Mexico City Resources

Plaza de la Constitucion (Zocalo)

The hub of Mexico City's downtown area and Historical Center is the Plaza de la Constitución or Zócalo, which was first cobbled by Cortés in the 1520's, using stones taken from the remains of great palaces and temples of the indigenous inhabitants.

On the Zócalo's eastern side lies the Palacio Nacional housing the Presidential offices, the National Archives and the Recinto de Homenaje a Benito Juárez.

Diego Rivera's murals in the National Palace, Mexico City. Click to enlarge
The Legend of Quetzalcoyotl - Diego Rivera

The palace's courtyards and galleries are lined with murals by the famed Diego Rivera, depicting Mexico's history from the time of Quetzalcoyotl to the Mexican Revolution of 1910. These are open to the public from 9-3 and 6-9 daily.

The Catedral Metropolitana or Metropolitan Cathedral on the northern side of the Zócalo was constructed between 1573 and 1788. Metropolitan Cathedral, Mexico City Both the Cathedral and the Sagrario right next to it have sunk into the dried bed of lake Texcoco upon which much of the city was built. The Cathedral today is made up of 14 chapels and 5 naves.

To the north of the Palacio Nacional is the Calle de la Moneda or Street of the Treasury. Wonderful buildings line this street, constructed of red, volcanic rock. The original Casa de la Moneda (Mint), dating from the 1500's, now houses the Museum of World Cultures (Museo de las Culturas). Another building on Moneda is the Archibishop's Palace, the site where in 1531 Juan Diego revealed the miraculous cloak with the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe to Archbishop Zumarraga. Click here to read more about Juan Diego and the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The Gran Hotel de la Ciudad de México, just off the south-west corner of the Zócalo. A worthwhile stop in your wanderings around the Historical Center, the Gran Hotel boasts of a giant stained-glass canopy over the lobby, dating from 1908. Be sure to take a look at the wonderful openwork, gilded-cage elevators on either side of this impressive space.

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