With so much to see and do, Mexico city has been one of the most beautiful trips we have had. Ancient civilizations followed by the Aztecs and then the Spanish have each left their stamp with their artifacts and ​impressive structures they built or its ruins, for us to marvel at. The Templo Mayor is a testament to the times past and one must visit this museum in the heart of the city.

Our first couple of days were spent visiting the cathedral, museums and nearby churches within the radius of perhaps a mile around the Zócalo square/plaza. The cover picture in this page is of Zócalo square with the Cathedral Metropolitana on one side, the National Palace, government offices, retail stores and hotels on the other sides. The 15th century cathedral was a work of art inside-out. Most interesting was the way it has shifted in time that can be seen from the hanging pendulum from its ceiling. A visit to the Templo Mayor is essential to understand the very essence and fabric of Mexico city. The Palacio de Iturbide (Cultura) had beautiful Christmas exhibits. As you walk around, keep an eye out for Casa de los Azuleos (house of blue tiles). On Avenue Madero, Ave 5 de Mayo, 16 de Septiembre, we discovered many restaurants, cafes, bakeries where we could get vegetarian food.

A gathering place from time immemorial, like many squares in Europe, it continues to be a meeting place for people, bursting with life and energy. Zocalo’s most recent claim to fame is the first scene of the James Bond movie, Spectra, and the Gran Hotel (also in the square and the slide show on the left) where apparently Bond stays in one of the scenes. The Bella Artes has a beautiful exterior and interior where we spent a couple of hours looking through the work of the most famous artists of Mexico including Diego Riviera and Freida Kahlo. The Alameda park nearby the Bella Artes is wonderful oasis in the center of the city to spend some time on a walk or a take out lunch.

With it being Christmas time, Zocalo was bursting with people, life, lights and color. However, New Year’s eve was surprisingly a quiet night and we were told that it is a time that people spend with their families. So we were one of the few people in Zocalo square trying to make some noise that night! We visited the Garibaldi plaza where there seemed to always be a party on with music and dance, both the Mariachi and tribal folk kind.

Walk in the gardens and Castle of Chapultepec and enroute, visit an old and ornate post office mentioned in the Highlights section.

The museum of Anthropology is one of the best I have ever seen. Taking us from the very ancient past of Mexico with the old civilizations and artifacts of Teotihuacan and the Aztecs to the Spanish, the artifacts are so well presented. The size of some of the stones like the serpent wall and its details, the Aztec Stone calendar etc are amazing. It was well worth spending almost all day in this museum.

After the museum visit we went to the modern and swanky neighborhood of Polanca, for coffee at a nice cafe’.  This neighborhood is not a must-do but we went there out of curiosity having read about it.

After my purchase of this painting, I decided to give it a 3D effect with some pottery I had at home 🙂

​Next I come to the favorite part of our trip. The walk from San Angel to Coyoacan. San Angel is known for its colonial mansions, tree-lined streets, and peaceful atmosphere. One of the main attractions in San Angel is the San Jacinto Plaza and church, which also features a weekend artisan market where you can find handmade crafts and artworks from local artists. The Carmen de San Angel convent is worth a visit inside. We had Churros at Churreria del Carmen which is on the same road as the convent.

Coyoacán is known for its colonial architecture, cobblestone streets, and bohemian vibe. One of the highlights of Coyoacán is the Frida Kahlo Museum, also known as the Blue House, where the famous Mexican artist lived and worked. The museum features many of Kahlo’s paintings, as well as personal items and artifacts from her life. Enjoy the Hidalgo plaza with its fountains and the ornate San Juan Bautista church.

Mercado Sabada. A superb artists market on a Saturday in San Angel which has a bohemian atmosphere and many a cobblestone street.

On the wonderful long walk from San Angel to Coyoacan, we stopped at the Sound museum and then the quaint Las Mamazota’s kitchen, a bakery and coffee place run by a mother-daughter duo. It was a pleasure to sit in this place and drink coffee from the dainty china cups and eat cookies and pastry.

Chocolate lovers, look out for many locations of L’atelier du Chocolat  to buy some splendid chocolates.

Our final day was a visit to the Teotihuacan ruins which is about 30 miles from Mexico city. This ancient city was built by Teotihuacanos, who came before both the Aztec and Mayan civilizations. It was a good workout to climb up as a the pyramid of the Sun. This may not be allowed anymore. On the way back from here, we stopped for lunch at a cave restaurant, LaGruta. From here we headed to the Lady of Guadalupe’ church, a most visited Catholic pilgrimage shrine.

Here is a walk back in time. Our first visit to MX city in 2003! The second visit was in 2017, and of course we were all grown up and were completely enthusiastic about sightseeing this time!! :-))