Low - This Is Mexico City

Acknowledgments

My gratitude goes to: Lindley Boegehold and Marysarah Quinn at Penguin Random Housewho were the ultimate cheerleaders and teamfor their patience, care, enthusiasm, and support in making this book a reality. Kate Woodrow, my book agent, who championed this idea and got it ready to show to the world. Blair Richardson and Chakceel Rohen, friends and Mexico City experts, who fielded so many of my questions and knew so many of the answers. Adolfo Martnez, my cultural ambassador and sometimes translator, who accompanied me nearly everywhere. Isabel Vega and Teresa Castillo, my home support, who kept everyone alive and fed while I was out, and loved my kids when I was in the thick of it. Brian Low, my husband and best friend, who has been mi compaero on this awesome adventure. Thomas, Matthew, and Andrew, my kids and constant inspiration, who are the reason I explored this new home and city in the first place. All of the institutions, galleries, museums, hotels, restaurants, shops, family, and friends who have been so supportive of this project this is for you.

Mexico City Map by Archie Archambault

Chapter 1

Zcalo / Main Square

Catedral Metropolitana, Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mxico, Palacio Nacional, Templo Mayor, Zcalo

Catedral Metropolitana

One of the most impressive structures in the city, the Metropolitan Cathedral was built on top of a sacred Aztec site adjacent to the Templo Mayor over the course of almost 250 years. Rumor has it that Corts himself laid the first stone of the original churchone taken from the ransacked temple of the Aztec god of war Huitzilopochtli (patron of the Aztec city Tenochtitln).

Not to be missed is the Altar of the Kings on the north wallthis massive gilded wood relief mural carving is one of the first Mexican Baroque works of its kind. One of the details most overlooked are the stained-glass windows designed by Mathias Goeritz in the 1960 s. You can climb the bell tower with a donationfirst enter the choir area, enjoy a guided tour by cathedral docents, and then inquire about the stairs to the top!

NEARBY

Palacio Nacional, Zcalo, Templo Mayor, Centro Cultural de Espaa, El Balcn del Zcalo, El Cardenal, Los Especiales Tacos de Canasta, Museo Mexicano del Diseo, El Rey del Pavo

ADDRESS

Plaza de la Constitucin S/N , Centro, Cuauhtmoc, 06000 Ciudad de Mxico

Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mxico

Step inside this historic hotel and look up at the massive stained-glass ceiling designed by French artisan Jacques Grber. The terrace restaurant offers impressive views of the Zcalo, Palacio National, and Catedral Metropolitana.

Before it became a hotel it was the Mercantile Centerone of the first department stores in Mexico City, built in 1899 . The hotels guest rooms were all once the individual shops of the original store. The hotel is featured prominently in the opening scenes of the 2015 James Bond film Spectre , with views of the beautiful wrought-iron elevators, intricate stained-glass ceiling, delicate balconies, and overall Art Nouveau style of the building.

NEARBY

Downtown Mexico, Azul Histrico, Puntarena, Zcalo, Balcn del Zcalo, Palacio Nacional, El Rey del Pavo

ADDRESS

Av. de Septiembre , Centro, 06000 Cuauhtmoc

Palacio Nacional

This expansive red colonial building is front and center in the Zcalo, where the Mexican president rings the Campana de Dolores (the Dolores Bell) from the center balcony at 11 p.m. every September 15th, setting the stage for a spectacular military parade on the following day, Mexicos independence day. It also has over a dozen detailed, jaw-dropping murals by Diego Rivera, covering the entire history of Mexico, which took him more than 22 years to complete.

The National Palace is on the former site of Aztec ruler Moctezumas private residence and palace. For more than years it was called the Palace of the Viceroys of New Spain. Today, after several modifications and additions, it is one of the largest government buildings in the world, with each side measuring about meters. At one time Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa challenged the governing power in its halls. It is also home to a botanical garden that dates back to pre-Hispanic times, which previously boasted a magnificent zoo and gardens with ponds for birds and fish. The palace also has museums and galleries with temporary and permanent displays on the art, history, and culture of the Mexican peopleall free to the public.

NEARBY

Catedral Metropolitana, Zcalo, Templo Mayor, Ex Teresa Arte Actual, Balcn del Zcalo, Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mxico

ADDRESS

Plaza de la Constitucin S/N , Centro, Cuauhtmoc, 06066 Ciudad de Mxico

Templo Mayor

The symbolic center of the Aztec Empire, and one of the empires largest religious temples, the Templo Mayor, or Main Temple, was once the site of sacred offerings and an altar for worshipping the deities of war and rain. When the Spanish conquered the Aztec people, they demolished their buildings. Having been covered over and buried, the temple location had been forgotten.

Over the years, between the late 1700 s and the early mid- 1900 s, various discoveries were made, unearthing relics, stones, and stairwaysincluding the finding of a massive and detailed Aztec calendar stone. But it wasnt until the late 1970 s, when electrical workers were digging a tunnel to lay wire for the Metro, that they hit a stone more than feet in diameter; it turned out to be a sculptural relief from the late th century, depicting the deity of war Huitzilopochtlis sister, Coyolxauhqui. This was the beginning of the official Templo Mayor excavation. Today, you can visit the archaeological ruins and visit the museum where the artifacts unearthed from the areaincluding more than ritual offeringsare now on display.

NEARBY

Palacio Nacional, Zcalo, Centro Cultural de Espaa, Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, Ex Teresa Arte Actual, Casa de Artesanas del Estado de Tlaxcala, Catedral Metropolitana

ADDRESS

Seminario , Centro Histrico, Cuauhtmoc, 06060 Ciudad de Mxico

Zcalo

With the capacity to hold more than 100,000 people, Mexico Citys Plaza de la Constitucin, or Zcalo, has been the location of numerous political protests, rock concerts, national celebrations, and cultural festivals. It is where the celebrated Aztec sun stone was unearthed.

A place where ceremonial dances are often performed by feather-clad Aztec dancers, it is also where the marathoners competing in the 1968 Olympics began their race; the venue of a large-scale photo shoot by photographer and artist Spencer Tunick involving 18,000 disrobed Mexicans in 2007 ; and the setting of the opening scenes of the 2015 James Bond film Spectre . The plaza was originally laid out by Alonso Garca Bravo following the Spanish conquest of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitln. For over a century it was the home of a giant market, Mercado El Parin, which was full of Far East treasuresincluding pearls, silk, spices, and porcelainbrought by the Spanish trading ships from Manilla to Acapulco. For almost years the plaza was dotted with trees and punctuated by fountains. Today, with the help of fifteen military officers, a giant Mexican flag weighing more than pounds is raised and lowered in a daily ceremony in this very spot, where it waves front and center before the countrys National Palace.