We had carved out a day to walk around the Centro Histórico neighborhood, where many of the city’s key landmarks are located. From our hotel it was a pleasant 30-minute stroll along the grand boulevard of Paseo de la Reforma, lined with gleaming skyscrapers, to the edge of the Alameda Central, the city’s oldest public park.
Established in 1592, the park has a distinctly European design and feel to it, with fountains and sculptures punctuating the various criss-crossing paths. At 9:00 in the morning the park was just waking up, with the occasional jogger or tourist going by. Vendors were just starting to set up their stalls.
At the other end of the park we stopped in front of the grand, white-marbled Palacio de Bellas Artes. It’s probably one of Mexico City’s most photographed buildings, its Art Deco dome a crowning jewel. The secret to getting the Instagram shot of the dome is to go to the Café Don Porfirio on the 8th floor of the Sears department store across the street. However, when we tried to go a little later in the day, there was a line at the café. Not wanting to wait, we discovered instead, a window on the 9th floor (where the bathrooms are found), slightly blocked by a display shelf, but nonetheless still accessible, that affords the same view.
Leaving the Palacio de Bellas Artes behind, we walked on Avenida 5 de Mayo, past a former palace, that is now a restaurant, covered with beautiful blue and white tiles. The cobbled street was bustling with cars and people. Soon we could see the Zócalo, the city’s main plaza, in front of us. Built like most European city squares, there is a cathedral (Metropolitan Cathedral) on one side, administrative buildings (National Palace) on another and then retail business rounding things out. Many of the buildings were decorated with huge Christmas ornaments, including a giant piñata hanging above the street on one side. The middle of the plaza had been set up with various amusement rides. It was such a festive and fun atmosphere.
We walked through the plaza in search of the Templo Mayor and found the entrance near the cathedral, down a flight of steps. While the archaeological ruins are visible from the ground level it’s worthwhile to pay the MXN 90 (~ USD 4) entrance fee to walk through it and see the artifacts in the museum. Standing within the excavated site, I really appreciated the layers of history found in Mexico City. We spent almost 2 hours there, between the ruins and the museum, and by the time we left, were really hungry and ready for lunch. Fortunately, there was a small restaurant right near the exit and we stopped for tortas.
Bellies satisfied, we decided to check out the Diego Rivera murals in the National Palace. We saw guards standing outside the entrance and learned that we had to get tickets from the Museo de la SHCP located across the street. I had read that it was free to see the murals so was a little confused, but we followed instructions and that was when I learned we needed reservations for the free guided tours. Unfortunately, they were booked the rest of the day but had spots for the coming Wednesday.
Not able to see the murals, we headed to the Cathedral. We walked through the gates into the what I thought was the cathedral, and was promptly disappointed by how plain it looked. The entrance was impressive, but it inside it seemed rather small for a cathedral. That was when I realized that the cathedral was actually next door and we had gone into the chapel.
We found the entrance to the cathedral around the corner on Calle Monte de Piedad (I don’t know how I missed the huge sign hanging from the scaffolding covering the cathedral). Inside, midday service was in session. We waited until it was done and then walked around to admire the ornate altar and then caught glimpses of the beautiful organ. Both the exterior and portions of the interior were being renovated so many areas were not accessible.
This was the last place on our list of things to see so we headed back on foot to our hotel. We made a few stops on the many park benches in Almaden Park. It was a lot of walking, but much needed to burn off all the wonderful food we were indulging in.
Diego Rivera Murals (National Palace)
A few days later we took a quick Uber ride back downtown to see the Diego Rivera murals inside the National Palace. We arrived outside the Museo de la SHCP early and waited for it to open at 10:00 A.M. Once the doors opened, we checked-in and were told that the guide would arrive at 10:30 A.M., but we could visit the exhibits upstairs while we waited.
Back downstairs a group of people had gathered, all waiting for the tour. Our guide showed up and led us across the street to the entrance of the National Palace. Standing in the garden area, she gave us a brief history of the place, informing us that the current president of Mexico and his family live there. Previous presidents had lived in the Castillo de Chapultepec.
We entered the beautiful central courtyard and walked upstairs to see the murals that line the corridor and the main stairway. Painted over the course of 25 years, Rivera’s richly colored and detailed murals memorialize key moments in the history of Mexico.
One mural highlighted the use of agave for building homes and making pulque, a fermented beverage that only nobles and warriors were allowed to drink. More importantly, it captured the process for making paper from the bark of the fig tree. In the lower portion of the mural, executed as a grisaille, a man has painted the paper with images depicting the arrival of strange men on ships and horses, and even showing the clothing they wore.
Another mural, The Great City of Tenochtitlan, showed scenes from the social, economic and religious life of people in pre-Hispanic Mexico. The city is in the background, while in the foreground, the bustling market of Tlatelolco is shown. My eye couldn’t help but be drawn to the image of the woman in white, wearing a crown of flowers and tattoos on her leg. I later learned that this was a representation of Xochiquetzal, the goddess of flowers and love, being presented with gifts and a war trophy, the severed arm of an enemy.
Perhaps the most impressive mural, covering three large walls and comprised of three separate murals, was the one called The History of Mexico located in the stairway.
On the north wall, The Aztec World depicted life in Mesoamerica before the arrival of the Spanish. Quetzalcoatl, with his bright, feathered headdress, is shown seated in front of a pyramid surrounded by scenes portraying various aspects of Aztec life.
In the center of the stairway, From the Conquest to 1930 continues the story with vignettes from the Spanish conquest at the bottom, the invasion of Mexico by the USA and France in the two outside arches, and the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz, the Mexican Revolution and the era under Benito Juarez in the three middle arches.
The last mural on the south wall, Mexico Today and Tomorrow, was forward looking and depicted the conflict between workers and capitalists. In the lower section one can see his wife, Frida Kahlo, surrounded by school children. At the top, Karl Marx is seen pointing weary workers to a brighter future.
It’s incredible how much imagery and symbolism Rivera was able to pack into his compositions. We didn’t have that much time to linger but I could have easily stayed longer to study each mural and understand the message painted into each one.
Coda
We really enjoyed walking through the historic center, seeing all the sights and learning about the rich history of Mexico that was on display in the ruins of the Templo Mayor and in the murals of her most famous artist. It was especially fun being there during the holidays but unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to come back in the evening to see all decorations lit up. That will have to be for another time.
Additional Info
- With a planning, most of the major attractions in the Centro Histórico can be covered in a day. I didn’t see if there was a way to check for reservations to the National Palace ahead of time but it worked out fine for us given the amount of time we were spending in Mexico City.