Several blocks west of the Zócalo near Alameda Central is this handsome square, named after Manuel Tolsá, the illustrious late-18th-century sculptor and architect who completed the Catedral Metropolitana. He also created the bronze equestrian statue of the Spanish king Carlos IV (r 1788–1808), which is the plaza’s centerpiece in front of the Museo Nacional de Arte; it originally stood in the Zócalo.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
26.14 MILES
This fabulous archaeological zone lies in a mountain-ringed offshoot of the Valle de México. Site of the huge Pirámides del Sol y de la Luna (Pyramids of…
0.12 MILES
Immense murals by world-famous Mexican artists dominate the top floors of this splendid white-marble palace – a concert hall and arts center commissioned…
0.55 MILES
As the seat of the federal branch of the Mexican government, the Palacio Nacional (National Palace) is home to the offices of the president of Mexico and…
0.17 MILES
The Torre Latinoamericana was Latin America’s tallest building when constructed in 1956, and remains the dominant focal point of Centro Histórico. It's an…
5.78 MILES
Renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo was born in, and lived and died in, Casa Azul (Blue House), now a museum. Almost every visitor to Mexico City makes a…
0.54 MILES
Before the Spaniards demolished it, the Aztec 'Great Temple' Teocalli of Tenochtitlán covered the site where the cathedral now stands, as well as the…
26.14 MILES
The world’s third-largest pyramid – surpassed in size only by Egypt’s Cheops (which is also a tomb, unlike the temples here) and the pyramid of…
Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo
7.04 MILES
If you saw the movie Frida (2002), you’ll recognize this museum, designed by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera's friend, architect and painter Juan O’Gorman…
Nearby Centro Histórico attractions
0.02 MILES
Built around 1900 in the style of an Italian Renaissance palace, this museum holds collections representing every school of Mexican art until the early…
0.04 MILES
The Palacio de Minería was where mining engineers trained in the 19th century. A neoclassical masterpiece, the palace was designed by Tolsá and built…
0.06 MILES
Philatelists can ogle a design of Mexico's first stamp and other relics in the 1st-floor postal museum at Mexico City's main post office.
0.06 MILES
More than just Mexico City’s central post office, this golden palace built in 1907 is an Italianate confection designed by the Palacio de Bellas Artes’…
0.07 MILES
Displaying European torture instruments from the 14th to 19th centuries, including a metal-spiked interrogation chair and the menacing skull splitter,…
6. Museo Interactivo de Economía
0.09 MILES
The former hospital of the Bethlehemites religious order has been the home of this economics museum since 2006. A slew of hands-on exhibits is aimed at…
0.12 MILES
Immense murals by world-famous Mexican artists dominate the top floors of this splendid white-marble palace – a concert hall and arts center commissioned…
8. Museo Nacional de Arquitectura
0.13 MILES
A museum within the Palacio de Bellas Artes that features changing exhibits on contemporary architecture and retrospectives such as the buildings of the…