Mexico City Attractions - Mexico City Vacation Packages


	Mexico City Attractions Catedral Metropolitana On the north side of the Zocalo, Centro Historico, Mexico City. Daily 8 am-8 pm. Free. This is the largest cathedral in Latin America, begun in 1567 and constructed over a period of 250 years. Built in a fanciful baroque style known as churrigueresque, it's filled with exquisite details and has many small, lavishly embellished chapels. It also boasts one of the largest organs in the world: concerts are given on special occasions. Restoration work is continually under way inside. The cathedral is sinking into the swampy soil beneath it and lists to one side, which is clearly visible from the outside. El Monumento de la Independencia Paseo de la Reforma (at the intersection with Avenida Florencia and Avenida Rio Tiber near La Zona Rosa The Angel of Independence monument, a gilded statue of a winged Victory atop a 150-foot column, is one of the most beloved and most often photographed landmarks in the city. Palacio de Bellas Artes Avenida Hidalgo 1 (at the eastern end of Alameda Central, Bellas Artes metro station), Centro Historico, Mexico City. Phone 5512-2593 Tuesday-Sunday 10 am-5:30 pm.. Free on Sunday. The gracious Palace of Fine Arts is a must-see whether you attend a performance, visit an art exhibition or simply take in the spectacular architecture. The art-deco building (with pre-Hispanic reliefs) was designed by renowned Italian architect Adamo Boari at the beginning of the 20th century. The interior is decorated with murals by Rivera, Tamayo, Siqueiros and Orozco, and the concert hall has a stand-out beaded-glass stage curtain by Tiffany that depicts the Valley of Mexico. Palacio de Iturbide Calle de Madero 17 Centro Historico, Mexico City. Phone 5518-2187 Monday-Friday 9 am-5 pm. Free. This 18th-century mansion, which boasts a baroque Italianate facade, sweeping columns and delicate ornamentation, was once the residence of the Spanish vice-regents and later of Agustin Iturbide, the general who drove them out of Mexico. Now meticulously restored, it houses a cultural center that sponsors art exhibitions and educational events Palacio Nacional Avenida Pino Suarez (facing the Zocalo) Centro Historico, Mexico City Daily 9 am-5 pm. Free The National Palace, commissioned by Hernan Cortez, contains the federal treasury and the national archives. Until recently, it also housed the offices of the Mexican president. It contains some of Diego Rivera's best-known murals, colorful depictions of Mexico City's long history from before the Spanish conquest to the 20th century. Go to the main portal and show a form of picture ID to the guards. Paseo de la Reforma Emperor Maximilian wanted a direct path between the Historic Center and his palace in Chapultepec Park, so he laid out this famous boulevard to resemble Paris' Champs Elysees. Today, office buildings and hotels rise above the tree-lined promenades and glorietas (traffic circles). It is a place to stroll and look at the many monuments, fountains and statues of Mexican heroes. Construction up and down the avenue is part of the city's renovation plan. Torre Latinoamericana Lazaro Cardenas 2 at Madero, Bellas Artes metro station Centro Historico, Mexico City. Daily 8 am-11 pm. When this Empire State Building look-alike was built in the 1960s, it was the tallest building in Latin America. Its 43 stories tower above the Historic Center. The restaurant and observation deck on the top afford a good view of the city on a clear day. Zocalo The plaza is flanked by Avenida Pino Suarez, Avenida 20 de Noviembre, Avenida 16 de Septiembre and Avenida Madero. Centro Historico. The Plaza de la Constitucion, commonly referred to as the Zocalo, is the second-largest plaza in the world and is surpassed only by Red Square in Moscow. It's also the heart of the Centro Historico and of the entire city, as well as the main venue for national celebrations. On most days you can see dancers performing and vendors peddling their wares. Museo Anahuacalli Calle del Museo 150, Coyoacan, Mexico City. Phone 5617-4310. Tuesday-Sunday 10 am-6 pm. A permanent display of Diego Rivera's huge collection of pre-Hispanic pieces. The impressive building is made entirely of volcanic rock and was designed by Rivera himself. It's in the shape of a pyramid, a tribute to Maya and Aztec cultures. Museo de Arte Moderno In Chapultepec Park, at the corner of Reforma and Gandhi (Chapultepec metro), Mexico City. Phone 5553-6233. Tuesday-Sunday 10 am-5:30 pm. free on Sunday. This modern-art museum has permanent exhibitions of Mexican contemporary art by Rivera, Siqueiros, O'Gorman and Cuevas, to name a few. It also hosts temporary exhibits from around the world. A pleasant sculpture garden surrounds the museum. Museo de Franz Mayer Ave. Hidalgo 45 (behind Alameda Central, near the Bellas Artes metro station), Col. Guerrero, Mexico City. Phone 5518-2270. Tuesday-Sunday 10 am-5 pm (Wednesday till 7 pm). Free on Tuesday. This 16th-century hospital has been beautifully restored and contains an extraordinary collection of religious art in gold and silver, as well as rare books and European antiques, which belonged to German collector Franz Mayer. Museo del Templo Mayor Seminario 8 (Zocalo metro station), Centro Historico, Mexico City. Phone 5542-4943. Phone 5542-4784 to reserve an English-speaking guide. Tuesday-Sunday 9 am-5 pm. Free on Sunday for Mexican citizens. In 1978, workmen laying a telephone cable discovered the ruins of the ancient Aztec capital. Walls of temples and giant sculptures of warriors, the goddess of the moon and the god of war, along with thousands of other artifacts, suddenly came to light. The Museo de Templo Mayor, which houses all these treasures, was built on the site. You can view the excavation from the street level or, as part of your paid museum admission, English-speaking guides are available at no charge. Museo Dolores Olmedo Patino Ave. Mexico 5843. Phone 5555-0891. Tuesday-Sunday 10 am-6 pm. adults, free on Tuesday. Col. La Noria (in the far south of the city, about 12 miles from the Zocalo), Xochimilco, Mexico City. Housed in a renovated 16th-century hacienda, it contains some of the best-known works of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, as well as pre-Hispanic artifacts. Museo Frida Kahlo Londres 247, Coyoacan, Mexico City. Phone 5554-5999. Tuesday-Sunday 10 am-6 pm. The artist's home in the years 1929-1954. She lived there at times with her husband, Diego Rivera. On display are some of Kahlo's paintings, costumes and furniture. Museo Jose Luis Cuevas Academia 13, Centro Historico, Mexico City. Phone 5542-8959. Tuesday-Sunday 10 am-5:30 pm. free on Sunday for Mexican citizens. Housed in a former convent, it has a permanent exhibition of erotic watercolors by iconoclastic painter and writer Jose Luis Cuevas as well as temporary exhibitions of contemporary art from around the world. Museo Nacional de Antropologia In Chapultepec Park at the corner of Reforma and Gandhi (Chapultepec metro station), Mexico City. Phone 5553-6266. Tuesday-Sunday 10 am-7 pm. If you have time to see only one museum in Mexico City, this world-renowned anthropology museum is the one to choose. The most fascinating exhibits include the Aztec calendar stone, giant stone Olmec heads from the jungles of Tabasco, treasures recovered from a sacred Maya well, a replica of a Maya ruler's tomb from Palenque and ethnological displays of rural Mexican life as it is still lived today. It also has a very good model of the location and layout of Tenochtitlan, which puts present-day Mexico City in perspective.