Historic Center Landmarks

The Zócalo is a vast, open plaza in the center of Mexico City, defined by its flat expanse and a massive Mexican flag that flies at its heart. Formally named the Plaza de la Constitución, it sits upon what was once the ceremonial center of…

The National Palace stretches over two hundred meters along the east side of the Zócalo, defined by its long, rhythmic facade of reddish tezontle stone. This building sits directly atop the site of the former palace of the Aztec emperor…

The Templo Mayor Museum sits beside a sprawling archaeological site where layered stone foundations rise from the earth in uneven, jagged angles. These ruins are all that remain of the primary religious center of Tenochtitlan, the ancient…

The Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral dominates the Zócalo with its massive, twin-towered facade and an architectural blend of Gothic, Baroque, and Neoclassical styles. Construction began in fifteen seventy-three, immediately following…

The National Art Museum occupies a grand neoclassical building defined by a heavy, ornate facade and the towering bronze equestrian statue of Charles the Fourth of Spain standing in the plaza out front. Known locally as the Palace of…

The Palacio Postal is defined by its façade of light-colored, translucent quarry stone, decorated with intricate carved filigree, dragon-shaped bronze light fixtures, and a roofline featuring delicate stone crenellations. Inaugurated in…

The Casa de los Azulejos is impossible to miss, defined by its exterior walls which are entirely sheathed in intricate blue and white Talavera tiles imported from Puebla. This eighteenth-century Baroque palace features these ceramic tiles…

The Palacio de Bellas Artes is unmistakable for its massive, golden-orange dome and the white Carrara marble that clads its exterior. Intended to open in nineteen ten for the centennial of Mexico’s independence, the building suffered from…