La Alameda

The gardens of the Alameda Central were once the Aztec market and later the place of execution for the Spanish Inquisition. Beneath the broken shade of eucalyptus, cypress and ragged palms, wide paths link fountains and heroic statues. The Alameda became a popular area for all social classes to stroll casually in the 19th century. It is now much more a common thoroughfare, with many temporary stalls at certain festive times of year. The park is illuminated at night.

Along the south side of the Alameda runs Avenida Juárez, a broad street with a mixture of old and new buildings. Opposite the Palacio de Bellas Artes is a building known as La Nacional, which was Mexico City’s first skyscraper in the 1930s. Look carefully at its perpendicularity, a result of the 1985 earthquake.

Also on the south side of the Alameda is the Hemiciclo a Juárez statue (now on the 20-peso note), designed by Guillermo de Heredia in white marble and inaugurated in 1910 to mark the centenary of Independence. Opposite, the colonial church of Corpus Christi is used to display and sell folk arts and crafts. Further west a sunken section of the pavement shelters the Plaza de las Esculturas (1998), with elegant 19th-century sculptures.

A stroll down Calle Dolores, a busy and fascinating street, leads to the Mercado de San Juan. Three blocks west, on Plaza Ciudadela, is the lively Mercado de la Ciudadela, which sells crafts from all over Mexico, and the Centro de la Imagen (Tue-Sun 1100-1800, free) with documentary photography and art exhibitions. Meanwhile, the new Museo de Arte Popular, Revillagigedo 11, a block south of the Alameda, exhibits artesanías from all the country and is great introduction to Mexican craft traditions, particularly if you’re hoping to explore some of the interesting markets outside of the capital. It is housed in an art deco building that once served as the headquarters of the fire department.

Other sites in this area include the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the Museo Franz Mayer, the Museo Mural Diego Rivera and Plaza Garibaldi.