In 1299, the arriving Aztecs settled down in Chapultepec, and in 1325 they had a religious vision about the exact place, where they the same year founded Mexico City as the Aztecs’ capit
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Translation: Maria Lundberg
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suppliers Content from ths book, may not be reproduced
in any shape or form without prior written permission from
Ventus Publishing ApS.
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ISBN 978-87-7061-262-3
1st edition
Pictures and illustrations in this book are reproduced according
to agreement with the following copyright owners
Gorm Albeck, Brian McMorrow & Instituto de Promoción
Turística Mexico City
The stated prices and opening hours are indicative and may
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5
A visit to Mexico City
www.mexicocity.gob.mx
www.visitmexico.com
Mexico City is constructed in a charming
Mexican-Spanish style on the foundation of the old capital
of the Aztecs This alone is a mixture which has
prepared the grounds for many exciting sights as
well as cosy squares and boulevards with many
impressive environments, and this is exactly some
of the things that visitors in Mexico City can
expect
The city is one of the largest in the world, and here
you find impressive museums and beautiful church
buildings The parks and squares of Mexico City
are small oases, which bind together the large city,
if you do not chose to use the metro system,
which is one of the largest in the world
In the area surrounding Mexico City, you can expect great experiences, not least the enormous temple area of the Aztecs, Teotihuacan, where two
of the climaxes are the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun According to the Aztecs,
it was at these exact places that the gods created the sun and the moon, and where people turn into gods
Have a nice trip!
Trang 6Historical outline
The central Mexico has been inhabited for more
than 20 000 years Finds from thousands of years
before Christ have been found in the area e.g
sacrificial things and artefacts from different
ceremonies
In the period from the years 100 to 900, the area
was controlled by the city Teotihuacan, which is
situated 50 km north-east of Mexico City In the
last part of this period, several important cities,
such as Cholula and Cacaxtla, sprung up, and
these cities began to emulate Teotihuacan as the
leading urban community of the area
Until the 13th century when the Aztecs arrived in
the country, the power changed between different
groupings in the region In 1299, the arriving
Aztecs settled down in Chapultepec, and in 1325
they had a religious vision about the exact place,
where they the same year founded Mexico City as
the Aztecs’ capital, Tonochtitlan
The city of the Aztecs flourished through the
following two centuries Culturally and trade wise,
the city was soon a factor of power, and the urban
communities of the surrounding tribes were
subjected to Tenochtitlan
Large buildings were put up in the city of the
Aztecs, not least the central Templo Mayor, which
was a distinguished double pyramid The Templo
Mayor was the cosmic centre of the Aztecs, and it
was laid out as a city in a lake from the myth about
the city of gods, Aztlan
In 1519, Tenochtitlan was the absolute centre of
the Aztec kingdom, and the city was as
magnificent as ever when the Spanish colonialists
arrived Lead by the conqueror Hernán Cortés, an
attack on the city was begun The city fell in 1521
after hard battles including 75 days of siege
After the long battles, the city, which had earlier been so mighty, was in ruins
The year after the Spanish conquest, Hernán Cortés was made the first governor of the New Spain, Nueva España Cortés founded the Spanish capital as Mexico City, Ciudad de Mexico, on the ruins of the city of the Aztecs
In the beginning, Mexico City was built in Spanish-European style, and right from the start, Hernán Cortés tried to expand the Spanish colonial empire Cortés, who was a reign supreme, was succeeded by a wider administrative system from 1528 In 1535 Antonio de Mendoza was installed as the first of 61 Mexican vice kings in total
Through the 16th to the 18th centuries, New Spain developed into a large, rich, and well-run colonial empire, which spread from the Caribbean to the Philippines Mexico City was the capital of the empire, and large buildings were constructed among others the largest cathedral of Latin America and a number of palaces Culturally the city blossomed with frequent theatre shows, Spanish bull fighting and other forms of entertainment
It was a time with continuous progress, even though the city had its challenges – not least because of its position on a soft subsurface, which was often flooded; once for a period of 5 years starting in 1629
Social barriers, which were continuously increasing, created a growing wish for independence, and in
1810 a rebellion was started on Miquel Hidalgo's request The rebellion ended with the
establishment of an independent Mexico in 1821
Long political clashes dominated the first decades after becoming independent, and this was a turbulent period of time for Mexico where large territories were lost to the USA When Perfirio
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7
Diaz took over power in 1876, the country entered
a time with stability and financial growth which
lasted until after the turn of the century Grand
buildings and grounds were once again
constructed, e.g the Palace of Art The period
ended with a rebellion in 1910, where the country
once again was the scene of political disputes
In the last half of the 20th century, the population
of the city increased dramatically In 1950
approximately 3 million people lived in Mexico
City, and at the end of the century, 18 million lived
in the inhabited area of Mexico City The boom in
the population was started by a Mexican economic
miracle, which led to large growth rates from the
1950es
With the positive economic development, many
large building activities were begun in the city The
metro of Mexico City, which is today the 3rd most
used in the world, was built, and as a result of the
country’s great efforts, the Olympic Games were
held in the city in 1968
In the 1970es the city’s and the country’s economic collapse began and it culminated with Mexico’s suspension of payments in 1982 The crisis was obvious, and it was worsened in 1985 when Mexico City was hit by an earthquake, which cost more than 5 000 human lives and the collapse
of several buildings
Today Mexico is part of the North American free trade area, NAFTA, which has lead to new possibilities of trade for the country’s industry and large service sector The service sector includes among other things the tourist industry, which today offers tourists a number of events and collections at museums The modern Mexico walks hand in hand with its Spanish colonial background
Trang 8Tour 1: Mexico City
1 Church and Hospital of Jesus
Nazareno/Iglesia y Hospital de Jesús
Nazareno
Pino Suárez
Metro: Pino Suárez
The hospital of Jesus Nazareno was founded in
1524 by Hernán Cortés, and therefore it is the
oldest hospital in America The old buildings are
worth visiting and Hernán Cortés is buried in the
church You can also see the painted ceiling, which
is made by the artist José Clemente Orozco
2 City Museum/
Museo de la Ciudad de México
Pino Suárez 30
Metro: Pino Suárez/Zócalo
The City Museum of Mexico City was founded in
1960 and is placed in a beautiful, noble, Baroque
style palace from the 18th century In an interesting
way, the collection describes the city’s history from
the earliest finds to the modern large city that
Mexico City is today
3 Constitution Square/
Plaza de la Constitución
Plaza de la Constitución
Metro: Zócalo
The central square of Mexico City is the
Constitution Square, which in everyday speech is
called El Zócalo, which means foundation The
name refers to the marble piece at the square,
which was supposed to have supported a planned
pillar statue, but the constructions stopped at the
base Today an enormous Mexican flag flutters on
the tall flagpole at the square, and around El
Zócalo, several of the big sights of the city are
situated The square is one of the largest in the
world
4 National Palace/Palacio Nacional
El Zócalo Metro: Zócalo
Along the entire east side of El Zócalo, Mexico’s National Palace is situated, and the size of the façade is impressing as are many of the building’s architectonical details such as the beautiful inner courtyard and the meeting rooms
Palacio Nacional was built on the spot, where the former palace of Cortés Moctezumas was situated This was pulled down in the 16th century It was the residence of the Spanish vice kings and later the government building of Mexico The bell above the entrance is the one which rang in 1810, when Mexico became independent of Spain
At the palace you can see some of the murals by Diego Rivera They were painted in the period between 1929 and 1945 The motives are events and people that are important to the history of Mexico
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The large cathedral of Mexico City, Catedral
Metropolitana, is the religious centre of the city,
and early in the 16th century a church was built
here However, because of the growth and the
status of the city, it was decided to build a new and
larger cathedral, which would be the largest
cathedral in South and Central America
The building of the existing Catedral
Metropolitana started in 1562 and lasted until 1813
The inspiration has come from the cathedral of
Seville, and the style is primarily Baroque
The wooden front doors of the church have been
carved in 1659, and inside the church, a beautiful
sight awaits you: Beautifully carved benches, a
monumental organ and especially the Baroque
Altar of Forgiveness is interesting
6 Mayor Temple/Templo Mayor
Calle Seminario
www.conaculta.gob.mx/templomayor
Metro: Zócalo
Templo Mayor is the place, where the large
Tenochtitlán temple was situated
The excavation began in 1978, when the eight ton heavy Coyolxauhqui stone, which were the foundation of the temple’s stairway, was found
The stone as well as interesting information and models of the temple are exhibited at the museum
of Templo Mayor In the mythology of the Aztecs, Coyolxauhqui was the goddess of the moon She was decapitated by her brother, Huitzilopochtli, who threw the decapitated head up in the sky as a moon, and thereby their mother could see her daughter every night
7 Ministry of Public Education/
Secretaría de Educación Pública
Republica de Argentina 28 Metro: Zócalo/Allende
Here at the building of the Ministry of Public Education, you can experience some of the distinguished murals by the artist Diego Rivera
The building was originally built as a convent in
1922, but was immediately after converted into a ministry building Between 1923 and 1928, Rivera painted the more than 200 paintings that you can see Other artists are also represented
8 Santo Domingo Square/
Plaza Santo Domingo
Plaza Santo Domingo Metro: Allende
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The Santo Domingo Square is one of the most
impressive squares in Mexico City Here you find
public scriveners who assist the citizens with
writing letters among other things
You can see old arcades and the Santo Domingo
church, which is the most important Dominican
church in the city At the corner of the square, the
palace of the Spanish inquisition, Palacio de la
Inquisición is situated This was formerly one of
the most feared buildings and institutions of the
city
9 National Art Museum/
Museo Nacional de Arte
Calle de Tacuba 8
Metro: Allende/Bellas Artes
The museum building of the National Art
Museum was built in a distinguished Italian
Renaissance style in the year 1900 The museum’s
collection contains Mexican works from the
Colonial Period to modern art, and thereby you
get a representative extract of the recent art history
of the country
10 Minería Palace/
Palacio de Minería
Calle de Tacuba 5 www.palaciomineria.unam.mx Metro: Allende/Bellas Artes
The beautiful Minería Palace has been built by the Valencian architect, Manuel Tolsá, between 1797 and 1813 Tolsá is considered to be the pioneer in Mexican new classic style, which in elements also appears in Palacio de Minería
The palace was enlarged, and has since been used for different educational institutions Today it houses the technical faculty for the city’s national university
In front of the palace, you can see the equestrian statue of the Spanish King Carlos IV, which the city loves The statue is called El Caballito, which means The Little Horse
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11
11 Tile House/Casa de los Azulejos
Madero 4
Metro: Bellas Artes
The Tile House, Casa de los Azulejos, is one of
the finest colonial buildings in the city It was built
as a noble mansion at the end of the 16th century,
and it is very characteristic with its beautiful tiles
on the façade
12 The Latin American Tower/
La Torre Latinoamericana
Madero/Lázaro Cárdenas Metro: Bellas Artes
The skyscraper La Torre Latinoamericana was built in 1956 as the first high-rise block of Mexico City There is an observation floor at the 42end floor from where there is a very beautiful view of the entire historical part of the city
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14 Alameda Park/Parque Alameda
Parque Alameda
Metro: Bellas Artes
Alameda is the largest centrally situated park of
Mexico City Formerly the place was the market
place of the Aztecs and scene of executions at the
time of the Spanish inquisition
Alameda was made a public park in 1592 under
the reign of Vice King Luis de Velasco Most of
the statues in the park have been made in the
decades around year 1900 and mainly by French
artists The most known statue is the Juárez
Metro: Bellas Artes
The Art Palace of Mexico, Palacio de Bellas Artes,
was built from 1904 by the Italian architect
Adamo Boari, at the place, where the National
Theatre had been until 1901 It should have been
finished in 1910 for the celebration of the
centenary of the country’s independence The
ground turned out to be soft and unstable, and the
building activities were stopped for many years The building was not finished until 1934
The façade of the building is made of Carrara marble, and it is obvious that the theatre was meant for the rich and important people of Mexico City The style is new classic with inspiration from Art Deco Inside, the late completion of the palace has lead to decorations in Art Deco style You can enjoy murals by among others Rufino Tamayo and Diego Rivera, and in the large room, you find the famous glass curtain
16 Graphic Museum/
Museo Nacional de la Estampa
Avenida Hidalgo 39 Metro: Bellas Artes
This museum was made in order to preserve and promote graphic art in the form of prints and engravings At the permanent exhibition, you can see works from before the Spanish period up till present time The drawings by José Guadalupe Posada are some of the most interesting works of the museum The museum building from the 16thcentury is also worth noticing
17 Franz Mayer Museum/
Museo Franz Mayer
Avenida Hidalgo 45 www.franzmayer.org.mx Metro: Bellas Artes
The Franz Mayer Museum has been established in
a beautifully renovated building from the 16th century, and it contains more than 10 000 antiques, mainly from Mexico The effects are primarily from the 16th to the 19th centuries, and they give
a fine impression of the Mexican everyday life in those centuries
It was the German Franz Mayer who until his death in 1975 collected the exciting and valuable antiques, which he donated to the state He collected furniture, gold- and silverware, ceramics,
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This museum of the artist Diego Rivera has been built around one of his most famous murals, ”A Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park/Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en el Parque Alameda” The mural, which measures 15x4 metres, originally decorated the lobby of the Hotel del Prado, which was ruined during an earthquake
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Trang 14Plaza de la República
Metro: Revolucion
According to the plan of Pofirio Diaz, the large
Republic Square should have been transformed
into a magnificent square with buildings in Parisian
style At the centre of the square, a grandiose
palace of justice should have been built, but it was
only an empty shell of a dome that was finished
before the radical political changes in 1910
In the 1930’es, a distinctive and architectonically
exciting Art Deco monument that can be seen
today was built around the dome In two of the
monument’s columns, the remains of the
revolution presidents, Francisco Madero and
Venustiano Carranza, are buried Later the
presidents Calles and Cárdenas have also been
buried here
Also situated at the square is the Revolution
Museum, Museo Nacional de la Revolución, where
you can find the story of Mexico in the period
Paseo de la Reforma is the central and grand
boulevard of Mexico City It was planned in the
19th century and was supposed to begin at the
Chapultepec castle and run for 12 km through the
city Originally the street was called the Emperor Street, named after the short emperor’s reign under the Habsburger Maximilian
Here you find large banks, distinguished hotels, embassies and what might be the most memorable:
a number of monuments of historical personalities Along the street, you can see memorials of Simón Bolivar, Christopher Columbus, the Aztec Emperor Cuauhtémoc and many more Close to the southern end of the boulevard, you can see the most beautiful monument, the Angle of
Independence/Angel de la Indepencia, which is a golden angel that symbolises the Mexican independence The Diana fountain is also worth seeing
Above the end of Paseo de la Reforma in the Chapultepec Park, six columns are situated This is
a monument, Monumento a los Niños Héroes, of the six young naval cadets who died during fights against the attacking Americans in 1847
21 Chapultepec Castle & Historical Museum/Castillo de Chapultepec & Museo Nacional de Historia
Parque Chapultepec www.mnh.inah.gob.mx Metro: Chapultepec
The National Historical Museum of Mexico has been established at the Chapultepec Castle, which was built in 1784 The castle was built for the
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15
Spanish vice kings, and later Emperor Maximilian
has lived here – it was in his time that the castle
garden was laid out Until 1939 the Chapultepec
Castle was official residence of the president of
Mexico
The Historical Museum describes the country
from the Spanish colonisation to the Mexican
revolution, and among the exciting effects, you
find Emperor Maximilian' coach
22 Museum of Modern Art/
Museo de Arte Moderno
Parque Chapultepec
www.conaculta.gob.mx/mam/mam.html
Metro: Chapultepec
Mexico City’s Museum of Modern Art contains
the country’s finest collection of Mexican art from
the 20th century up till today In the museum’s
garden, you find a number of large sculptures
23 Anthropological Museum/
Museo Nacional de Antropologia
Parque Chapultepec www.mna.inah.gob.mx Metro: Auditorio
The Museo Nacional de Antropologia is considered one of the finest anthropological museums in the world because of its impressive collection and exciting exhibition area
At the entrance, you find a 7.5 metres tall god statue from the Aztecs The extensive collection is divided in themes such as man’s arrival to America, the culture of the Mayas, and Meso-America One
of the highlights of the museum is Sala Mexica, where you find an exhibition of Aztec art Here you can see the famous sun stone, which is called the calendar of the Aztecs
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17
Day Tours from
Mexico City
24 Square of the Three Cultures/
Plaza de las Tres Culturas
Plaza de las Tres Culturas, 2 km N
Metro: Tlatelolco
At this square, three cultures meet, the Aztec, the
Spanish, and the modern Mexican, and that is how
it got its name
Between the modern Mexican housing and office
buildings, the extensive ruins of the Aztec city,
Tlatelolco, are situated It was at this place that the
last battle in the Spanish conquest of Mexico took
place The Spanish Santiago Church was built in
the 16th century The building is made of volcanic
stone, and today the church has a restored and
This basilica is a place of pilgrimage because it is
dedicated to the Guardian Saint of Mexico, the
Virgin of Guadalupe/La Virgen de Guadalupe At
the place of the basilica it is said that a virgin
vision appeared to Juan Diego in 1531 When the
bishop saw a portrait of the virgin, who appeared
through the flowers on the stony ground, he
immediately ordered that the first church be built
here
Next to the old church, a new one was
consecrated in 1976 It has room for up to 10 000
people at the time, and this can be necessary
because of the many pilgrims, who go on
pilgrimages to the basilica
In 2002 the pope canonised Juan Diego, who by that became the first Mexican saint Today you can see the revealed virgin portrait at the arrangement with travelators along the altar
26 Coyoacán
Coyoacán, 9 km S Metro: Coyoacán
It was from the part of town called Coyoacán that Hernan Cortés governed after the end of
Tenochtitlan Through time, many intellectuals have been attracted to the charming
neighbourhood, and you can still see that on the streets and in the surroundings
26a Hidalgo Square/Plaza Hidalgo Plaza Hidalgo
Plaza Hidalgo is the central square of Coyoacán, where several sights are situated Casa de Cortés was built in the 16th century, and it is believed that
is was to here the Spaniards took the Aztec Emperor Cuauhtémoc, when he was captured
The church San Juan Bautista is also from the 16thcentury From the square, you can take a walk in the charming park Jardín Centenario
26b Chochita Square/Plaza de la Conchita Plaza de la Conchita
This square is the most picturesque square of Coyoacán The Baroque church, La Concepción, is situated here, and just opposite to the church you find Casa Colorada, which was built for the Indian
Trang 18mistress of Hernan Cortés It is said that Cortés
killed his mistress in this house
26c Frida Kahlo Museum/Museo Frida Kahlo
Calle Londres 247
Frida Kahlo was the wife of the artist Diego
Rivera, and at the same time, she too were very
recognised for her art, of which you get an
impression at the museum, which is established in
the house of Rivera and Kahlo
The artist couple also collected historical pieces of
jewellery and ceramics from the period of the
Spanish colonisation These exhibits are displayed
at the museum
26d Leo Trotsky Museum/
Museo León Trotsky
Avenida Río Churubusco 410
The Leo Trotsky museum in Mexico City is one of
the possibilities you have to dip into the presence
of the modern world history
The Russian Leo Trotsky left the Soviet Union in
1929, and he moved into this house in 1937 He
stayed here until the day in 1940 when the Spanish
Communist Ramon Mercader killed Trotsky in the
house When visiting the museum, you can see the
original furnishing from the time of the political
leader, and you can see his grave in the garden of
the house
27 Xochimilco
Xochimilco, 15 km S
Metro: Via Tasqueña til Xochimilco
In Xochimilco, you can get an impression of the historical floating gardens that the Aztecs laid out The festively decorated boats sail on the remains
of the formerly large Texcoco Lake Now you find many kilometres of canals with the gardens, the so-called Chinampas, which were laid out in the lake in order to grow vegetables, which were to be sold at the markets in Tenochtitlan After the Aztec period, the Spanish Mexicans continued cultivating the gardens throughout centuries
A lot of Mexicans from the big cities go here in the weekends to sail around in the peaceful, green surroundings It is a fine opportunity to experience real Mexican street life
28 Teotihuacan
Teotihuacan, 50 km NE http://archaeology.la.asu.edu/teo
The large ruin area in Teotihuacan is without doubt one of the biggest sights in Mexico
According to the Aztecs, this was the place where the gods created the sun and the moon In Aztec, Teotihuacan means ”The place, where people turn into gods”
The ruins are situated along the Avenue of the Dead/Calzada de los Muertos, which is 2 kilometres long and 45 metres wide The avenue runs from the main entrance of the area to the Pyramid of the Moon/Pirámide de la Luna, which
is 46 metres tall with a base that measures 150x129 metres
At the main building, Ciudadela is situated This was earlier a marketplace surrounded by official residences Here you also find the museum of Teotihuacan and the temple, Templo de Quetzalcóatl Towards the Pyramid of the Moon, the third largest pyramid of the world, Pyramid of the Sun/Pirámide del Sol is situated along the right side of the avenue Behind the pyramid you find Palacio de Tepantitle, which used to be a rectory Here you can see the beautiful fresco of the paradise of the goddess of rain, Tláloc
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19
Between the two large pyramids, you can see
several buildings with frescos, among others the
Palace of the Quetzal Butterfly/Palacio de
Quetzalpapálotl, which symbolises the ones who
fell in combat
29 Tepotzotlán
Tepotzotlán, 35 km N
The city Tepotzotlán gives you an opportunity of
experiencing a number of fine buildings from the
Spanish Colonial Period
The city’s San Francisco Javier Church from 1760
to 1762 is one of the best examples of the Mexican Baroque, called churrigueresco, in the country The façade of the church is richly ornamented, but it is the interior of the church that is the most impressing The luxurious altarpieces appears to be alive with all their small figurines, columns, paintings, and ornaments, and because it is all gilt, it is almost like admiring a fairytale The altarpiece itself shows the Virgin of Guadalupe
The convent, which belongs to the church, is very elegantly built, and it houses a museum, Museo Nacional del Virreinato The museum describes the place and the order of the Jesuits, and you can see different effects from the Colonial Period
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