Mexico City and Xochimilco

In 3 trips over the years to Mexico City, spending in total some 15 days there, I never had the urge to visit Xochimilco. There seem to be so many better things to do in the Mexican capital. And the colourful party boats and mariachi bands that define the popular image of this area did not appeal to me at all. But I kept looking for an alternative way to visit, as there must be more to this important part (and second location) of the inscribed site.

I eventually found a tour called “Pre-Hispanic Floating Gardens & Foodie Fest”, which promised “visiting one of the best-kept secrets of Xochimilco, an oasis south of Mexico City”. It was expensive, certainly for one person, but when I had an unforeseen spare day in Mexico City, I decided to sign up. The tour brings you to the village of San Gregorio Atlapulco, 25km outside of the city center and some 5km beyond the tourist boat landings. Looking at the official map, I believe that the village lies in the buffer zone of the WHS and its floating gardens (chinampas) in the core zone.

We started at the daily farmers market, a pleasantly relaxed affair with stalls selling mostly vegetables, but also fruits and (the omnipresent) chickens. A specialty of the villages in this area is also the creation of garments for the statues (or dolls) of Christ that every Mexican family has in their home, and the …

All in all I spent some 14 nights in Mexico City in December 2021 and January 2022. I knew Mexico City was a very large city with a lot to offer but the city definitely exceeded all my expectations. The historic centre proper around the Zocalo area, the Templo Mayor area, the world class unique murals and museums, the exquisite interior and exterior of the Bellas Artes Museum building, and the Xochimilco area would easily cover a good week, keeping in mind the initial jetlag and altitude acclimitization coming from Europe. On top of that there are 3 WHS within the city (UNAM, Luis Barragan and Camino Real) and 2 WHS just outside (Teotihuacan and Father Tembleque Aqueduct) making it a top hotspot in Mexico and North America.

Although I'm usually not a modern building fan, I must confess that I gladly visited the Bellas Artes Museum Building practically everyday and it certainly is Mexico City's best landmark. First from the old Torre Latinoamericano at noon and at sunset, then several times from the Sears Centro Historico terrace cafeteria, before resting at the nearby popular public garden, before or after some shopping, and of course I also visited its great interior (when I visited in December 2021 none of the murals were covered in plastic yet). This building alone in my opinion deserves inscription and I would rate it highly too.

Contrary to my praise for the Bellas Artes component of this WHS, the Xochimilco area extension is …

I visited Mexico between February and April 2019. I visited most WH colonial towns around Mexico City and the capital itself was the fifth one.

From what I've read when preparing this visit, I was expecting Mexico City to be chaotic, loud, noisy and dirty. However, I exited the Metro near Alameda Central, only to find flowering jacarandas and ladies sweeping the street. In the end, Mexico City proved to be a fantastic world-class city, with good atmosphere. Excepting the Metro at the rush hour, it is not very chaotic, and it's definitely not dirty or too noisy.

Previous reviewers shared experiences similar to mine for the historical center. Most of its highlights are undoubtedly great! I particularly enjoyed the Cathedral with the Zocalo, el Palacio Nacional and el Secretaria de Educacion Publica with their murals by Diego Rivera, el Palacio de Bellas Artes, el Palacio Postal, la Casa de los Azulejos but I was more disappointed by Templo Mayor where few interesting remnants can be seen.

I will therefore review more Xochimilco, the second part of this WHS, mostly overlooked by other reviewers (excepting a review not really flattering by Solivagant). Actually, like he suggests, I decided that this kitsch mexican experience was not worth the long metro ride. Furthermore, I was visiting Xochimilco on a weekday afternoon when it would have been quiet, probably boring and expensive to rent a whole trajinera for myself. I therefore headed to el Parque Ecológico de Xochimilco. To get …

We really enjoyed Mexico City; we spent seven nights here split into two batches, yet still felt there was more we could see.

Perhaps our highlight came on our first night, fresh off the plane we went for a stroll from Paseo de la Reforma into the historic centre. It was a Saturday night between Christmas and New Year as such we seemed to have been joined on our amble around the world heritage site by every other inhabitant of this massive metropolis. The incredible family friendly atmosphere was really special; the glorious ambience in Alameda Park even managed to upstage the beautiful Palacio Bellas Artes.

The next day was mostly devoted to murals, a most astonishing artistic response to the political climate after the Mexican Revolution. There are innumerable examples around the city; the staggering quantity in the department of education impresses, the quality at San Ildefonso is very high, with Diego Rivera's early 'Creation' in the theatre being my wife's undoubted highlight of the whole genre.

For me it was the incomparable Palacio Bellas Artes that really had me giddy with excitement. It is a building that could comfortably be an excellent world heritage site by itself, especially if you include its sibling across the road the Palacio Postal. The architecture and finishing details are magnificent, and the murals were exceptional. The highlights were Siqueiros' Torment and Apotheosis of Cuauhtemoc, a glorious artistic piece of nation building, though even that was over awed by Rivera's 'Man, Controller of …

Most reviews have covered the Zocalo, the Palace of Fine Arts, and Templo Mayor. However, I noticed no mention of the Regina Cultural Corridor (Street) which is clearly included in the 2014 Map of the inscribed area. Indeed, I personally found this street one of the most interesting areas to explore in the historic district. The atmosphere was vibrant, the restaurants/cafes are quite good, and the corridor is littered with historical structures. Moreover, unlike the Zocalo, the street is not particularly catered toward tourists, and is frequented by locals.

Based on the 2014 map, it seems the Museo Diego Rivera, which includes his famous mural are not part of the inscribed zone. However, the Secretaria de Publica (Mexico City) is part of the inscribed zone, which also contains significant Diego Rivera Murals. Unfortunately, I walked to this building, but it was closed. Nearby is the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso which is a tremendous structure filled with Orozco murals. There is a stunning Diego Rivera mural inside as well, but sadly it cannot be photographed. Exhibitions are showcased here, and during my visit there were unique "interactive" statues constructed by Michael Landy.

Lastly, I would mention the Gran Hotel which is tucked in a corner of the Zocalo. This hotel has one of the most brilliant glass ceilings I have ever seen. There is also a delicious, though pricey buffet at the top of the hotel, which overlooks the Zocalo. The beauty of the Historic Centre of Mexico City …

Mexico City's historical zone is the last place I visited during my two weeks trip in this country, with high expectation to see the best of colonial arts in the center of Spanish Empire in Latin America, my trip turned out to be hard to say. It was really a bad day that when I decided to visit Zocalo Square, there seemed to be a demonstration or protest or something, so the police were everywhere blocking the roads, and the presidential palace was closed for security reason. Fortunately, that the cathedral was still open. The cathedral was really gaudy with lots of gold, especially the altars. Then I went to see Temple Mayor, an Aztec ancient site, while the museum was really good, it could not evoke my excitement, maybe I preferred Teotihuacan more than Temple Mayor.

I walked around the city that looks very alike a prosperous European city. From Palace of the Fine Art, I walked back to Zocalo again, hoping the situation to be better. The policemen opened more roads, and now I could enter the Zocalo square; I took some photo and did not know what to do more. So, I decided to end my city tour and changed to gourmet tour instead! I went to one restaurant near Zocalo, they served really good food from Veracruz State, because of long seacoast and international port, the taste of Veracruzana food is quite different from other area in Mexico, with interesting fresh lime, …

Although I had been there before in 1997, I count my trip in 2014 as my first proper visit to Mexico City. From my earlier trip, I only remembered the Zocalo and some unremarkable grey buildings. This time I wanted to taste something from each period: the Aztec Templo Mayor, the Spanish-colonial Cathedral and the 20th-century Palace of Fine Arts, and Diego Riviera murals. I started my day of sightseeing at the Zocalo. It was the scene of a demonstration, as on most of its days. To my surprise though the middle of the square had been turned into a Winter Wonderland, where Mexicans rode sleighs from an artificial snow slope and (even more funny when you're Dutch) tried to master an ice skating rink.

The Cathedral provided a much-needed place of quietude. I liked its facade (and that of its neighbour Sagrario Metropolitano), which is a textbook example of the Churrigueresque style. The interior is extremely baroque too, with lots of gold and bleeding Christ statues. It's worth a look, but both Cathedral and Zocalo would not get my vote for WH status. The historic center is 'just' a working city with many modern buildings too. I think it has more Starbucks cafes than there are in the Netherlands in total.

I could not remember whether I had visited the Templo Mayor on my previous visit. But after I entered its gate I was sure that I mysteriously had missed out on that in 1997. To me, …

As usual the UNESCO site is opaque about what is encompassed by the phrase “Historic Centre of Mexico city”. The superb Zocalo and its Aztec and Colonial buildings are certainly included and, perhaps more surprisingly, “an impressive series of buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries such as the Palacio de las Bellas Artes” but the exact boundaries of the site are not clarified. No mention is made of the magnificent Diego Rivera Murals in Palacio National (nor indeed is that particular building mentioned by name). Whether similar murals in the Secretaria de Educacion 3 blocks north of the Zocalo are included is not clear. Never mind – there is plenty to see which is definitely included and, even if it isn’t, it is still well worth seeing. As the Palacio de las Bellas Artes does get a special mention you should go inside to see its own magnificent murals and take in a performance in order to se its stained glass stage curtain created by Tiffany.

However, for my photo of the site, I have chosen one taken at its second part – the “floating gardens” of Xochimilco some 20kms south which were created (in pre Aztec times it is thought) for the purposes of agriculture. Much of this now is pure “Mexican Kitch” and its inclusion is perhaps somewhat surprising! It currently exists largely as a water-based pleasure ground for the city with thousands of pleasure boats and all the other accoutrements you would expect. You may feel …