Mexico City, the behemoth!  The giant of a city!  The very center of the country! The be-all and end-all of all that is Mexico! 

 

Well, despite all the hype, there’s no denying it, Mexico City is the heart of Mexico, politically, economically, culturally, and even in terms of population. It sits high up in a basin (since it has no natural outlet for water, it is more correctly referred to as a basin than a valley) surrounded by mountains, many of them volcanic, some of them active.  At an elevation of about 7,300 feet or 2,450 meters, first-time visitors may take a while to adjust to the thinner air (and heightened pollution). Nevertheless, the greater metropolitan area is home to something like 21 million people: about one in six Mexicans live there, making it the largest metropolitan area in all of North America. 

 

The beginnings of the city go back centuries before the arrival of the Spanish.  According to indigenous histories, groups of semi-nomadic peoples began arriving in the Basin of Mexico after 1200 AD to find it already populated by several small city-states around a series of lakes.  The last of these groups to arrive, called the Mexica, found no place to settle and so hired themselves out as mercenaries to several of those city-states.  One day in 1325 AD – as the legend has it – several Mexica priests witnessed a site foretold to them in a dream by their God, Huitzilopochtli, who had instructed them to build a city ‘when they saw the eagle perched on the cactus, devouring a snake’. No matter that this vision took place on a small island in the middle of Lake Texcoco – that is where they would build their city, and construction commenced shortly thereafter.

 

In the following decades the Mexica gained prominence in the region from their new city, which they called Tenochtitlán – the etymology of the name is unclear.  Nevertheless, by early in the 15th century the Mexica were dominant in the Basin of Mexico (which they called Anáhuac) and began their expansion beyond, funneling untold wealth toward their capital city. This is when the city gained the central prominence that it still enjoys today. The Mexicas expanded the city through chinampas, a technique for reclaiming the lake bottom to create fertile land bordered by a network of canals.  You can still see these chinampas today if you go for a colorful boat ride in Xochimilco at the southern edge of the city.  The Mexica further developed their city by building aqueducts to bring in fresh water, and long straight causeways to connect the city to the mainland. They also constructed imposing temples atop ever-growing high pyramids and created markets where all sorts of goods and products, both local and foreign, were bought and sold. 

 

By the early 16th century, the Mexica controlled much of what is now central Mexico, and things seemed to be going great for them.  Aside from some pesky smaller powers like the Tlaxcalans and Purepecha (Tarascans) that resisted their dominance, they were all but unrivaled in their power.  Then the Spanish arrived on the coast of Veracruz in 1519, and in just over two years the Spanish leader Hernán Cortés, aided by many indigenous groups resentful of the Mexica, toppled their empire. The overthrow was completed by a massive siege of Tenochtitlan, which was leveled. The temples, high pyramids, and even the homes and palaces of the Mexica disappeared, leaving only foundations and rubble under the new Spanish city, renamed Mexico City. The only aspect of Tenochtitlan that survived for a time was the canal system, said to rival that of Venice, but in the 20th century even that disappeared beneath the pavement.  Today archaeologists are busy recovering bits and pieces of that pre-Hispanic past, and you can catch glimpses of this in several spots around the downtown area, most spectacularly the ruins of the main temple of Tenochtitlan, El Templo Mayor, just a few blocks from the Hotel Catedral.

 

During the colonial period from 1521 to 1821 Mexico City reigned as the jewel in the crown of colonial cities, with churches, cathedrals, and ornate palaces decorating the streets. Eventually the lakes were drained except for Lake Xochimilco in the south, and the city expanded ever outward.  After Mexican independence in 1821 Mexico City continued to dominate the region, and many battles, both foreign and domestic, were fought in and around it in an attempt to gain control of the country. By the 1950’s Mexico was adopting an industrialized economy, and of course Mexico City was at the heart of this shift.  Through the following decades the population in Mexico City exploded, and the growing population left the countryside in search of opportunities.  By the 1980’s Mexico City was one of the biggest cities in the world. 

 

Today Mexico City remains enormous, yet fascinating.  The downtown area around the central plaza or Zócalo is bustling with activity during the day, though much calmer at night. There are museums and cultural venues galore, and hints of Mexico City’s past pop up frequently in both archaeological reminders of Tenochtitlán and in the churches and palaces on nearly every block.  Works of the great muralists of the 20th century can be marveled at in various parts of the city, and there is stunning architecture at every turn.  Don’t miss the chance to see the murals in the Palacio de Bellas Artes (the Palace of the Fine Arts), and I highly recommend going across the street to raise a toast to David and Manuel in the bar high up in the Torre Latinoamericana.  All of Mexico City will be laid out below you.

 

If you have a chance to get farther away, a trip to the ancient city of Teotihuacán, about an hour north of the city, is an incredible glimpse into Mexico’s ancient past (well before the arrival of the Aztecs).  A boat ride along Xochimilco’s canals to the south is great fun: just be careful to pay the official tariff, they are experts in overcharging foreigners!  If you are an art fan, the Dolores Olmedo Museum is nearby, and has one of the best collections of Frida Kahlo’s works in the world.  And taking a stroll through some of Mexico City’s old neighborhoods, such as Coyoacán, La Roma, or La Condesa, is a much-rewarded experience.

 

So enjoy what you can of Mexico City, you won’t want to leave, and will be anxious to return!

-- text by Rob Kruger

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Tenochtitlán and Lake Texcoco in 1519

 

 

For more information:

 

See the February 15, 2024 link in UPDATES regarding the Spanish Conquest of Tenochtitlan and more information about Hernán Cortés.

 

Short video about Mexico City’s Centro Histórico (downtown historic district):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDqYawRuDj8&ab_channel=SpanishandGo

 

Nice drone video of “Mexico City from Above”, with wonderful views of the Angel of Independence, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Zócalo and Metropolitan Cathedral, and (at the very end) the chinampas or canals of Xochimilco:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZVLSKYmJMo&ab_channel=MYGEMPICTURES

 

Condé Nast 27 Best Things To Do In Mexico City:

https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-things-to-do-in-mexico-city

 

Washington Post Local’s Guide to Mexico City:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/mexico/mexico-city-local-guide/

 

Hollywood Reporter Guide For A Perfect Weekend in Mexico City:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/best-things-to-do-mexico-city-1235683603/

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Official travel guide for Mexico City created by Mexico City’s Department of Tourism:

https://mexicocity.cdmx.gob.mx/

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