Chapultepec Woods, Hill and Castle

I visited this tWHS on several occasions in December 2021 and January 2022. It is Mexico City's equivalent of NYC's Central Park, but it really is huge with a number of museums (the best obviously being the National Museum of Anthropology), a botanical garden, a zoo, a castle, fountains, monuments, a monumental tree trunk, archaeological remains, artificial lakes, adventure sports, etc.

The Bosque de Chapultepec on Chapultepec Hill (the name Chapultepec in Nahuatl means "on the hill of the grasshopper" which is why there are grasshopper statues and symbols everywhere inside the park) is one of the largest city parks in the Western Hemisphere, measuring in total just over 686 hectares. It is considered to be the first and most important city park of Mexico City, with trees that replenish oxygen to the Valley of Mexico. The area encompassing modern day Chapultepec has been inhabited and considered a landmark since the pre-Columbian era, when it became a retreat for Aztec rulers (just below the castle, there are a few remains left). In the colonial period, Chapultepec Castle was built here, eventually becoming the official residence of Mexican heads of state. It remained so until 1940, when it was moved to another part of the park called Los Pinos. The castle is closed on Sundays and Mondays and houses the National Museum of History. The relatively modern 18th-19th century castle's highlights are the tower in the garden of the Alcázar, the staircase mural, and the stained glass windows but nothing …

Chapultepec Woods, Hill and Castle has featured on Mexico’s Tentative List for almost 20 years now. Most people visiting Mexico City will have been there in some way or another. However, mentioning ‘Chapultepec’ often leads to “mèh” reactions. The 9 voters on this website so far gave it a 22% thumbs up rating, which is pretty awful. Personally I find Mexico City one of the most interesting cities in the world and I’d be happy to go there again. The Chapultepec area also really has some great aspects.

The negative associations may come from the Castle – the 19th century construction is not especially pretty and you need to be a Mexican modern history buff to find it interesting. The Zoo can easily be skipped (although it is famous for its success in giant panda breeding!). The city park itself also is not as lush as those in other capital cities. But there is a lot of history to be found on these 600 hectares. They comprise 3 ‘green lungs’ which are nowadays mostly used for recreational and educational activities by Mexico City's nearly 9 million citizens.

On my second visit to Mexico City in 2014 I explored Chapultepec by bike. I had joined a bicycle tour which I would not especially recommend, but at least we ticked off some of the sights near the Reforma avenue and in the Park. We visited on a Sunday, that’s when the main Reforma road is closed to car traffic. I …

Been here many times! In "historic" terms, when has a castle in the Latin American region been inscribed in the list? Let's remember the scope of European influence during the 19th century in Mexico, 'cause only so will we understand the real value of this site. ;)

There are four sections to this park, and I am unsure what sections would be included in a world heritage bid. If you are a visitor to Mexico City you are unlikely to visit any section beyond the 1st. My visit included a relaxing walk through the park starting from Metro Constituyentes and ending with a visit to the Castillo.

As far as palaces go, I'm sure this particular palace shares many similar merits with already inscribed palaces. The most unique features are the excellent views of the surrounding vast park and cityscape, the stained glass hallway, and some of the grand murals. I enjoyed my time, but I have doubts about this TWHS every becoming a world heritage site. Nevertheless I had a pleasant time walking through this pleasant park and seeing masterful use of stained glass.