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Mexico City travel information.
Mexico City is the very heart of
Mexico, located in its center, and represents the largest
concentration of economic, political, cultural and religious
activity in the nation.
The Mexico City International Airport (AICM) handles more than
25 million passengers annually.
Additionally, Mexico City is connected to the nation’s principal
destinations via 5 toll highways and is served by more than 35
bus lines at four terminals.
Mexico City has been and continues to be Mexico’s very heart as
well as the historical and cultural capital of the Americas.
Since its foundation by the Aztecs in 1325 its has been a
meeting place for diverse cultures.
Mexico City is one of the largest and most dynamic cities on the
planet; a conglomeration of legendary as well as modern
cultural-origin myths; and it seduces and fascinates all who
experience and enjoy it.
The city conserves both pre-Hispanic constructions, witnesses to
the richness of the cultures that originally emerged in the
Valley of Mexico, as well the architecture of Mexico’s enigmatic
colonial period. Hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, museums,
galleries and entertainment facilities also abound.
You’ll find useful information and tools that will let you enjoy,
discover and experience Mexico City, the “capital on the move.”
Weather. The climate is temperate in winter, hot and dry in
April and May. The rainy season begins in May and ends around
October, consisting generally of sunny mornings followed by
cloudy, rainy afternoons. Mornings and nights can be cold,
especially in winter, with an average temperature of 15 degrees
C (59 degrees F).
History. The age of the City is paradoxical if the reference is
Tenochtitlan's foundation, in the middle of the 14th century,
being lthat way it turns out to be a young city in comparison
with the Europeans, it is not yet 700 years. And if we refer to
its historical nature, as a built-up of numerous Cities - State,
then it has more than two thousand years, because the first one
was born about the year 200 A.C., in Cuicuilco, today an
archaeological zone buried to the south of the metropolis.
Of the Pre-Hispanic Cities only vestiges remain. Tenochtitlan
died and the Hispanic was born one since 1522. In the Historic
Center and in some ancient neighborhoods, as San Ángel and
Coyoacán, there are numerous colonial buildings, mainly of the
17th century.
The Pre-Hispanic capital.
The foundation of the City about 1325, has its origin in the
legend of the Eagle and the Serpent, (current national shield),
according to the prediction of the mexican priest Tenoch, his
people had to settle in the place that indicates them an augury,
Huitzilopochitli turned into eagle, would descend from the sky
to settle on the Great Tree of the World (a prickly pear), where
he would fight against a being of the land whom he would devour.
During 200 years of the pre-Hispanic period of the City, the
Aztecs managed to control the whole central region of the
country and to extend their trade with almost all Middle America.
Towards 1519 such was the size and power of Tenochtitlan, that
when in 1521 it was conquered by Hernán Cortés, he had to attack
with 500 Spanish and more than 100 thousand indigenous warriors
from the tributary people of the Aztec empire, who allied with
the Europeans when they supposed that way they would be free,
when actually they were resigning their destination and
affecting in the collapse of the Pre-Hispanic Mexico that by
then was lodging only in the Great Tenochtitlan more than 250
thousand inhabitants, comparable only with Barcelona, which by
that moment was the biggest European city.
The Colonial Capital.
After the conquest, the former domain of Coyoacán, allied of
Cortés, turned into the first city council of New Spain.The
friars demolished temples and buildings, the indigenous
population was expelled towards the periphery. The Major Temple,
was the most lasting construction due to the extreme difficulty
of its demolition. It is said that such continuance determine
that the name of the city was Mexico, since the natives when
indicating towards the former temple they said "Meshico" because
it was precisely the place of Mexi, their tutelary god. In 1522
Cortés ordered the appearance of the new City, with a
reticulated Renaissance cut, where it was the beginning to a
fight of styles between the Spanish Gothic and a new renaissance
which promoting the opening of windows and a plentiful
decoration of its walls.
Centro histórico (historic city center).
Its traditional boundaries are Perú Street, the Circunvalación
road, the Eje Central boulevard and Fray Servando Teresa de Mier
Street. This rectangle, or “first block” of the city corresponds
to the original construction that the Spanish conquistadors
built over Tenochtitlán, the lake city of the Aztecs.
The most ancient—yet most vibrant and active—part of the city,
it’s filled with businesses, offices, public services,
recreational and spiritual spaces, restaurants, hotels, bars and
cantinas, plazas and parks, plus churches and temples, in grand,
historic and colorful buildings.
Areas of Interest to Visitors.
Starting from the central plaza known as the Zócalo, visitors
can travel through time according to where they walk. Try
heading to the city’s second most important plaza, Santo
Domingo, where you’ll see the building that was the headquarters
of the Inquisition, and continue north to see the ruins of
Tlatelolco (a city once allied to Tenochtitlán). Or you could
take different streets that lead to the Alameda, and wander from
the 14th to the 21st centuries, block by block.
Chapultepec Park is the city’s largest garden and recreational
center. The first section (the original park) occupies 230
hectares. The second and third sections cover equal ground,
respectively. It’s a partly-natural, partly-planned woodland,
where there are museums, lakes, theatres, a zoo, cultural
centers, a botanic garden, restaurants, amusement parks, cafés
and strolling options for all ages. Because of its varied
offerings, it receives about 4 million visitors monthly.
Polanco has been an exclusive, luxurious residential zone since
its beginnings, and has conserved this characteristic over the
years. The residential zone has endured, but the neighborhood
has been steadily becoming a space for business and commerce.
Many of the city’s most exclusive shops, high-end restaurants,
jewelers, boutiques and not least of all, large numbers of art
galleries, are found in Polanco.
Three of Mexico City—and indeed the nation’s—most important
museums occupy the zone between Chapultepec Park and the Polanco
neighborhood: the National Museum of Anthropology, the Museum of
Modern Art and the Rufino Tamayo Art Museum. This area is also
home to the largest concentration of foreign embassies.
Xochimilco. Nahuatl for “the place of the flower beds,” and
constructed on top of man-made islands called chinampas,
Xochimilco is the only settlement in the Valley of Mexico that
resembles the lakeside towns that once constituted this basin in
pre-Hispanic times. Its Nauhuatlaca settlers first arrived in
the 12th century, one hundred years before the Aztecs, though
eventually they became their tributaries in the 15th century.
Since that time the Xochimilcas have been dedicated principally
to the cultivation of produce as well as medicinal and
ornamental plants. Such activity has changed little or not at
all over the ensuing centuries.
Xochimilco is also an exceptionally appealing spot for visitors.
They enjoy excursions on its network of canals every
day—especially on weekends—aboard colorful launches called
trajineras, propelled by pole-bearing oarsmen, who work much
like a Venetian gondolier. Local merchants in trajineras or
smaller launches called chalupas use these craft to provide
visitors with every type of merchandise or service (food,
artesanías, music, drink, etc.).
To get to Xochimilco by car it’s best to take the Anillo
Periférico highway. However, public transportation is an
excellent and speedy option. Metro line 2 goes as far as the
Taxqueña terminal where you can board the light rail system (el
tren ligero) that carries you to the very center of Xochimilco.
There’s plenty to see nearby, from the various embarkation
piers, to Xochimilco’s market, church and park with its kiosk,
as well as the Dolores Olmedo museum, which houses a collection
of both Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo’s works.
The paseo de la Reforma and the Zona Rosa.
The tour described here refers to the original path of the Paseo
de la Reforma, a 12 km avenue that connects Chapultepec Castle
with the Historic City Center. Today the avenue is at least
twice as long, connecting at its western extreme to the Mexico
City-Toluca highway, at to the north with the avenue that leads
to the Basilica of Guadalupe.
During more than 130 years, the original Reforma district has
been transformed into the city’s most important thoroughfare, in
part because of its status as a tourism and business corridor,
and more importantly in that the view afforded by this broad
cityscape represents much of what Mexico City and the nation has
aspired to be in modern times, as it moved forward from its
treasured past.
On Reforma you’ll find traffic circles, the monumental column
commemorating Mexico’s independence from Spain, monuments
honoring the last Aztec emperor Cuauhtémoc and Christopher
Columbus, as well as the fountain celebrating Diana, the
mythological huntress, and ultimately, the main entrance to
Chapultepec Park.
The Zona Rosa lies halfway between the Alameda and Chapultepec
Park. It’s an interesting area that offers numerous family
tourism and business options by day, and that becomes the place
for every kind of grown-up entertainment by night.
Archeology.
Mexico City is full of architecture that stretches from
pre-Hispanic and colonial, to the purest expressions of the
modern, by way of Art Nouveau and Art Deco.
Chapultepec. In náuatl language, Chapultepec means Hill of the
Grasshopper and alludes to a rocky elevation of 45mts of height.
Located on the banks of the Lake of Texcoco, in the pre-Hispanic
world it was an establishment teotihuacano, tolteca and finally
Aztec.
In different excavations there have been found rests of these
cultures that are exhibited in the National Museum of History.
In the Base del Cerrillo it was sprouting a spring that was one
of the fountains of drinking water for the ancient Tenochtitlan.
It is said that it was the place where Moctezuma Ilhuicamina
used to bath, Tlatoani or Emperor of Tenochtitlán who hold the
mission of the construction of two aqueducts to supply the City.
After the conquest the Reina Juana I, mother of the Emperor
Carlos V, ordered that the hill and the forest to become
property of the City and his inhabitants.
The archaeological park of Cuicuilco, lodges the rests of a
pyramid of the first inhabitants of the Valley of Mexico who
developed throughout 600 years from 700 B.C., and that declined
due the volcanic eruptions of the volcano Xitle, at the end of
the 4th century. The culture of " The Hills " as the
archaeologists call to this part of the basin of Mexico, came
from establishments Otomíes that became sedentary and they even
developed hydraulic works of which remains in the nearby hill of
Zacatepetl. It is calculated that Cuicuilco went so far as
having a population of more than 20 thousand inhabitants and
that the migration of these helped the growth and foundation of
Tenochtitlán.
Cuicuilco, whose name is translated as " Place of Singing and
Dance " is dedicated to Huehueteotl " Old god of the fire ".
Between the local traces a pyramid of circular base is placed,
and in it lowest part there is a formed construction of
sandstones. In his interior, drawings of red cinnabar survive.
Also a museum and a series of footpaths are in here, in which
the visitor can appreciate between the volcanic formations
plants of the area. Crossing Avenida de los Insurgents there is
the Olympic Village in which there are located more ruins
discovered during the construction of the complex to lodge the
participants of the Olympic Games of 1968.
Nailed in the region of the hill of Mexico State in a fertile
valley surrounded by mountains, Malinalco is a place rich in
history, pre-Hispanic architecture and traditions, located to
only 99km of the City by the highway to Toluca - Marquesa -
Tenango - Jajalpa - Malinalco.
The archaeological area is unique in Centre America, of Aztec
origin it is one of the most impressive architectural sets of
this culture, monolithic buildings, excavated and worked
directly in the rock of the hills. The Cauahcalli or House of
the Eagle is the principal and best preserved building: a
circular room that contains figures of eagles and ocelots, all
in one piece.
In this enclosure the Eagle Warriors were ordered, masters of
the nobility who reached to be commanders, priests or both
things.
Also it is possible to visit the University Museum, the Convent
Agustino constructed between 1540 and 1568, and the Market of
Crafts.
The House of Anahuac (name with which the valley of Mexico was
known), was projected in 1964 by Diego Rivera as museum-study.
Pyramidal building constructed with volcanic stone, it possesses
mayan architectural elements and toltecas, the roofs are
decorated by mosaics, skill that Rivera explored during the last
years of his life. There is exhibited the biggest private
collection of pre-Hispanic pieces integrated by figures of
Tlalilco, ceremonial glasses and masks of Teotihuacan, warriors
of the culture of west and totonacas´ smiling faces among other
pieces.
In the study of the painter there are in exhibition sketches of
his murals, notebooks of work and paintings of trestle. Every
November there is mounted a spectacular "ofrenda" celebrating to
dead.
Inaugurated on March 22, 1980, where it was the ancient plant of
water pumping at the end of 19th century. There are exhibited
approximately six thousand pieces found in the area.
Nearby, in Santa Cruz Acalpixcan, an archaeological area spreads
lodging pre-Hispanic traces discovered at the end of the 19th
century. Many of them are still covered but there can be seen
remains of what was an important ceremonial center, an
observatory, an adoratorio and priestly rooms. Especially
interesting are twelve stones carved with cosmic motives. It is
said that in the hill of Cuilama the xochimilcas used to
celebrate every 52 years the ceremony of the New Fire, which
also was made at Cerro de la Estrella in Iztapalapa.
In this museum there are exhibited the particular collection of
Dolores Olmedo, famous philanthropic. This collection is the
most important of trestle works of Diego Rivera including 25
works of Frida Kahlo like " Self-portrait with Changuito ", "
The Broken Spine" " A few Piquetitos ". Of Angelina Beloff,
russian painter, who was Diego's first wife, 43 illustrations
for stories of Hans Christian Andersen and Jack London. They are
exhibited also, more than 600 pre-hispanic pieces, furniture and
popular art.
The museum is located where the ancient ranch La Noria was,
construction of the 17th century. In the gardens are cultivated
plants of Mexican origin like dahlias, aloes and plumlike
fruits, and fauna walking by like pavorreales, turkeys and dogs
xoloitzcuintles (the only canine indigenous species).
His construction began in February, 1963 and it was inaugurated
on September 17, 1964 by Adolfo López Mateos, president of that
time. It has 44,000 m2 indoor areas and 35,700 m2 of open areas.
Museum experts, anthropologists, archaeologists and plastic
artists participated in the museum creation . By his collection,
size and facilities is considered the world´s most important
museum in his genre.
It has eleven rooms of archaeology and eleven of ethnography
arranged in chronological and cultural way. The museum
alternates interiors and outdoors since each of his rooms is a
museum itself. It has, also, three auditorium, library,
audio-visual area, room of temporary exhibitions and store.
The first two halls (Introduction to Anthropology and Population
of America) are complementary, other nine can be visited in any
order, eventough this is a suggested order :
1. Pre-clássic at Central Hill
2. Teotihuacan
3. Toltecas´age
4. Mexica (or Azteca)
5. Cultures from Oaxaca
6. Culturas from Gulf Coast
7. Mayan
8. North Cultures
9. West Cultures
San Pedro de los Pinos Mixcoac
Calle 20, Pirámide and Periférico
Monday to Sunday 9-17h.
During the Pos-clássic 900-1521 A.D. here was venerated the god
Mixcoatl Serpiente de Nube in náhuatl, and origin of Mixcoac
voice, which is the name of the village that begins from this
point. It was a palace - temple visited mostly by dancers and
musicians of the plateau. It has a big rectangular room towards
the south, a platform, where ceremonies were celebrated, and the
bathtub towards the south-west. Nowadays the Cultural Center
"the Pyramid" has three workshops, a forum and a theater with
capacity for 156 seated persons. They present shows, dance and
musical recitals, with political, social or civil topics.
Templo Mayor
Seminario 8
Tuesday to Sunday, 9-18 h.
The archaeological space known as Templo Mayor, belongs to the
traces of the ancient México, sacred place or ceremonial center
of Tenochtitlán. Mexi was one of the dedications to main god of
mexicas, god that lived there: Mexico means " Place of Mexi ".
The archaeological work has revealed seven different stages or
layers of what once was a pyramid of 40 m high from 1480, when
the tlatoani Tizoc was the master. This structure was the one
that Spanish conquerors saw - and later they beat-.
The Templo Mayor Museum was opened on October 12, 1987, under
the archaeological project in charge of teacher Eduardo Matos
Moctezuma, who continued this work also as director the Museum -
until 2002.
Into the eight rooms they exhibit thousands of pieces from the
collection. In the foyer there is a monumental mock-up that
shows the hypothetical reconstruction of the ceremonial center
in Tenochtitlán. The first room is for temporary exhibitions.
Room two has as topic " Ritual and sacrifice ", Room three has
the topic " Tribute and trade ", four "Huitzilopochtli" and "
Coyolxauhqui ", five "Tlaloc". Six, " Flora and fauna ", seven
"Agriculture", and eight, " Historical archaeology ".
Mexico City has the nation’s largest tourist service
infrastructure, with over 600 lodging establishments in every
category, throughout the city.
Many of the largest hotel chains serve Mexico City;
additionally, there are apartments, youth hostels, motels and
guest houses featuring quite economical rates.
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