Overview to Mexico City: Travel Guide and Tourist Information
- Mexico City Information
- Eating & drinking in Mexico City
- Night life in Mexico City
- Getting around in Mexico City
- Things to do in Mexico City
- Where to stay in Mexico City
- Mexico City street map
One thing strikes many travelers immediately on their arrival in Mexico City: its staggering size. Home to an estimated 18 million people, the handsome, bustling streets seem to be constantly straining under the sheer weight of a bulging population.
And with people comes a fair bit of noise, pollution and poverty, but also all manner of colorful life. A visit to Mexico City is never boring, at least, as there’s simply so much to see, experience and attempt to understand.
Built on the ruins of the Aztec City of Tenochtitlan, Mexico City’s checkered history leaves a fascinating urban landscape for the traveler to explore. The complex and beautiful infrastructure is made up of a mixture of indigenous and colonial architectural styles.
Few cities anywhere in the world have such an intimate relationship with their past, with even ancient history seeming alive. The Museo Nacional de Antropologia (in the city’s enormous park, Chapultepec) is an awe-inspiring reflection of the city’s past.
Mexico City is made up a mind-boggling 350 separate colonias, or districts. From the Centro Historico (its historical core), to the nearby Zona Rosa, Polanco, Roma and Condesa quarters, each one is subtly different from the other.
After Tiananmen and Red Square, the Zocalo – the city’s beating heart – is the third largest square in the world. Here, standing alongside one another, are the remains of the Aztec Templo Mayor and the Catedral Metropolitana, built from the stones of its neighbor.
Just to the southwest of the Zocalo lies the busy Alameda Central and a clutch of other museums. To the north sits the Museo Franz Mayer and the Museo de la Estampa, while over to the west is the Museo Mural Diego Ribera.
Out to the east of the city, the neighboring suburbs of Coyoacan and San Angel are well worth a visit. While both are breathlessly romantic old quarters, San Angel has a handful of (yet more) excellent museums and Coyoacan is made up of striking plazas.
Ultimately, Mexico City is littered with history, great museums and vibrant, attractive quarters. The result is that, across the length and breadth of this vast and fascinating metropolis, the traveler has far too many things to see and do in not nearly enough time.
