapultepec (Closest metro stations are Chapultepec and Auditorio)

Free Tour...Of the Archaeological Zone & Templo Mayor Museum are on Saturday mornings at 9 AM . The tour lasts generally for around three hours.

Address : Flagpole at the Zócalo - Saturdays at 9am - (Closest Metro Station is Zócalo)

Take a walk...Historic Centre Walking Tour is an Organised walking tour of Zócalo and Historic centre on sundays at 10am.

Address : Tourist information at the Historic Centre

Market Shopping - one of the best things to do on weekends is visit the Coyoacan market that is held in and around the square - You can take the metro to Coyoacan station and from there walk the ten minutes or so to where the Market is held.
*Note that it is always very busy on weekends !

Bellas Artes - The theatre has two guided tours every day which are free to the public. The theatre is explained and is a great oppurtunity to take a photo of the beautiful Tiffany curtain.

Address : Bellas Artes

San Fernando Cemetery - Maybe a cemetery doesnt sound like too much fun, buts its more of a Cemetary - Museum
It is free to go in and inside you can see plenty of graves and tombs from well known characters from Mexican history, from the revolution and presidents too. The two most interesting are the ones of Benito Juarez and Vicente Guerrero.This cemetery also has a small room where they show the characters and a little history of the revolution and the first constitution.

Address : Guerrero, 39
06010 México

Palacio Nacional - The national palace is the government building located in the Zócalo which is free to the public to enter and offers great views over the square and also holds artwork by Diego Rivera.
*Note that entrance is free but a form of I.D must be shown by mexican nationals and Passport must be shown by foriegn visitors - PHOTOCOPIES NOT EXCEPTED

Address : Avenida Pino Suarez, Corregidora esquina Guatemala - Zócalo

ITS ALL FREE !!

Shopping - Artisan Market in Mexico City

Many tourists hoping to buy some real mexican artisania will find themselves coming to the Ciudadela which is located close to Balderas metro stations not far from the centre of town. Here you will find everything you wish to buy including metalwork, jewelry,pottery,leather products and many many tradtional mexican arts and crafts that you may have not seen before. The market is easily accessible and you will find many tourists and mexicans alike in the area buying presents and items for the home. However the Ciudadela has a history and a story to be told which might make your visit a little more interesting.
The market is where cultural groups from around Mexico distribute their crafts to visitors,other parts of the country and the world. These artists and have developed and maintained this space for more than 40 years. The land the Ciudadela occupies has been threatened with demolition, to convert the area into a government office building.

The Ciudadela's craftspeople are organizing so the eviction might be prevented. They are working to educate people about valuable cultural and artistic work that is done every day in the market.

The Ciudadela offers artwork made of wood, cloth, glass, paint, metal, pottery, and embroidery. You can purchase paintings, scultures, typical and traditional costumes, along with thousands more items. The market sells crafts from the entire country, and members of at least 10 indigenous groups live there, including the Triquis, Tzeltales, Tzotziles, Huicholes, Mixtecos, Purépechas, Tlapanecos, Otomíes, Zapotecos, Nahuas and Mazahuas. These cracts people count on the Ciudadela space for art production as well as sales, employing more than 1200 craftspeople.

For more than 40 years the Ciudadela has been a hub for the world-wide distribution of Mexican crafts, and the market has also been a necessary stop for any tourist in Mexico City. During this time the knowledge of the artisan's craft has been passed from generation to generation, and they continue with this work to this day.

Video: Alive in Mexico Podcasts

www.aliveinmexico.org

The Alive in Mexico Podcasts are a series of Video podcasts about the real life happenings of Mexicans throughout the country but many of the videos feature on events in Mexico City. The podcasts are funded through viewer donations and are really very interesting and worth watching.

You can find the podcasts in the Itunes podcasts directory named "Alive in Mexico" and also some of the series has been posted on Youtube for viewers.
Here I have posted a few of the episodes which are in Spanish with English Subtitles.
Enjoy!

*Viewer caution is advised due to language and nudity in the final video.

Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral

The Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de María) is the largest and oldest cathedral in the Americas and a must see for visitors to Mexico City.

It is situated atop the former Aztec sacred precinct near the Templo Mayor on the northern side of the Plaza de la Constitución (Zocalo) in downtown Mexico City and can be reached by Metro and Taxi very easily.

The cathedral was built in sections from 1573 to 1813 around the original church that was constructed soon after the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlán, eventually replacing it entirely. Spanish architect Claudio de Arciniega planned the construction, drawing inspiration from the many gothic styled cathedrals in Spain.

The cathedral has four facades which contain portals flanked with columns and statues and also a bell tower containing a total of 25 bells. The tabernacle, adjacent to the cathedral, contains the baptistry and serves to register the parishioners. There are two large, ornate alters, a sacristy, and a choir in the cathedral.

Fourteen of the cathedral's sixteen chapels are open to the public. Each chapel is dedicated to a different saint or saints, and each was sponsored by a religious guild. The cathedral is also home to two of the largest 18th century organs in the Americas.

Over the centuries, the cathedral has suffered damage. A fire in 1962 destroyed a significant part of the cathedral's interior. The restoration work that followed uncovered a number of important documents and artwork that had previously been hidden. Although a solid foundation was built for the cathedral, the soft clay soil it is built on has been a threat to its structural integrity. Dropping water tables and accelerated sinking caused the structure to be added to the World Monuments Fund list of the 100 Most Endangered Sites. Reconstruction work beginning in the 1990s stabilized the cathedral and it was removed from the endangered list in 2000.

This area of town is generally very busy but with many points of interest you could spend most of the day here in this area. Metro access is by the zocalo or bellas artes a short walk away.

*Kids always seem to love the ruins that are covered by perspex on the floor outside too

Musuems - The National Museum of Anthropology

The Museo Nacional de Antropología (MNA, or National Museum of Anthropology) is a national museum of Mexico. Located within Chapultepec Park in Mexico City,along the paseo de la reforma. The museum contains significant archaeological and anthropological artifacts from the pre-Columbian heritage of Mexico, such as the Piedra del Sol (Aztec calendar stone) and the 16th-century Aztec statue of Xochipilli. Designed in 1963 by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, Jorge Campuzano and Rafael Mijares, it has an impressive architecture with exhibition halls surrounding a patio with a huge pond and a vast square concrete umbrella supported by a single slender pillar (known as "el paraguas", Spanish for "the umbrella") around which splashes an artificial cascade. The halls are ringed by gardens, many of which contain outdoor exhibits. The museum has 23 rooms for exhibits and covers an area of 79,700 square meters.

Opened in 1964 by President Adolfo López Mateos, the museum has a number of significant exhibits, such as the Stone of the Sun (depicted on the right), giant stone heads of the Olmec civilization that were found in the jungles of TabascoVeracruz, treasures recovered from the Maya civilization, the Sacred CenoteChichen Itza, a replica of the sarcophagal lid from Pacal's tomb at Palenqueethnological displays of contemporary rural Mexican life. It also has a model of the location and layout of the former Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, the site of which is now occupied by the central area of modern-day Mexico City itself.

The museum also hosts visiting exhibits, generally focusing on other of the world's great cultures. Past exhibits have focused on Persia, Greece, China, Egypt & Spain.

At the entrance is an imposing statue of Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain. They say that on the day it was brought to its current location, an unforgettable, torrential rain fell on Mexico City... Located infront of the msueum in a clearing, the daily performances of the "papantla flyers" also is an unmisable experience for any visitor to Mexico city.

Shopping : Coyoacán Market

"Coyoacán es cultura" (Coyoacán is culture).. the slogan of the pretty area of Coyoacán.

Located a short walk from Coyoacán metro station in the central square you can find on weekends a local market which is safe for tourists to walk around at ease.

Like most markets in the city, you will find everything that you are looking for here from key chains to bracelets, earrings, ceramics and also painting and textiles.

The nice thing about Coyoacan market is that there are many stands that sell souvenirs for tourists but at a very good price, nothing like the prices you get at expensive tourist traps in the central parts of town.
On weekends when the market is open, you will usually find groups performing traditional Mexican dance or music and many people sitting on the outside of the square in the many cafes and bars.

The area is popular with young mexicans and families that come to the area on weekends to walk through the markets or sample Coyoacáns famous ice cream at one of the many shops located across from the main square.
Dont forget to take your camera with you as there will be many photo opportunites at the market although you may see stalls asking you politely not to photograph the products (mainly stands selling sloganed tshirts and such).

Points of interest regarding Coyoacán :

Frida Kahlo, and Diego Rivera were residents here and thier "casa azul" (blue house) still remains and now is known as the Fridha Kahlo musuem.Leon Trotsky was also a resident and his grave is found in Coyoacán.

Interestingly one of Coyoacáns most famous current residents is "Changoleón" (MonkeyLion) - A homeless man who is said to live in Jardin Hidalgo. Ever since this strange man became a TV celebrity, teenagers go to Coyoacan hoping to find him and get their photo taken with him. ( I have seen him on two occasions) !

Christmas Season in Mexico City

The Zocalo, Mexico City

An outdoor ice rink in the centre of the city? Thats right!

Mexico City has pulled off the unthinkable creating the world's biggest ice skating rink in one of the world's most populated cities. Costing $1.5 million, and using advanced ice-freezing technology, the Mexico City ice rink is almost as big as a U.S. football field and all but covers the Zocalo, the city's main square, the Zocalo, The 2nd largest square in the world.

Opened in December 2007,so far it has attracted more than 300,000 skaters who have turned the rink into a national obsession.

More than 1,500 pairs of skates have been brought in and 600 instructors are on hand to help the beginners with their first tentative steps whilst the ice rink is open from November to January.

Entry and skate hire is free and this is a great experience for anyone travelling to the city at the end of the year. The rink can be best accessed from the Zocalo metro station, but Bellas Artes Station could be a better option as there will be less movement and is just a short walk from the Zocalo.

Alternative Travel

• Journeys Beyond the Surface is an alternative-travel agency offering customized day trips to help you get to know any aspect of Mexico City that interests you. They accompany you so you have a safe yet challenging day. Their specialty is to take you to places that tourists generally do not get to see, to enable you to get a glimpse of what it is like to live in this city.

• Yollohtli means "The Heart of the Path" in nahuatl. Yollohtli brings you closer to the nature, mystical history and magic of deep Mexico. "Off the beaten track" tourism to get to know little-known prehispanic archaeological sites all over Mexico, for adventurers of all ages.

Lankmarks

Mexico City has many famous landmarks detailed below, you can find more information about the indivual sites on detailed blogs.

• Plaza de la Constitucion, commonly known as Zócalo in the Centro Historico (Historic Downtown) is one of the largest squares in the world, surrounded by historic buildings, including the City Hall and the Cathedral.

• Angel de la Independencia or simply known as "El Angel" is a monument in Reforma Avenue and Florencia Street, near Zona Rosa.

• Basilica de Guadalupe, Catholicism's holiest place in the Americas, and the destination of pilgrims from all over the world, especially during the yearly celebration on the 12th of December. It is the shrine that guards the shroud of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

• Ciudad Universitaria— The main campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the National University of Mexico. Located in Insurgentes Sur Avenue, it is one of the world's largest universities, with more than 270,000 students every semester. In 2007 it was declared a UNESCO world heritage place.

• Coyoacán— historic counterculture district which was home to Frida Kahlo, Leon Trotsky, and Diego Rivera, amongst others.

• Plaza Garibaldi-Mariachi— The square is surrounded by cafés and restaurants much favored by tourists, and in these and in the square itself groups of musicians play folk music. Most of these groups are "mariachis" from Jalisco, dressed in Charro costume and playing trumpets, violins, guitars and the guitarrón or bass guitar. Payment is expected for each song, but it is also possible to arrange for a longer performances. A visit to Mexico is not complete until you experience the fantastic Mariachi Bands.

• Ciudadela crafts market— The Ciudadela is a Mexican crafts market where cultural groups from around Mexico distribute their crafts to other parts of the country and the world.

• Alameda and Paseo de la Reforma— Paseo de la Reforma ("Reform Avenue") is a 12 km long grand avenue in Mexico City. The name commemorates the liberal reforms of Mexican President Benito Juarez.

• Cineteca Nacional (National Film Archive)— It was the first to screen art films, and is known for its forums, retrospectives and homages. It has four screening rooms, a video and a film library, as well as a cafeteria.

• Latinoamericana Tower for stunning views of the city. Its central location, height (183 m or 597 ft; 45 stories), and history make it one of Mexico City's most important landmarks.

• Torre Mayor— It's the new and highest tower in town, and highest skyscraper in Latin America, and good for more impressive views of the city.

• Mexico City National Cemetery - 31 Virginia Fabregas, Colonia San Rafael. Open daily except for December 25 and January 1; 9AM to 5PM. The cemetery is the final resting place for 750 unknown American soldiers lost during the Mexican-American War between 1846 and 1848. Another 813 Americans are also interred here. Free.

Things to do in the City - Museums

Mexico is the city with the largest number of museums in the world, with New York #2, London #3 and Toronto #4.

• National Museum of Anthropology Chapultepec. One of the best museums worldwide over, built in late 1960’s and designed by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, do not miss its impressive fountain. It gathers the best collection of sculptures, jewels and handcrafts from ancient Mexican cultures.

• Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Tlatelolco has examples of modern, colonial, and pre-Columbian architecture, all around one square.

• Museum of Modern Art Chapultepec. Here you will find paintings from Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo.
• Dolores Olmedo Museum Xochimilco. An art philanthropist left her former home, the grand Hacienda La Noria, as a museum featuring the works of her friend Diego Rivera. At least 137 of his works are displayed here, as well as 25 paintings of Frida Kahlo.
• Fine Arts Palace Museum (Palacio de Bellas Artes) Centro. A concert hall and an arts center, it houses some of Mexico's finest murals and the Art Deco interior is worth seeing alone.
• Rufino Tamayo Museum Chapultepec. Contains the works of Mexican painter, Rufino Tamayo.
• José Luis Cuevas Museum Centro. Opened in 1992 and is filled with about 1,000 paintings, drawings, and sculptures from notorious artist, Jose Cuevas.
• National History Museum in Chapultepec's Castle Chapultepec. The Museum's nineteen rooms contain, in addition to a collection of pre-Columbian material and reproductions of old manuscripts, a vast range of exhibits illustrating the history of Mexico since the Spanish conquest.
• Papalote, children's Museum Chapultepec. If you've got kids, they'll love it! Bright, colorful, and filled with educational experiences for children of all ages.
• Universum (National University's Museum) Coyoacán. A science museum maintained by UNAM, the largest university in Latin America. Take some time to wander around the Campus.
• Casa Mural Diego Rivera Centro. Contains murals of acclaimed artist, Diego Rivera.
• National Palace (Zocalo) Centro. You can see some impressive Diego Rivera frescoes. You'll need to carry some sort of ID in order to enter the building.
• San Ildefonso Museum Centro. There are some of Orozco's best frescoes. The temporary exhibitions are usually very good.
• Franz Meyer Museum Centro. Display the collections of Franz Mayer, it holds Mexico's largest decorative art collection and also hosts temporary exhibits in the fields of design and photography.
• Mexico City's Museum Centro. Great place to learn about Mexico City's eclectic history.
• Templo Mayor Museum (Zocalo) Centro. Contains the ruins and last remnants of the Aztec empire.
• San Carlos Museum Centro. The San Carlos Musuem holds some of Mexico's best paintings and exhibit 15th and 16th century paintings.
• National Art Museum Centro. The National Art Museum, houses a rich collection of Mexican art ranging from the 16th to the first half of the 20th centuries.
• National History Museum Chapultepec. Displays a vast range of exhibits illustrating the history of Mexico since the Spanish conquest.
• Frida Khalo Museum, Coyoacán Former house of the painter since she was born to her death.
• Anahuacalli Museum, Coyoacán It houses Diego Rivera’s collection of Aztec and Mayan sculptures.

Things to do in the City

Here is a long list of things to do in the city - see the other posts for more information on each:

National Palace (Palacio Nacional)

Palacio de Bellas Artes - Theatre

Museo de Arte Popular - The museum of Popular art, a great musuem housing many mexican works

San Jacinto Plaza - San Jacinto Park

Ballet Folklorico de Mexico - Mexican Ballet

National Museum of Anthropology (Museo Nacional de Antropologia)

Plaza de las Tres Culturas - the plaza of the three cultures

Edificio de Correos - The post office building

Museo Leon Trotsky - the house was built just before the mexican revolution and is a great piece of history

Castillo de Chapultepec - Chapultepec Castle

Zócalo - Mexico Cities large plaza, the second largest after Red Square in Russia

Museo del Templo Mayor - Templo Mayor Museum

Monumento a los Ninos Heroes - Famous and Important momument

Central University City Campus (UNAM) - One of the countries best Universities and a great peice of Architecture

Metropolitan Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana) - One of the cities best sites

Museo Casa Luis Barragan - The musuem and preserved home of famous mexican architect Luis Barragan

Torre Latino - go up to the top floor of the Torre Latino for great views of the city and the worlds highest aquarium located on the 38th floor

Frida Kahlo Museum (Museo Frida Kahlo) - The blue houe where the famed Mexican artist was born and died

Paseo de la Reforma - one of Mexico cities principle streets which hosts various exhibits throughout the year

Museo de Cera de la Ciudad de Mexico - Located in an old mansion, this museum chronicles the history of Mexico's capital city from the time before European contact to present day

Basilica de Santa Maria de Guadalupe - This famous Basilica, located on the site where an Indian claimed to have seen the Virgin of Guadalupe in 1531, contains an image of her that is the most famous religious icon in all of Mexico

Catedral Metropolitana - one of the largest cathedrals in Latin America

Papalote - the childrens museum with lots of things to do and see and complete with an IMAX cinema

Coyoacan - Once a small town outside the capital, it is now well within the city limits but preserves its small-town atmosphere and colonial architecture. A quiet refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city

Museo Dolores Olmedo Patino - the musuem hosts 27 works of Frida Kahlo

Xochimilco - the canals located to the south of the city which can give visitors a view of what the city looked like in pre-hispanic times

La Opera - This old bar still has the bullet holes left by Pancho Villa on one of his visits