If you are a Diego Riviera fan this is a must see while you're in Mexico City! At the Palacio…read moreNational you will see his largest and most comprehensive collection of murals. if I remember my tour guides speech correctly, this has 100 of his murals that took him five years of his life. Each mural depicts different ways of life at that time. The murals themselves are studied. All the colors of muted but vibrant. The colors are not vegetable that is, but actual oil put onto wet plaster. As a plaster dried, it locked in the color which has remained all these years. The interiors have multiple courtyards that are very relaxing. .. it is a very peaceful place. If you want or plan to see all the murals, I suggest you plan for at least a few hours. There's multiple levels and as I mentioned at least 100 murals of Diego's alone, as well as multiple other murals done by others.

An absolute must to see the amazing and jaw dropping work of Diego Rivera. You'll need to make…read morereservations for a mandatory guided tour.

The history in this part of Mexico City is incredible. If you're visiting, you should absolutely…read moremake time to stop at Templo Mayor--it gives you a completely different understanding of the region. Templo Mayor was the central temple of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán, which once stood in the middle of Lake Texcoco. After the Spanish conquest led by Hernán Cortés, the city was destroyed, and much of its stone was reused to build what is now the Metropolitan Cathedral and surrounding colonial structures. What's fascinating is that the ruins remained hidden for centuries. The first parts of the ruins were discovered during construction work in the 1970s and earthquakes in the 1980s revealed more of the remains. Standing here, you really feel the layers of history. Within a short walk, you can see modern Mexico City, Spanish colonial architecture like the cathedral, and the exposed Aztec ruins--all in one place. It's a powerful visual of how this city has evolved over time. If you made the trip to Mexico City, don't skip this stop. Even just walking through the area gives you a sense of history spanning from the Aztec empire, through Spanish colonization, to the present day. It's an experience that really stays with you.

Built initially in the early 14th century, Templo Mayor aka the "Main Temple" sits in the middle of…read morewhat was originally the geographic and religious center of the capital city of Tenōchtitlan, when it was still an island city in the middle of Lake Texcoco. As a sacred site for the Mexica peoples, the structures erected here were dedicated to two deities--Huitzilopochtli, god of war, and Tlaloc, god of rain and agriculture. A shrine was built for each at the top of the temple on the main pyramid. From archaeological analysis, the temple was rebuilt six times, with the largest expansion under Mocteczuma I in 1454, though in 1521 the majority of the building was destroyed by Spanish colonizers when the whole city was razed and rebuilt following Spanish occupation. Notably the Metropolitan Cathedral which stands today adjacent to this site was one of the buildings which were built over it. By the 19th century the exact location and history of this sacred precinct had been lost but toward the end of the 1800s part of the temple corner was uncovered. However there wasn't an official organized effort to excavate and preserve the site until 1978-82. In 1987 the site became listed as an UNESCO world heritage site and a museum was built to house its artifacts and findings. When I was there in January I didn't go into the museum though walked around the edges--they've done an excellent job framing it with walkways along the west side, so it's somewhat of a public park. There are a few small scale models of what the precinct would've looked like in different eras, and a dedicated viewing platform. With entry to the museum you get closer access into the site with some walkways within the site itself. The entrance to the museum is free for Mexican citizens and 95 pesos for foreigners. Three floors with eight main exhibition halls focused on the deities, rituals (including human sacrifice), the role of the temple in economics and trade of the time, and flora and fauna of past Mesoamerica. In excavations more than 7000 objects were found and work continues on the site today.

I am not sure how much this is a destination site but if you are anywhere near it is certainly…read moreworth a visit. Ever since visiting the Museo Nacional de Antropología I have become to realize that Mexico is one big archaeological treasure and how much I don't know about its history. Coming here to see the ruins was interesting. However, what really stood out for me was the Colegio de Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco. Built in the 1,500's it was constructed out of the stones used to build the temples that are now obviously only visible in part that make up the site. Personally, I don't believe one can look back and say this was either good or bad despite the conversation taking place in the rest of the world in 2023. Rather, it seems to symbolize a piece of the puzzle that has created the Mexico of today. It is a place I have come to love the more and more I learn about it.

So much history here! If you get a chance to come here, do it! I would have liked a brochure!…read more This archaeological site sits in the Square of the Three Cultures. The cultures are Aztec, Spanish Colonial, and the independent "mestizo" nation. There is an area with a circular temple to worship the wind god. It is about 700+ years old and was built by the Aztecs. Of course, it is in ruins. The Spanish built the nearby Church using stones from the temple. I read that this site also appeared to have been a mass grave with 49 bodies found. Our tour guide gave lots of info about this place in English. Be sure you have plenty of time to see this archaeological area as well as the Plaza de las Tres Culturas and the Cultural Center. There is also a Church called Templo de Santiago, which would be worth visiting! I think you can walk on pathways out in the ruins if you are coming from the Church.

Beautiful building that stands out with its architecture. It has a visual presence in the heart of…read morethe city that can be seen from a mile away. Unfortunately, some areas were closed when we tried to explore the rest of the building, so we were not able to see the entire interior. Still, it's a must visit for the views.

The building was the crown jewel of President Porfirio Díaz's dictatorship. He loved French society…read moreand the building overall is very similar to the Parisian Opera House (can vouch for this). This is the only stage in the world where the curtain is made entirely of Tiffany glass, "Mosaic Curtain for the National Theater of Mexico City". Our guide said it takes a few minutes during every performance in order to lift the glass curtain, and weighs 24 tons.

This museum was straight up excellent and absolutely worth a trip to if you're visiting CDMX…read more I like the lay out and the diversity of different exhibits/art that are presented here. You could literally spend days here with all of the information at your disposal. We came late in the day so sadly had to rush through a lot of it, but I absolutely loved it. Also some cute gardens and things to see on the outside (surrounding both sides) as well. The main waterfall fountain in the middle is also very cool and a great photo op. I'd absolutely recommend to make this apart of yoir CDMX trip.

We'd heard great things about the Anthropology Museum in Mexico City, and it did not disappoint…read more The museum is huge with ten different areas, multiple floors....if you want to see it all, it'll take an entire day (if not longer). We spent half a day there and were definitely speeding through by the end. Luckily, there is a restaurant on premises if you need to refuel. There were some really amazing pieces at the museum. The sun stone and the jade mask were two of the most impressive pieces there. The line for tickets was long because schools were out in Mexico City, but there may have been a way to buy through a self-service kiosk which I couldn't figure out.

I had a great tour with Lemi (I think his name is spelled), it was worth it for the extra…read moreknowledge! I booked it online via getyourguide, as I couldn't find tickets on the MUTEM site. I did my tour in spanish, so cannot vouch for english. Lemi was great & explained the whole process of tequila/mezcal/sotol making. After he explained everything, I took some time to take a few pictures. The tasting at the end was good as well, as he walked me through the different tasting notes. I also bought an extra shot/tasting of sotol because I wanted to try it, the price was very reasonable. I also want to shout out Ricardo, who was nice enough to help me out when my phone stated dying and my uber was on the way! He went out of his way to be extremely kind.

This is a small museum but interesting and fun. There is also a tequila tasting at the end, they…read moreare quite generous with the pour so pace yourself. I would plan on spending 30 minutes here.

Loved this entire museum which was fairly empty mid day aound New Years. In an old public works…read morebuilding with stunning architecture. It is try about the staff being a bit uppity about the way I was walking clockwise and had me go around the small room the other way, but that is fine. A leisurely paced walk thru so many small and inviting rooms, I find this to be more satisfying that a huge cavernous & endless room filled with many people standing in front of you. It was not free but so reasonable like 100 pesos pp. I enjoyed seeing the history of Mexico and glimpses of everyday life through the artwork, some of the artists I was familiar with. Highly recommended, and right across from the Post office building, another gem.

It's always good to see a country's national museums. This has some of the best art of the nation…read moreincluding from Jose Velasco, Diego Rivera and many more. There is older religious art plus more modern and political art. Sunday was free as many museums are, so that was nice but it can also get busier on Sunday.

El Palacio de Cultura Banamex is a historic building just a block from the Zocalo, which celebrates…read moreMexico's art and cultures. This beautiful building is owned and runned by one of Mexico's most popular banks, Banamex. The building has been transformed into an open concept gallery where people can enjoy of beautiful art exhibits for free. My husband and I had the opportunity to see an art exhibit called "Los Maestros" (the masters), which highlighted some of the best artisans in central and south Mexico. Each "maestro" specializes to one specific type of craft, from a region/state in Mexico. My favorite were definitely the "arboles de la vida"; they had so much detail and color! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone near the zocalo. It is a great stop if you are walking Madero towards Palacio de Bellas Artes.

There are a bunch of awesome contemporary artesanal pieces from different regions of Mexico. It's…read morereally cool to get a sense of the different techniques unique to the regions. I enjoyed the figures the most. They reminded me a little of artwork for day of the dead- with miniature scenes, figures, and foods.