Famous Landmarks of Mexico

Here's a quick introduction to the many pleasures of visiting Mexico, along with links to more detailed suggestions. In Mexico City, alone, you'll find numerous landmarks, including Aztec ruins in the center of the city.

Chapultepec Castle and Park is famous from the US - Mexican War of 1846 and now hosts many museums,including the excellent Anthropology museum. This is one of the best museums in the world, and can easily keep your interest for 2 days. The bottom floor is pre-Columbian covering Toltecs, Mayans, Aztecs, et al, while the second floor is devoted to the ethnology of Mexico, much of the displays collected and protected in the 1950s.

The Zocalo is a giant plaza which has the Museo del Palacio Nacional: Built from the ruins of the Aztec temple, the palace was erected on the site of the former palace of Montezuma, and Cortés maintained his headquarters here.

Metro, mosaics & markets

You can take the metro south to see the amazing Revolutionary mosaic murals at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). With an enrollment of nearly 500,000 students and 25,000 on the faculty, it's the largest campus in the Western hemisphere. There's also the Olympic Stadium from 1968. And the campus itself is built on top of a lava field.

The Merced market is one of the largest indoor markets - it has its own Metro stop. A vast covered market, filling a huge block, with additional stalls spilling into the surrounding streets. Wander among the vegetable and meat sellers, check out the vast array of dried chiles and other spices, and prepared moles. Several restaurants, and taquerias let you taste the fresh food.