Palacio Nacional
Located on the east side of the zócalo, the Palacio Nacional is the seat of Mexico's federal government, home to the offices of El Presidente. Inside the palace there is a series of murals by Diego Rivera, painted in the classic fresco method between 1929 to 1935. These paintings depict the history of Mexico from the Aztecs to the 1910 revolution. In my opinion, these are the greatest works of Mexico's greatest artist, and a must-see for any art lover visiting Mexico City

Catedral Metropolitana
The Metropolitan Cathedral is located on the north side of the Zócalo. Construction began in 1573, and continued until 1813. Like any cathedral in Mexico, you will be amazed by the level of detail in the beautiful stone carvings and wood work both on the exterior of the building and in the various chapels inside. Unlike most of the cathedrals in Mexico, this one is enormous, and constantly packed with a steady stream of people. The interior of the cathedral is often cluttered with scaffolding, because the building is slowly sinking, and therefore undergoing continuous renovation.

Templo Mayor
Located at the northeast corner of the Zócalo are the ruins of the Templo Mayor, an Aztec temple constructed in 1375 and demolished by Cortés and the Spaniards in 1520. The site has great historical significance, as this was once the center of Aztec civilization. There isn't a whole lot left to see, however, and this site pales in comparison to other great ancient cities of Mexico. Still, its location is convenient and it's worth a look. The adjacent museum has some very good exhibits about Aztec culture.

Secretarío de Educacíon Pública
The office of the Secretary of Education may not sound like a very exciting place to visit, but back in the early twentieth century, Mexico's office of education was an important force in the development of Mexican art. They put a lot of artists to work, similar to what the WPA did in the U.S. during the depression. This building has a series of over 235 murals painted by Diego Rivera. Also featured are murals by other prominent Mexican artists like Jean Charlot, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and several others whose names I didn't have the presence of mind to write down. The building has two large courtyards, each three stories high, and all the walls facing these courtyards are covered with paintings.

(The photos at right show the Juaréz courtyard, and the auditorium, with a mural by an artist I can't identify.)

Nearby is the Museo de San Ildefonso, which used to be a Jesuit college, but is now a museum housing exhibits on Mexico's history and arts. This building contains a large series of murals by another Mexican master, Jose Clemente Orozco. It is also the home of the first mural ever painted by Diego Rivera.

Museo Nacional de Arte
The National Museum of Art is a walk-in encyclopedia of Mexican art. The great thing about most Mexican art museums is that they only show Mexican art. Who wants to go to Mexico and see a Picasso or an Andy Warhol? Not me. Here you will find works by all the famous Mexican masters, and plenty of great guys you haven't heard of, like Jose María Velasco. The building is awesome and monumental, built in Italian Renaissance style.

(Mexican museums do not allow flash photography, so often all I have to show is an exterior shot, like the one at right.)

Alameda Central
While the Zócalo is where public events often take place, the Alameda Central is the kind of traditional Mexican park of trees, hedges, benches, and statues where people go to relax. Once an Aztec marketplace, the Spanish made it a public park in 1592. On weekends the Alameda is often crowded with people.

Across the street from the Alameda is the small, quiet Plaza de Santa Veracruz (photo at right) which serves as the entrance to two museums, the Museo Franz Mayer and the Museo de la Estampa.

The Museo Franz Mayer features a large collection of Mexican decorative arts--furniture, textiles, ceramics, silver, wall hangings, wood carvings.

The Museo de la Estampa focuses on Mexico's rich history of printmaking. Here you can find the work of Jose Guadalupe Posada, a prolific printmaker who greatly influenced all of the important modern artists in Mexico.

The Museo Mural Diego Rivera is another small museum a couple blocks from here. It houses one of Rivera's masterpiece murals, Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda. (Click here to see a picture)

Palacio de Bellas Artes
This is a must-see! The Palace of Fine Arts is more than just an art museum, it celebrates all of the arts in Mexico, much like the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. There is an auditorium for performances of music, dance, an film (like the opening of Frida, photo at right). In my two trips there I have seen exhibitions on Mexico's most famous photographer, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Mexico's most renowned modern architect, Luis Barragán, and Mexico's greatest novelist, Juan Rulfo, who also happens to be an excellent photographer. The highlight of the Palacio is its collection of murals by Mexico's best artists: Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Jose Clemente Orozco, Rufino Tamayo, and Jorge Gonzalez Camarena (the best Mexican artist you've never heard of). The interior architecture of the building is very impressive. It also has a great book shop.

Plaza de la República
This large plaza is home to the massive Monumento a la Revolución (photo at right). You can't go inside it, but it houses the remains of revolutionary heroes like Pancho Villa, Madero, and Carranza. Underneath the plaza is a museum devoted to the revolution.

Zona Rosa
The Zona Rosa is a tourist-friendly area of Mexico City. It has pedestrian streets lined with sidewalk cafes and shops. There are some really good restaurants here, and nice hotels also. Most evenings the streets will be crowded with Mexicans and tourists alike. Lots of merchandise is sold by street vendors, including paintings by local artists. This is one of the few areas of Mexico City where you can safely walk around at night. That said, this isn't Disneyland. You may be approached by strip club employees hawking their entertainment, drug dealers offering their merchandise, or gay men who want to visit your hotel room. Overall, it is a good place to stay for American tourists because it is within walking distance of a lot of great sites.

Paseo de la Reforma
Mexico's grandest boulevard runs from the Alameda Central down through the Bosque de Chapultepec (see below). Here you'll find some of the city's most impressive modern skyscrapers. Interspersed along the median are a series of monuments, mostly in the form of traditional bronze statues, but also some modern sculpture, like El Caballito (picture at right). The most famous of these monuments is El Ángel, aka the Monument to Independence, near the Zona Rosa.

Bosque de Chapultepec
Chapultepec Forest is Mexico City's largest park. Several of the city's best museums are located within its grounds, along with many monuments and sculptures. There are miles of wooded paths to walk, and even a couple lakes where you can rent a boat. On weekends, many of the main pedestrian thoroughfares through the park are lined with vendors selling food of all kinds, toys for the kids, or souvenirs for adults. (For example, the artist selling paintings in the third photo at right).

Noted below are a few of the attractions you can visit at Chapultepec.

Parque Zoológico
An excellent zoo, complete with giant pandas.

Museo Nacional de Antopología
Considered the best museum of anthropology in Mexico, and one of the best of its kind in the world, it houses an incredible collection of pre-Colombian artifacts from all of Mexico's ancient cultures, arranged in modern, expertly-designed educational exhibits.

Museo Rufino Tamayo
This art museum does not contain the work of the artist for which it is named, but rather was founded with money from his estate. It features exhibits of contemporary art from all over the world.

Castillo de Chapultepec
The centerpiece of the Bosque de Chapultepec is the Castillo, which sits on a high hill overlooking the forest and the entire city. Construction began on the massive building in 1785. In 1864 it became the home of Emperor Maximilian (whom Napoleon installed as ruler of Mexico during a brief French conquest of the country). Many of the rooms have been restored with the opulent furnishings of that time period. A succession of Mexican dictators lived here until it was declared a museum in 1940. The castle features beautifully manicured rooftop gardens, colorful stained glass, and breathtaking views of the city.

One wing of the castle now houses the National Museum of History. Unfortunately, the two times I was there that wing was closed for renovation. This was a big disappointment for me, because some of Mexico's great murals are housed there, by artists like Siqueiros, Orozco, and O'Gorman. Still, there was plenty to see at this impressive site.

There is one day of the week when the Castillo is open free to the public. I think that is Sunday. If you really want to enjoy this site, DO NOT go on the free day!

Polanco
Polanco is a relatively ritzy neighborhood located just outside of the Bosque de Chapultepec. There are a lot of beautiful homes here, in both traditional and modern architectural styles. Many of the foreign embassies are also located here.

Museo Sala de Arte Público David Alfaro Siqueiros
Ever the shameless self-promoter, Mexico's famous muralist David Siqueiros made sure there were at least three museums devoted to him before he died. This small building was a former studio of his, and features galleries housing his prints, photographs, and private papers. There are also a few murals, which are largely unfinished (he had a habit of leaving a lot of things unfinished), but they do a good job of showing his desire to integrate art and architecture into a cohesive whole.

San Ángel
San Ángel is another charming residential area of Mexico City. Many of the buildings in this district retain their colonial charm. There are a few centuries-old Spanish churches to see, and the quiet side streets are lined with upscale shops selling traditional Mexican crafts and furniture. There's also a few nice art galleries.

Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo
Designed in the 1930s by modern architect Juan O'Gorman, these dual houses/studios served as home to artists Rivera and Kahlo during their turbulent marriage. The red house for Diego, and the blue house for Frida, are connected by a rooftop bridge. Today the red house contains an art gallery, and Rivera's preserved studio. The blue house contains offices and was closed to the public when I was there.

Museo de Arte Carillo Gil
Yet another art museum in Mexico City, this modern gallery shows prints by some of Mexico's greatest 20th century artists, as well as shows of contemporary art from around the world.

Polyforum Siqueiros
This outrageous museum is the aforementioned David Alfaro Siqueiros' megalomaniacal tribute to himself. He designed the building, and covered every inch of its exterior with murals. Inside is an audacious multi-media experience (completed before "multi-media" was even a word). It consists of a domed room about the size of a basketball stadium, covered with a 360-degree assemblage of paint, sculpture, and electric lights. You, the viewer, sit on a rotating floor, while a recorded voice tells you the story of the March of Humanity. Siqueiros' execution of this monumental vision is a little gaudy, but you've got to admire him for his sheer balls in completing it.

Ciudad Universitaria
I believe UNAM (Autonomous University of Mexico) is the largest university in the Western Hemisphere, in terms of number of students (over a quarter million), but don't quote me on that. The campus is so large, it is called the University City. The grounds are always active with lots of students studying and socializing, and by these pictures you can see it is pretty obvious why I went there: to see murals, of course.

The masterpiece on this campus is the library, a 10-story building covered from top to bottom with mosaic murals by Juan O'Gorman, depicting a detailed history of Mexico (first photo at right). Also notable is the Rectory, which features a few murals by Siqueiros, including the eagle and vulture painting in the second photo at right.

Coyoacán
Coyoacán is like a small, Mexican town in the middle of the metropolis. It has the same quiet, colonial charm and historically preserved buildings as the San Ángel neighborhood, but the atmosphere is not so high class, and has more of a hippy feel. Like any Mexican small town, there is main square where people socialize (the Plaza Hidalgo and the adjoining Jardín del Centenario), a big church (the Parroquia de San Juan Bautista), and a government building (the Casa de Cortés, one of the first Spanish headquarters in Mexico), all surrounded by sidewalk cafes. A stroll through the streets of Coyocán yields a lot of lovely old buildings (like the yellow church, third photo at right).

Museo Frida Kahlo
Also located in Coyoacán is the Frida Kahlo Museum, also known as the blue house. This was her family home, and eventually the residence of her and her husband Diego Rivera. (Anyone who saw the movie Frida has seen a recreation of this house.) It now serves as a museum devoted to her life and work.

Anahucalli
This museum was designed by Diego Rivera to house his collection of pre-Hispanic Mexican art. It resembles a dark stone fortress, part Aztec temple and part modern architecture. There is also an area that Rivera used as a studio, which features some of his full-size mural drawings, and sketchbooks from his childhood to his death. This site isn't a must-see, but is interesting to diehard Rivera fans.

Xochimilco
A little piece of Venice on the southeastern outskirts of Mexico City, Xochimilco is a great tourist experience. You can rent a trajinera (gondola) and spend an hour drifting up and down the canals. Along the way, other gondolas will approach you, selling food, drink, or jewelry. You might even drift by a mariachi band selling songs. The scenery is peaceful, lush vegetation with a few cows or goats along the shore line. A day at Xochimilco is a fun adventure.

Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño
This museum, located in the Xochimilco area, is easily one of the most beautiful sites in Mexico City. Dolores Olmedo, who passed away in recent years, was a rich socialite who rubbed elbows with a lot of famous people, and was for a time the mistress of Diego Rivera. This museum, her former estate, houses her excellent collection of Rivera's work (the best anywhere, perhaps?) as well as pieces by his wife Frida Kahlo. Beyond the artwork, however, the palatial estate is incredibly beautiful in and of itself. The monumental house is a masterpiece of Mexican architecture, decorated with modern art and ancient artifacts. The grounds are filled with flowering trees, and home to freely roaming peacocks, turkeys, ducks, and Mexican hairless dogs. This site is out of the way, but you won't regret the trip.

Teotihuacán
This ancient Aztec archeological zone lies about 50km northeast of downtown. With all of Mexico City's traffic, it takes almost 90 minutes to drive out there. Whatever hotel you are staying at should be able to set you up with transportation and a guide. It can be a pricy trip, but it's worth it.

This ancient Aztec city was once home to over 200,000 inhabitants. Most of the buildings were built around AD 100-600. The highlights are the Pyramid of the Sun (first photo, at right), and the Pyramid of the Moon (over my shoulder, in the second photo). Both are climbable, and offer quite a view. Away from the pyramids, the southern area of the site, called La Ciudadela, offers opportunity for more quiet exploration (third and fourth photos). Here you can see the impressive stone carvings of the feathered-serpent god and the rain god Tlalóc (photo #3).

The sheer size of this site will blow you away, and it is an exciting experience to walk through the same ceremonial grounds where the Aztec emperor walked 2,000 years ago.