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. The Coyoacán tourist office is housed in the former Coyoacán Ayuntamiento (Town Hall), also called the Casa de Cortés, on the north side of Plaza Hidalgo. It’s said that on this spot the Spanish tortured the defeated Aztec king Cuauhtémoc to try to make him reveal the whereabouts of treasure. The existing 18th-century building was the headquarters of the Marquesado del Valle de Oaxaca, the Cortés family’s lands in Mexico, which included Coyoacán. Above the entrance is the coat of arms bestowed on Coyoacán by King Carlos IV of Spain.