Showing 1-19 of 19 results
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Antiguo Colegio De San Ildefonso
Built in the 16th century as a Jesuit college, this remarkable building was later turned into a prestigious teacher-training institute. In the 1920s, Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros and others were brought in to do murals. Most of the work on the main patio is by Orozco; check out the portrait of Cortés and La Malinche, his mistress, underneath the staircase.
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Antiguo Palacio Del Ayuntamiento
The two buildings on the south side of the Zócalo may look similar with their stately arcades and handsome carved window frames, but the Ayuntamiento (the one on the right) predates its twin by over 400 years. The mayor has his office there, while various city departments occupy the east building.
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Bosque De Chapultepec
The second section of the Bosque de Chapultepec lies west of the Periférico. In addition to family attractions, there is a pair of upscale lake-view restaurants on the Lago Mayor and the Lago Menor.
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Centro Histórico
Centro Histórico (Historic Centre) brims with fine colonial buildings and historic sites. Its nerve centre and the heart of Mexico City is Zócalo, the Plaza de la Constitución, which is home to the powers-that-be.
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El Caballito
A couple of blocks west of the Alameda Central is El Caballito, a bright yellow representation of a horse's head by the sculptor Sebastián. It commemorates another equestrian sculpture that stood here for 127 years and today fronts the Museo Nacional de Arte.
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El Zócalo
The heart of Mexico City is the Plaza de la Constitución, though city residents began calling it the Zócalo, meaning 'base,' in the 19th century when plans for a major monument to independence went unrealized, leaving only the pedestal. Measuring more than 220m from north to south and 240m from east to west, it's one of the world's largest city squares.
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La Diana Cazadora
At Reforma's intersection with Sevilla is the monument commonly known as La Diana Cazadora (Diana the Huntress), a 1942 bronze sculpture actually meant to represent the Archer of the North Star. The League of Decency under the Ávila Camacho administration had the sculptor add a loincloth to the female figure, which wasn't removed until 1966.
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Lotería Nacional
Mexico's lottery is a national passion, and the tall art deco tower on the west side of Paseo de la Reforma opposite Av Juárez is the game's headquarters. Walk into the building and up the stairs almost any Sunday, Tuesday or Friday after , take a seat in the cozy auditorium, and at exactly the sorteo (the ceremony of picking the winning numbers) begins. Cylindrical cages spew out numbered wooden balls, which are plucked out by uniformed pages who announce the winning numbers and amounts.
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Monumento A La Independencia
On the northwest flank of the Zona Rosa stands the symbol of Mexico City, the Monument to Independence. Known as 'El Ángel' (The Angel), this gilded statue of Victory on a 45m pillar was sculpted for the independence centennial of 1910, just as the Mexican Revolution got under way. The female figures around the base portray Law, Justice, War and Peace; the male ones are Mexican independence heroes. Inside the monument are the remains of Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende, José María Morelos and nine other notables.
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Monumento A La Revolución
Begun in the 1900s under Porfirio Díaz, the Monument to the Revolution was originally meant to be a meeting chamber for legislators. But construction (not to mention Díaz' presidency) was interrupted by the Revolution. The structure was modified and given a new role in the 1930s: the tombs of the revolutionary and postrevolutionary heroes Pancho Villa, Francisco Madero, Venustiano Carranza, Plutarco Elías Calles and Lázaro Cárdenas are inside its wide pillars.
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Monumento A Los Niños Héroes
The six marble columns marking the eastern entrance to the park, near Chapultepec metro, commemorate the 'boy heroes,' six brave cadets who perished in battle. On September 13, 1847, more than 8000American troops stormed Chapultepec Castle, which then housed the national military academy. Mexican General Santa Anna retreated before the onslaught, excusing the cadets from fighting, but the youths, aged 13 to 20, chose to defend the castle.
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Palacio Postal
More than just Mexico City's central post office, this early-20th-century palace is an architectural stunner. Across Eje Central from the Palacio de Bellas Artes, it was designed in Italian renaissance style by that structure's original architect, Adamo Boari. The beige stone facade features baroque columns and carved filigree around the windows; inside, the bronze railings on the monumental staircase were cast in Florence.
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Plaza De Las Tres Culturas
So named because it symbolizes the fusion of pre-Hispanic and Spanish roots into the Mexican mestizo identity, the Plaza of the Three Cultures displays the architectural legacy of three cultural facets: the Aztec pyramids of Tlatelolco, the 17th-century Spanish Templo de Santiago and, on the south side, the modern tower that now houses the Centro Cultural Universitario. A calm oasis north of the city center, the plaza is nonetheless haunted by echoes of its turbulent history.
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Plaza Hidalgo & Jardín Del Centenario
The focus of Coyoacán life and the scene of most of the area's weekend fun are its twin central plazas. The eastern Plaza Hidalgo has a statue of Miguel Hidalgo; the western Jardín del Centenario is surrounded by attractive cafés and centers on a fountain with a coyote sculpture, which is a symbol of Coyoacán. The two plazas are divided by Calle Carrillo Puerto.
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Plaza Juárez
Representing the new face of the zone, this modern plaza is across the way from the Alameda's Hemiciclo a Juárez, a semicircle of marble columns dedicated to postindependence president Benito Juárez, and behind the fully restored Templo de Corpus Christi, which now holds the DF's archives. The plaza's centerpiece is a pair of Tetris-block towers by leading Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta: the 24-story Foreign Relations Secretariat building and the 23-story Tribunales (courts) building.
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Plaza San Jacinto
Every Saturday the Bazar Sábado brings a festive atmosphere, masses of color, and crowds of people to San Ángel's pretty little Plaza San Jacinto.
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Plaza Tolsá
Several blocks west of the Zócalo is this handsome square, named after the illustrious late-18th-century sculptor and architect who completed the Catedral Metropolitana.
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Torre Latinoamericana
A landmark for disoriented visitors since 1956, the Torre Latinoamericana was Latin America's tallest building when constructed. (Today it's Mexico City's fifth tallest.) Thanks to the deep-seated pylons that anchor the building, it has withstood several major earthquakes. In 2002, it was acquired by Mexican mogul Carlos Slim. Views from the 44th-floor observation deck are spectacular, smog permitting.
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Torre Mayor
A 2003 addition to the Mexico City skyline, the Torre Mayor stands like a solitary sentinel before the lion's gate of Bosque de Chapultepec. Designed by Canadian architect Heberhard Zeidler, the green-glass tower soars 225m above the capital, making it Latin America's tallest building. The earthquake-resistant structure is anchored below by 98 seismic shock absorbers. Unfortunately, the building's top tower observation deck was shut in 2006, with no explanation given.
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