Mysterious and alluring Mexico City was built on the site of the ancient capital of the Aztecs, the great city of Tenochtitlan. The Spanish conquistadors destroyed it almost to the ground, but could not completely destroy it.

The main sights of the capital of Mexico are connected with the history of this great people and with the outstanding citizens of the country — artists, sculptors and fighters for independence.

Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

  • This cathedral was erected in 1524 on the site of an ancient Aztec sanctuary. Hernan Cortes laid the foundation stone. Soon the temple became too small for the rapidly growing city, so it was decided to rebuild it. This took 250 years. Now the scale of the cathedral is amazing.
  • The appearance and interior decoration of the temple combine the features of Gothic and Baroque. The facades are decorated with reliefs and sculptures by famous masters.
  • There are 35 bells on the two towers of the cathedral. Inside the temple there are five altars, two huge organs, a sacristy and 16 chapels. The underground tomb is the resting place of the former bishops of Mexico.

National Art Museum

  • The exposition of this museum illustrates the history of Mexican art of the 16th-20th centuries. The permanent collection includes over 3,000 items, including paintings, frescoes, sculptures and prints.

The museum displays the works of the most prominent Mexican artists — Maria Izquierdo, José Maria Velasco, Saturnino Herrana, Gerardo Murillo and Diego Rivera.

Chapultepec Park

  • This huge green oasis is called the lungs of Mexico City. It provides clean air for a metropolis of twenty million and shelter for thousands of migratory birds.
  • The vast territory of the park is divided into several sectors. The first is the most popular and visited.

It includes the Chapultepec Castle, Luis Barragan’s house and studio, the Casa del Lago Cultural Center, the Chapultepec Zoo, the beautiful artificial lake Lago Menor and several fountains.

In the second sector there is the amusement park La Feria Chapultepec, a large fountain, a children’s museum and a natural history museum. The third sector is an ecological reserve of flora and fauna.

Museum of Anthropology

  • This museum will be of interest even to those who are not interested in archeology and ethnography. The museum is located in Chapultepec Park. On the first floor of the museum, archaeological collections are presented, and on the second floor there is an ethnographic exhibition.

The Anthropology Museum owns rarities that illustrate the Mesoamerican heritage. His collection also includes the famous Sun Stone, which is considered the Mayan calendar. A separate section of the exhibition tells about the sacred city of Teotihuacan. The exhibition on the second floor is dedicated to the culture and traditions of the people of modern Mexico.

Soumaya Museum

  • The Zumaya Museum was built to showcase the art collection that belonged to Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim. The architect Fernando Romero designed this building.
  • It resembles a huge anvil that stands on a concrete pedestal. There are no windows in the building, and daylight penetrates only from above and only to the top floor.
  • The museum is named after the late wife of billionaire Sumaya Domit. This museum owns a unique art collection, including sculptures from pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica and paintings by famous European masters.

Paintings by Joan Miro, Vincent van Gogh, Bartolome Esteban Murillo and Tintoretto are in the halls of the museum. The exhibition also features works by Mexican artists.

Palace of Fine Arts

  • This is the most beautiful building in Mexico City, which is located in the historic center of the city. Its architectural appearance combines several styles. The exterior is dominated by Art Nouveau and Classicism, while the interior is dominated by Art Deco.

The main facade of the palace is lined with white Carrara marble and decorated with sculptural compositions. This palace is the venue for major musical and theatrical events, as well as exhibitions of art, sculpture and photography. The opera house is located here, and the National Museum of Architecture occupies the top floor.

Frida Kahlo Museum

  • This small bright blue building stands on Londres Street in the Coyoacan area. Its facade is decorated with Indian ornaments. This is the house-museum of the famous artist Frida Kahlo. Here she was born and lived all her life.

Her ashes are buried here in a small urn. The museum exposition includes her canvases, paints, easels, palettes and her most significant paintings.

All items are where Frida left them, and the interiors of the rooms are carefully preserved. The museum also owns a collection of statues of pre-Columbian peoples, which Diego and Frida collected throughout their lives.

Coyoacan Market

  • This market is over 100 years old. You can buy everything here — vegetables, fruits, sweets, meat, fish, semi-finished products, clothes, souvenirs, toys, animals and birds.

Artisans from all over the city bring excellent handicrafts to this market, which are sold much cheaper than in tourist areas. This colorful market has inspired many artists.

Garibaldi Square

  • Garibaldi Square is the most musical place in Mexico City. Dozens of mariachi bands perform here day and night.
  • Street musicians are ready to show their art to anyone for a small fee. In recent years, mariachi performers have been joined by performers from other musical genres, including contemporary ones.

The Agave Garden and the Museum of Tequila and Mezcal are located in Piazza Garibaldi. This museum has a tasting room where you can taste traditional Mexican drinks.

On the top floor of the building there is a bar with a small concert venue where mariachis perform regularly.

La Ciutadella Market

  • The La Ciutadella Craft Market is a real paradise for tourists, as only souvenirs are sold here.
  • On the wide counters are wooden key holders with mosaics from Guanajuato, carved caskets, handmade lead-free ceramics from Querétaro, dolls from Jalisco, embroidery, jewelry and toys.

Here you can buy death figurines painted from papier-mâché skulls, crosses, sombreros, replicas of the pyramids and many variations of the Mayan calendar. Also in the market are excellent cafes serving burritos and juicy roast beef.

Cafe Churreria El Moro

  • Churros are dough sticks that are deep fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar. This is a Spanish dessert, but the Mexicans love it very much and have long considered it theirs.
  • In Mexico City, they learned about this thanks to Francisco Iriarte, who emigrated from Spain to Mexico in 1933. He was the first to sell churros in Zocalo Square.

Churros soon became so popular that Francisco had to expand the business. Thus was born the chain of cafes Churreria El Moro, which offers the most delicious churros in Mexico City. These fresh pastries are served with a variety of sweet sauces, hot chocolate, milkshakes, tea or coffee.