This large building includes the Palafoxiana Library, one of the oldest libraries in the Western…read moreHemisphere. It sits behind the large church on the Zocalo. In this building, Puebla sets forth their cultural activities. It's a large two story building, with a series of courtyards in the middle that are meticulously landscaped and groomed. There are free, clean restrooms here as well. On the eastern side of the cultural center, there's a cinema museum, displaying various antique movie projectors. They occasionally show movies for free! When I was there, all the movies were antique Mexican movies that I'd never heard of. The place was really clean, and incredibly beautiful. It seems that this is the place to see a concert or a play. The area had good signage letting you know where everything was, and there's employees who just hang out answering tourists' questions. It's a nice place to get out of the sun, use the restroom, and of course, see the library!

I am not sure how much this is a destination site but if you are anywhere near it is certainly…read moreworth a visit. Ever since visiting the Museo Nacional de Antropología I have become to realize that Mexico is one big archaeological treasure and how much I don't know about its history. Coming here to see the ruins was interesting. However, what really stood out for me was the Colegio de Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco. Built in the 1,500's it was constructed out of the stones used to build the temples that are now obviously only visible in part that make up the site. Personally, I don't believe one can look back and say this was either good or bad despite the conversation taking place in the rest of the world in 2023. Rather, it seems to symbolize a piece of the puzzle that has created the Mexico of today. It is a place I have come to love the more and more I learn about it.

So much history here! If you get a chance to come here, do it! I would have liked a brochure!…read more This archaeological site sits in the Square of the Three Cultures. The cultures are Aztec, Spanish Colonial, and the independent "mestizo" nation. There is an area with a circular temple to worship the wind god. It is about 700+ years old and was built by the Aztecs. Of course, it is in ruins. The Spanish built the nearby Church using stones from the temple. I read that this site also appeared to have been a mass grave with 49 bodies found. Our tour guide gave lots of info about this place in English. Be sure you have plenty of time to see this archaeological area as well as the Plaza de las Tres Culturas and the Cultural Center. There is also a Church called Templo de Santiago, which would be worth visiting! I think you can walk on pathways out in the ruins if you are coming from the Church.

The church is awesome as an architecture, sadly no photos allowed, and in general doesn't preach…read moreJesus Christ faithfully. Mainly because it has too much catholic influence and then evolved, so in the end not bible faithful. As a structure, it's nice to look at especially the interior.

This is culture center that has many art galleries. Many of the art displays here is free to…read morepublic. This place is a school tool. During Day of the Dead season, there is more display in this area. The compound is big. It will take minimum 1 hours to visit. We start with art gallery. Then we take winding street to different buildings. We also saw some school children display with their famous hero. This display to remember their big contributions to society. The display are very nice.

If you are a Diego Riviera fan this is a must see while you're in Mexico City! At the Palacio…read moreNational you will see his largest and most comprehensive collection of murals. if I remember my tour guides speech correctly, this has 100 of his murals that took him five years of his life. Each mural depicts different ways of life at that time. The murals themselves are studied. All the colors of muted but vibrant. The colors are not vegetable that is, but actual oil put onto wet plaster. As a plaster dried, it locked in the color which has remained all these years. The interiors have multiple courtyards that are very relaxing. .. it is a very peaceful place. If you want or plan to see all the murals, I suggest you plan for at least a few hours. There's multiple levels and as I mentioned at least 100 murals of Diego's alone, as well as multiple other murals done by others.

An absolute must to see the amazing and jaw dropping work of Diego Rivera. You'll need to make…read morereservations for a mandatory guided tour.

The history in this part of Mexico City is incredible. If you're visiting, you should absolutely…read moremake time to stop at Templo Mayor--it gives you a completely different understanding of the region. Templo Mayor was the central temple of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán, which once stood in the middle of Lake Texcoco. After the Spanish conquest led by Hernán Cortés, the city was destroyed, and much of its stone was reused to build what is now the Metropolitan Cathedral and surrounding colonial structures. What's fascinating is that the ruins remained hidden for centuries. The first parts of the ruins were discovered during construction work in the 1970s and earthquakes in the 1980s revealed more of the remains. Standing here, you really feel the layers of history. Within a short walk, you can see modern Mexico City, Spanish colonial architecture like the cathedral, and the exposed Aztec ruins--all in one place. It's a powerful visual of how this city has evolved over time. If you made the trip to Mexico City, don't skip this stop. Even just walking through the area gives you a sense of history spanning from the Aztec empire, through Spanish colonization, to the present day. It's an experience that really stays with you.

Built initially in the early 14th century, Templo Mayor aka the "Main Temple" sits in the middle of…read morewhat was originally the geographic and religious center of the capital city of Tenōchtitlan, when it was still an island city in the middle of Lake Texcoco. As a sacred site for the Mexica peoples, the structures erected here were dedicated to two deities--Huitzilopochtli, god of war, and Tlaloc, god of rain and agriculture. A shrine was built for each at the top of the temple on the main pyramid. From archaeological analysis, the temple was rebuilt six times, with the largest expansion under Mocteczuma I in 1454, though in 1521 the majority of the building was destroyed by Spanish colonizers when the whole city was razed and rebuilt following Spanish occupation. Notably the Metropolitan Cathedral which stands today adjacent to this site was one of the buildings which were built over it. By the 19th century the exact location and history of this sacred precinct had been lost but toward the end of the 1800s part of the temple corner was uncovered. However there wasn't an official organized effort to excavate and preserve the site until 1978-82. In 1987 the site became listed as an UNESCO world heritage site and a museum was built to house its artifacts and findings. When I was there in January I didn't go into the museum though walked around the edges--they've done an excellent job framing it with walkways along the west side, so it's somewhat of a public park. There are a few small scale models of what the precinct would've looked like in different eras, and a dedicated viewing platform. With entry to the museum you get closer access into the site with some walkways within the site itself. The entrance to the museum is free for Mexican citizens and 95 pesos for foreigners. Three floors with eight main exhibition halls focused on the deities, rituals (including human sacrifice), the role of the temple in economics and trade of the time, and flora and fauna of past Mesoamerica. In excavations more than 7000 objects were found and work continues on the site today.