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Mexico City is one of the world's most important centers of archeology and urban architecture, with 31 different archeological or historic sites. The city's historic center is a UNESCO-designated district, featuring many important, well-preserved Pre-Colombian archeological sites and historic colonial era buildings. The city is home to beautiful churches, authentic colonial neighborhoods, and one of the largest and most beautiful urban parks in the world. Foreign Policy magazine ranked Mexico City as one of the world's Top 10 cultural destinations.

Even as Mexico City has become a modern, cosmopolitan city, it continues to invest in its past. More than 83,000 sq. meters of the city's historic center are being renovated during 2009. As one of the largest and most unique examples of colonial architecture in the world, the city is working to improve transportation flows in the historic center, create pedestrian walkways, and support renovations in many of the magnificent buildings and public spaces located throughout the historic city center.

Historic Center

The Centro Histórico, or Historic Center, features numerous archeological sites and historic colonial buildings. The heart of the historic center is the Plaza de la Constitución, known locally as the Zócalo, one of the world’s largest urban squares. The Zócalo has been the prime gathering point for Mexico City residents over many decades, and it is bordered by the National Palace, the Aztec ruins of the Templo Mayor, the Metropolitan Cathedral (Latin America’s largest Catholic Church) and important government offices, including Mexico City’s City Hall.

Make sure to visit the National Palace, once the seat of the Mexican Government and the home of the president of Mexico. Built on the grounds of Montezuma's home, it features murals by Diego Rivera depicting Mexican history. In addition to many famous sites, the historic center also features charming cafes and restaurants, boutiques and handicraft shops, museums and churches.

Museums

Few cities in the world can rival Mexico City's collection of over 150 museums, including the National Anthropology Museum, home to the largest collection of ancient Mexican pieces in the world, and the Museum of Modern Art, which features permanent exhibitions of painters and sculptors from the modern Mexican art movement.

Chapultepec Park

Make time to visit Chapultepec Park, one of the largest city parks in the world and home to the Chapultepec Castle, the former residence of Mexican Emperor Maximilian I and Empress Carlota. The park also features the country's largest zoo, botanical gardens, lakes for paddleboat rides, an aquatic park with water slides, and miles of walkways and jogging paths. There are three museums contained in the park, including the hands-on Papalote Children's Museum with an IMAX big-screen theater.

Paseo de la Reforma

The Paseo de la Reforma is Mexico City’s major avenue. It bisects the city from east to west, and features numerous traffic circles, fountains and historic monuments, including the Independence Column, where El Ángel – the monument to Mexico’s independence –sits atop a 36–meter column. Cultural fairs and expositions are frequently organized along La Reforma’s broad sidewalks and promenades. Hotels, office towers, government buildings, banks and historic buildings are situated along La Reforma.

Nearby Attractions

To experience the Venice of Mexico City, spend an afternoon at the floating gardens of Xochimilco (pronounced so-she-MIL-co). Mariachi musicians serenade visitors as they ride colorful gondolas through city's only remaining canals.

Spend a few hours in the picturesque colonial-era neighborhood of Coyoacán, a bohemian enclave with a colorful weekend market that spills into the streets surrounding the main square of Hidalgo Plaza. Stop by the former home of artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, which is now a museum called The Blue House. Or Marxist theorist Leon Trotsky's house, also a museum.

One hour northeast of the capital sits Teotihuacan, the most-visited archeological site in the country, which dates back to 300 B.C. The Pyramid of the Sun, one of Teotihuacan's two pyramids, is the third largest pyramid in the world. No one knows who built them — by the time the Aztecs discovered them, they were already ancient ruins. Often included in this trip to the pyramids is a visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of the most visited churches in the world.

Two hours southeast of Mexico City is the city of Puebla, famed for its tile-embellished colonial-era buildings and its cuisine. Tlaxcala, another colonial city, and the nearby ruins of Cacaxtla (A.D. 650-900) and Xochitecatl (dating from 1000 B.C.) are also only two hours east of the capital.