EYEWITNESS TRAVEL TOP 10 mexico city DE F LO R I DA PLAZA DEL ESTUDIANTE GONZALEZ O RTEGA A DE COS TA R I C A AZTECAS ARGEN REPÚBLICA DE NICARAGUA 10 LEZ O BREG ÓN DE 10 PUEBLA DO VICARIO IA CALLEJ Ó GIRÓN N EZ CO LO M B L DOBL A ICA Secretaría de Educación Pública BOLIVIA LEONA DE DE RODRÍGU REPÚBL CA C AR M E N LICA REPÚB DE GONZÁ REPÚBLICA REPÚBLI Must-see museums & galleries Spectacular Aztec ruins Beautiful parks & gardens Best hotels for every budget Liveliest music & dance venues Top restaurants and local delicacies Great excursions Most beautiful murals Colorful local markets Insider tips for every visitor VENEZU ELA A DE URUG S A LVA D A DORA ALHÓNDIG A LICA D EL MONED D A COR R EG I MARÍA ÚBLIC 10 REPÚB SANTÍSIM LO R E TO IA ACADEM O M AY O R COR R E 10 LAS CRU CES ISABEL SOLEDA Museo de la V E N U S T I A N O CARRA Ciudad de Mexico NZA y Estudio de Joaquin Clausell REP Iglesia de Jesús Hospital de Jesús Nazareno A U AY Ex Convento de la Merced OR S REGINA TA L AV E R A MESONE JESÚS PINO IEMBRE Isabel La q Católica DE FEBR ERO YOUR GUIDE TO THE 10 BEST OF EVERYTHING Templo de Regina Coeli ROLDÁN VAR 10 MONED OMÁS SANTO T ONES R EGI NA TE 10 10 ZA Parroquia de San Bernardino de Sienna Z OR CARRAN LA DEL SAL VAD IANO AY C AT Ó L I C URUGU 10 q SUÁRE VENUST DE A BOLÍVA CA O Zócalo (9) Z Ĩ C A L O Zócalo Palacio (PLAZA DE LA CON STITUCIÓN) Nacional MBRE R SEPTIE SEM INA RIO IA MOTOLIN DE 10 10 O I MA DER 10 MARGI SAN IL Templo de la Allende DONC DEFON SO ELES Enseñanza Antiguo Colegio Museo q de San Ildefonso PLAZA Interactivo de LO R E TO Economía TA C U @ J USTO S Museo de la BA IERRA Templo useo del Caricatura Plaza Manuel M I XC A LCO Mayor Tolsa-Munal (10) Ejército Catedral REPÚBLI CA DE Nacional Metropolitanan AVE NID A G U AT E M de ALA DE MAY Monte den O Casa de la zulejos Iglesia de Piedad Museo SCHP Primera Museo José la Profesa (Palacio del AV E N I D Imprenta @ Luis Cuevas A FRAN Arzobispado) CISC e L MAN UE R E P ÚB LIC A Palacio de la Antigua Escuela de Medicina PLAZA SANTO DOMINGO PA L M A Centro Histórico REPÚBLICA Templo de Santo Domingo DE E ALLEND DE C UBA Museo Nacional de Arte TINA CHILE DEL TOR O GUEZ REPÚBLIC A PA R TA D O C H I LE L.M RGU EZ O DO MÍN ICA DE PAR AG UAY PERÚ DE MONTE DE P IEDAD REPÚBLICA REP ÚBL BRASIL REPÚBLICA DE HONDURAS DI q Lagunilla R E P ÚB LIC A DE EC UADOR DE J U NA ÁLV AR EZ REPÚBLICA ALLENDE REPÚBLICA DE ECUADOR REGIN TOP 10 MEXICO CITY NANCY MIKULA EYEWITNESS TRAVEL Contents Left Voladores, Museo Nacional de Antropología Right Catedral Metropolitana Contents Mexico City’s Top 10 Reproduced by Colourscan, Singapore Printed and bound in China by South China Printing Co Ltd First American Edition, 2008 10 11 12 13 10 Published in the United States by DK Publishing, 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 Museo Nacional de Antropología Catedral Metropolitana 12 Palacio Nacional 14 Templo Mayor 16 Palacio de Bellas Artes 20 Copyright 2008, 2010 © Dorling Kindersley Limited, A Penguin Company Bosque de Chapultepec 22 All rights reserved Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or LONDON, NEW YORK, MELBOURNE, transmitted, in any MUNICH form,AND or DELHI by any means www.dk.com (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited Museo Nacional de Arte 26 Xochimilco Floating Gardens 28 Villa de Guadalupe 30 Reprinted with revisions 2010 ISSN 1479-344X ISBN 978-0-7566-6175-5 Within each Top 10 list in this book, no hierarchy of quality or popularity is implied All 10 are, in the editor’s opinion, of roughly equal merit Teotihuacán 32 Moments in History 38 Historic Sites 40 Museums 42 Architectural Highlights 44 Parks, Gardens, and Courtyards 46 The information in this DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide is checked regularly Every effort has been made to ensure that this book is as up-to-date as possible at the time of going to press Some details, however, such as telephone numbers, opening hours, prices, gallery hanging arrangements and travel information are liable to change The publishers cannot accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this book, nor for any material on third party websites, and cannot guarantee that any website address in this book will be a suitable source of travel information We value the views and suggestions of our readers very highly Please write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London, Great Britain WC2R 0RL Cover – Front: DK Images: Peter Wilson clb; Lonely Planet Images: Neil Setchfield Spine: DK Images: Demetrio Carrasco b Back: DK Images: Paul Franklin c, cl; Peter Wilson cr Churches 48 Streetsmart Murals 50 Planning Your Trip 102 Markets 52 Getting to Mexico City 103 Cuisine 54 Getting Around 104 Entertainment and Performing Arts 56 Things to Avoid 105 Outdoor Activities and Sports Budget Tips 106 58 Etiquette 107 Festivals and Events 60 Security and Health 108 Excursions 62 Banking and Communications 109 Shopping Tips 110 Eating and Accommodations Tips 111 Around Town Centro Histórico 66 Paseo de la Reforma and Zona Rosa 74 Places to Stay 112 Chapultepec and Polanco 82 Index 118 Coyoacán and San Ángel 88 Phrase Book 126 Greater Mexico City 94 Street Index 128 Contents Left Cantina, Coyoacán Right Interior, Capilla del Cerrito, Villa de Guadalupe Left Gardens, Castillo de Chapultepec Right Museo Frida Kahlo Key to abbreviations Adm admission charge payable MEXICO CITY’S TOP 10 Museo Nacional de Antropología 8–11 Catedral Metropolitana 12–13 Palacio Nacional 14–15 Templo Mayor 16–17 Palacio de Bellas Artes 20–21 Bosque de Chapultepec 22–25 Museo Nacional de Arte 26–27 Xochimilco Floating Gardens 28–29 Villa de Guadalupe 30–31 Teotihuacán 32–35 Top Ten of Everything 38–63 MEXICO CITY’S TOP 10 Mexico City’s Highlights 6–7 Mexico City’s Top 10 Mexico City’s Highlights Pulsating with life and culture, blessed with perpetually spring-like weather, and with a fascinating blend of history and modernity, Mexico City is endlessly surprising With excellent museums, ornate churches, colonial palaces, and urban parks, the city attracts a large number of visitors Nacional de ! Museo Antropología One of the great museums of the world dramatically 57, ' ( 92 ( < 12 presents its pre6$ eminent 9DOOHMR collection of Mexican pre1DXFDOSDQ Hispanic art by region 1XHYD 6DQWD0DU®D (see pp8–11) 0XVHR1DFLRQDO GH$QWURSRORJ¯D /RPDV Catedral Metropolitana @ The largest and most important colonial %RVTXHGH &KDSXOWHSHF cathedral in the Western Hemisphere, it took almost three centuries to build and majestically blends Baroque and NeoClassical styles (see pp12–13) & 21 7,78