MEXICO CITY
Mexico City: a bustling capital of history, art, and celebration
Once the centre of Aztec civilisation, Mexico City is now the cultural, financial, and political capital of Mexico. A megalopolis with almost 9 million inhabitants in the city proper, this is a place that never sleeps.
With its green parks, colonial palaces, and world-class museums, Mexico offers endless options for urban adventurers, art lovers, and those who are simply curious about the world. Mexico City was founded by Spanish conquistadors in 1525 on the ruins of the ancient Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. With this rich and eventful history, it is an ideal destination for anyone wishing to discover the history of the country. Its city centre, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is an enjoyable journey through buildings steeped in history, like El Zócalo (otherwise known as 'Plaza de la Constitución'), the largest square in the city. Bordered on one side by the National Palace, which houses the offices of the Mexican President, the Treasury, and the National Archives, and on the other by the Metropolitan Cathedral (its full name: Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de María Catedral Metropolitana de México), a vestige of the colonial era, this is where the country's main events take place. Get lost in the city, stroll through Chapultepec Park, as do all families on Sunday, and look up to see the palm trees and all the riches of the city.
Finally, Mexico City is enchanting for artists, who come here to visit the home of the famous painter Frida Kahlo or to visit the museum of modern art. Glide through the canals of Xochimilco aboard a trajinera, a flowery and colourful boat on which you can eat tortillas, tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and other local delicacies.
But the discovery of the city would not be complete without a visit to the famous Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which annually welcomes millions of pilgrims who come to pray where the Virgin Mary was said to have appeared to a shepherd in the 16th century.
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© Text and photography courtesy of EnVols