Mexico City

Overview

Being located on a plateau at 2240 metres/7350 feet in height above sea level makes Mexico City an all-year-around comfortable destination to visit. However, that’s just a start as to why one would enjoy a stay here on a Mexico vacation. It is a thriving, cosmopolitan capital city (the oldest in the Americas) offering excellent cultural pursuits with its many museums and art galleries (how about 160 museums and 100 art galleries to choose from), history dating back to before the arrival of the Conquistadores, culinary delights and choices, colourful neighbourhoods and bustling street markets.  

So where to begin – probably in the Historic Centre with its 9000 buildings of which 1550 are of historical importance. The Zocalo or main plaza is the heart and soul of the Historic Centre. This very impressive square is the largest in Latin America and the third largest in the world after Tien An Men Square, Beijing and Red Square, Moscow. It is surrounded by old churches and many museums. Since the time of the Aztecs it’s been a gathering place. Nearby is the imposing Metropolitan Cathedral dating back to the 16th Century and the largest church in the Americas. The altar here is made of solid gold. Also in this district is the Templo Mayor, originally an archaeological site, now a museum built over the remains of the legendary Aztec city of Tenochtitlan and now exhibiting over 7000 Aztec artifacts. For a bird’s eye view of Mexico City, visit the observation deck of the Torre Latino Americano building. No visit to Mexico City is complete without a visit to the extensive murals by the legendary Mexican artist, Diego Rivera in the Palacio Nacional depicting his view of Mexican history.