Mexico City
- Downtown -
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Among the interesting places you can visit are:

  • Alameda Central (The Central Alameda Park). This beautiful park is located between the Juarez and Hidalgo avenues and on Angela Peralta street. This is the oldest promenade in Mexico City. It owes its name to the Alamo trees planted there. It dates from the XVI century. Next to it on Hidalgo Avenue, is the church of the Santa Veracruz, built in 1526, and considered one of the most important Baroque-style buildings of the City. To the west, on Dr. Mora and Basilio Badillo street is the Pinacoteca Virreinal, built in the XVII century in the Chapel of Dolores. It is known to be among the most interesting in the city for its paintings.

  • Antiguo Colegio de San Ildelfonso (The old School of San Ildefonso). Founded by Jesuits in the XVI century, the "Antiguo Colegio de San Ildelfonso";was transformed into the National High School in 1807. It has acted as a museum since 1978, and displays important cultural exhibitions.

  • Antiguo edificio de la Aduana (The old Customs Office). Located on the Brasil, Venezuela and Cuba streets. This building was built in the XVIII century. It has a facade of tezontle with balconies of quarry stone. At the stairway you can see a mural painted by Siqueiros named "Patricios y Patricidas".

  • Casa de los Condes de Santa Maria de Valparaiso (House of the Count of Santa Maria de Valparaiso). The Tezontle and limestone facade of this XVIII century house once belonging to the Count of Santa Maria de Valparaiso makes it undoubtedly one of the most beautiful structures downtown. This mansion presently houses the main office of Banco Nacional de Mexico and is located on Isabel la Catolica 4.

  • The Metropilitan Cathedral in downtown, distrito federal, mexicoCatedral Metropolitana (The Metropolitan Cathedral). Located beside the Main Square. It was constructed over the remains of a small construction, first built in 1524 and demolished in 1626. Finished in 1813, it became the first cathedral in La Nueva España and the eldest one in the Americas. It has a Baroque-style facade with an outstanding ironwork and 64-meter Neoclassical-style towers holding 18 bells. In the interior of the Cathedral, you can see the Latin Cross with three aisles and a barrel vault, 5 large altars and 14 chapels of different styles. Its main altars are the Altar Mayor, Altar de los Reyes and Altar del Perdon.. The Churrigueresque-style Sagrario Metropolitano, built in the XVIII century, is found in the east side of the Cathedral. On the west side is "La Plazoleta del Marquez".

  • Palacio de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Palace). The "Palacio de Bellas Artes", is Fine Arts Palace in downtown, distrito federal, mexicolocated on the east side of the Alameda Park. Its construction began in 1904 and was finished in 1932. It has an art nouveau style and its facade is made of marble from Carrara. In its interior, there is a crystal curtain carved with the images of the Iztlaccihuatl and Popocatepetl volcanoes. There are also some frescos of Orozco, Siqueiros, Rivera, Tamayo and Montenegro. In front of this building is the Bank of Mexico, which is an exact copy of the Palazzo Strossi of Florence, Italy. Next to it is the Latin America Tower, which was for many years the highest building of the City, with its 47 floors.

  • Palacio de Iturbide. The first emperor of Mexico, Agustin de Iturbide, resided in this palace in 1822. The rich limestone facade displays two statues supporting its balcony. The building now houses the National Bank of Mexico.

  • Palacio de la Escuela de Medicina. This XVIII century baroque style building, was constructed by Pedro de Arrieta to house the Holy Inquisition Headquarters, later it served the National School of Medicine. Today, it is the Medicine Museum.

  • Palacio de la Inquisicion (The Palace of the Inquisition). This palace is located on Republica de Brasil and Venezuela street. It was built in the XVIII century and belonged to the Inquisition. Today, it houses the Museum of Medicine. It is also known as "La Cachata"

  • Palacio de Mineria.click here! This neo-classic building was built between 1797 and 1810 under the supervision of architect Manuel Tosá. The theater room and chapel are decorated with XIX century paintings of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

  • Palacio del Marquez de Valle de Orizaba or Casa de los Azulejos (Del Marquez del Valle de Orizaba Palace or House of Tiles). click here! "La casa de los Azulejos", is located on the 5 de Mayo alley, between 5 de Mayo and Madero street. This palace was constructed in the XVI century and is covered with Puebla-style tiles. The facade is made of gray quarry stone and the ironwork of the balcony is said to be made in China. Inside there are some murals made by Clemente Orozco.

  • Palacio Nacional (The National Palace). click here! Located in front of the Plaza de la Constitucion. This Palace is the headquarters of the Federal Executive Power, and was constructed in 1529 in the former Palace of Moctezuma. It burned down in 1692 and since then has been modified several times to become the building it is today. It is a Baroque-style construction with a facade of gray quarry stone and red tezontle (volcanic rock). The palace has three main accesses: The Mariana Door, which owes its name to President Mariano Arista who ordered to construct it; The Central Door, over which the Bell of Dolores was placed; and the one in the south side, named the Honour Door, because it is used as an entrance for the President. In the interior of the palace there are some murals painted by Diego Rivera and a monument honouring Benito Juarez.

  • Palacio Postal. Edificio de Correos Photo by Sofocles Hernandez This spectacular building is made with carved white limestone. Architect Adamo Boari designed it in 1907, since which time it has served as a post office.

  • Photo by Jazmin Tapia - The Main SquarePlaza de la Constitucion (The Main Square). "La Plaza de la Constitucion", is the main square of the country and is located in the downtown area of the city. It is also called "El Zocalo". Its extension is about four hectares, one of the largest in the world.

  • Plaza de las Tres Culturas. Click Here !!! Click Here !!! Click Here !!!
    The Plaza of the Three Cultures in Mexico City, known as the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Spanish, symbolizes Mexico’s unique cultural heritage.
    Once the center of some of the most powerful Native American empires (represented by the ruins of an Aztec temple shown here in the foreground), Mexico became a flourishing Spanish colony in the 16th century (represented by the shell of a Spanish church shown in the center of the photograph). Today, most Mexicans are mestizos, or persons with mixed European and Native American ancestry. The modern housing project in the background represents this mixture of cultures.

  • Plaza de Santo Domingo (The Santo Domingo Square). Click Here !!! The "Plaza de Santo Domingo", is located near the Zocalo. It is considered the second most important plaza of the country because of its dimensions and the historical buildings surrounding it. It has several sculptures, one of them honouring Josefa Ortiz De Dominguez. Nearby, is the church of Santo Domingo, constructed with red tezontle and a facade of quarry stone, considered one of the most representative Baroque-style buildings of Mexico. Another interesting construction is the Neoclassical-style Chapel of "La Expiacion", located on Dominguez and Valle streets. On the west side of the Plaza are the Portals of Santo Domingo, which are part of a colonial house built in the XVII century.

  • Plaza Manuel Tolsa y Estatua de Carlos IV. The "Plaza Manuel Tolsá y Estatua de Carlos IV", better known as "El Caballito" (The Little Horse), and the statue of King Carlos IV, is one of the most prominent pieces by Manuel Tolsá. It is located on Tacubaya street at the intersection of Xicotencatl and Marconi street.

  • Sagrario Metropolitano (The Metropolitan Sagrario). The "Sagrario Metropolitano", was constructed in the mid-eighteenth century by Spanish Lorenzo Rodriguez. A beautiful neo-classic altar by Pedro Patiño Ixtolinque and a magnificent anonymous painting of Saint Christopher dwell inside.

  • Secretaria de Educacion Publica (Ministry of Education). Between 1923 and 1928, Diego Rivera painted murals on the patio walls that surround this building. The murals occupy over 16,146 square feet and are based on themes suggested by Jose Vasconcelos, the Minister of Education at the time.

  • Suprema Corte de Justicia (The Supreme Court of Justice). This building is located southeast of the Zocalo on Pino Suarez street. It was built in 1940 and in its interior there are some murals painted by Jose Clemente Orozco. On El Salvador, Mesones, Pino Suarez and 20 de Noviembre streets is the "Hospital De Jesus" (hospital), founded by Hernan Cortez, whose remains lie in the church next to the hospital where there is also a mural of Clemente Orozco representing the apocalypse.

  • Templo de la Profesa. The Temple of "San Jose el Real", better known as "La Profesa", was constructed during the XVIII century. It now houses a major painting gallery.

  • Templo Mayor. This atemplo mayor in downtown, distrito federal, mexicorchaeological site was discovered in the downtown area of the city, on Seminario, Argentina, Justo Sierra and Guatemala streets. Before the conquest it was the spiritual and political center of the Mexicas. In 1521, the city with its ceremonial center was destroyed by the Spaniards, as well as the 50-meter high pyramid with two temples over its top, one dedicated to Huitzilopochtli and the other to Tlaloc. After the discovery of the great monolite of La Coyolxauhqui, excavations which allowed to see the different stages of construction were begun. So far it has been possible to recover the ruins of the great Teocalli, remains of the Red Temple and the Recinto de los Caballeros Aguila, a Chac-Mool torre latino americana in downtown, distrito federal, mexicofigure, and some little niches and pyramids. Nearby, you can visit the church of Santa Teresa la Antigua; on Licenciado Verdad and Moneda streets are the Colonial-style Casas Del Mayorazgo de Guerrero, built in the XVIII century, also called the Houses of the Sun and the Moon. Inside the Houses there are some murals painted by Rufino Tamayo which are considered as historical monuments.

  • Templo y Hospital de San Felipe de Jesus. The Temple and Hospital were built according to a posthumous wish of Hernan Cortes. "Apocalipsis", one of Jose Clemente Orosco's most famous paintings, was done between 1942 and 1944, and is located in the Chair Dome.

  • Torre Latino Americana
     

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Distrito Federal (Zones to visit)
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Condesa and Roma  |  Downtown |  Polanco and Chapultepec  | South Zone |
 
| 
Zona Rosa and Reforma |  Other Sights |

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