The back story
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Neighbourhood guide
The Centro Histórico: the Zócalo, the Templo Mayor and Madero
The heart of the old city, on the ruins of Tenochtitlan: the Zócalo, the Templo Mayor, Bellas Artes, the murals and the old cantinas.
Neighbourhood guide · Mexico City
The Centro Histórico, street by street
The Zócalo, the Templo Mayor and the cathedral, Madero, Bellas Artes, San Ildefonso’s murals and the old cantinas.
What's onThis week in Mexico City
What to see and do
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UNESCO-listed music
Plaza Garibaldi
The square of the mariachis, north of Bellas Artes, where bands in charro suits wait to be hired, day and night.
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UNESCO, 1987
The Zócalo and the Catedral Metropolitana
The great square of Mexico City, with the Catedral Metropolitana on its north side and the Palacio Nacional on its east.
Plaza de la Constitución s/n, Centro, 06000 CDMXExplore View on map
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The great temple of Tenochtitlan
The Templo Mayor
The ruins of the great temple of Tenochtitlan beside the Zócalo, with a museum of more than 3,000 Mexica objects.
Seminario 8, Centro, 06060 CDMXExplore View on map
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Rivera’s murals
The Palacio Nacional
The long palace on the east side of the Zócalo, with Diego Rivera’s murals on its stairway and upper floor.
Plaza de la Constitución s/n, Centro Histórico, 06066 CDMXExplore View on map
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Home of the Ballet Folklórico
The Palacio de Bellas Artes
The palace of the arts on the Alameda, Art Nouveau outside and Art Deco within, home of the Ballet Folklórico.
Av. Juárez s/n, Centro Histórico, 06050 CDMXExplore View on map
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A palace of the post
The Palacio Postal
The city’s main post office, opened in 1907: marble stairways, bronze and gilded ironwork, still selling stamps.
Tacuba 1, Centro Histórico, 06000 CDMXExplore View on map
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44 storeys over the Centro
The Torre Latinoamericana viewpoint
The 44-storey tower on the Eje Central with the city’s best-known viewing deck.
Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas 2, Centro Histórico, 06000 CDMXExplore View on map
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Mexican art in a palace
MUNAL (Museo Nacional de Arte)
The national collection of Mexican art from the 16th to the mid-20th century, in a palace on Tacuba.
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Birthplace of muralism
Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso
The college founded in 1582 whose walls Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros painted: the birthplace of Mexican muralism.
Justo Sierra 16, Centro, 06020 CDMXExplore View on map
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A Sunday in the Alameda
Museo Mural Diego Rivera
The museum built to hold Diego Rivera’s mural of a Sunday afternoon in the Alameda Central.
Balderas s/n, Centro, 06050 CDMXExplore View on map
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Decorative arts and design
Museo Franz Mayer
Decorative arts and design in a cloister on the Alameda.
Av. Hidalgo 45, Centro Histórico, 06300 CDMXExplore View on map
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Mexico’s folk art
Museo de Arte Popular
Mexico’s folk art, from alebrijes to textiles, near the Alameda.
Revillagigedo 11, Centro, 06050 CDMXExplore View on map
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A writer’s collection
Museo del Estanquillo
More than 20,000 objects and images collected by the writer Carlos Monsiváis, on the corner of Madero.
Isabel la Católica 26, Centro Histórico, 06000 CDMXExplore View on map
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An evening of folk dance
Ballet Folklórico de México at Bellas Artes
The Ballet Folklórico de México in the main hall of Bellas Artes: the dances of Mexico’s regions, wordless and dazzling.
Av. Juárez s/n, Centro Histórico, 06050 CDMXExplore View on map
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A neoclassical palace
Palacio de Minería
The neoclassical palace on Tacuba, home to concerts and the UNAM’s book fair.
Tacuba 5, Centro, 06000 CDMXExplore View on map
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UNESCO, 2008
Día de Muertos in Mexico City
Ofrendas, marigolds and the great parade from Reforma to the Zócalo: the city’s days of the dead, 29 October to 2 November.
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Where to eat
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One MICHELIN Star
Masala y Maíz
Fusion cooking near the Alameda. One MICHELIN Star in the 2026 guide.
Artículo 123 No. 116, Centro, 06040 CDMXExplore View on map
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Bib Gourmand
Taqueria Los Cocuyos
A tiny taquería in the Centro Histórico. Bib Gourmand in the 2026 guide.
Simón Bolívar 67, Centro, 06000 CDMXExplore View on map
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Since 1912
Café de Tacuba
Tiled dining rooms in a 17th-century house on Calle Tacuba, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner since 1912.
Tacuba 28, Centro Histórico, 06000 CDMXExplore View on map
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In the House of Tiles
Sanborns de los Azulejos
Breakfast in the courtyard of the Casa de los Azulejos, the 18th-century palace clad in blue-and-white tiles on Madero.
Av. Francisco I. Madero 4, Centro, 06000 CDMXExplore View on map
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Since 1935
El Moro
Churros fried to order and hot chocolate, on the Eje Central since 1935.
Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas 42, Centro, 06000 CDMXExplore View on map
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A Centro classic
Pastelería Ideal
The historic bakery of the Centro, with its trays, tongs and tiered cakes.
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Mexican sweets
Dulcería de Celaya
The old sweet shop of the Centro, for candied fruit, cajeta and traditional Mexican sweets.
Bars
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Belle Époque since 1895
Bar La Ópera
Gilded ceilings, walnut booths and a famous bullet hole: the Centro’s grand old bar on 5 de Mayo.
Av. 5 de Mayo 10, Centro Histórico, 06000 CDMXExplore View on map
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Mariachis at your table
Salón Tenampa
The cantina of Plaza Garibaldi, its walls painted with the legends of Mexican song, where mariachis play table by table.
Plaza Garibaldi 12, Centro, 06010 CDMXExplore View on map
Shopping
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Crafts from every region
La Ciudadela crafts market
Aisles of crafts from all over Mexico, from embroidery to masks and ceramics.
Balderas esq. Emilio Dondé, Centro, 06040 CDMXExplore View on map
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The gourmet market
Mercado de San Juan
The Centro market of butchers, fishmongers and fine imported foods.
Ernesto Pugibet 21, Centro, 06000 CDMXExplore View on map
Where to stay
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The stained-glass ceiling
Gran Hotel de la Ciudad de México
The old Centro Mercantil off the Zócalo, under an Art Nouveau stained-glass ceiling finished in 1908.
16 de Septiembre 82, Centro Histórico, 06000 CDMXExplore View on map
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In a colonial palace
Downtown Mexico
A Grupo Habita hotel in a historic building on Isabel la Católica, in the old city.
Isabel la Católica 30, Centro, 06010 CDMXExplore View on map
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Behind the cathedral
Círculo Mexicano
A Grupo Habita hotel a few steps behind the Catedral Metropolitana.
República de Guatemala 20, Centro Histórico, 06000 CDMXExplore View on map
Share your The Centro Histórico tips
Spent a morning in the Centro? Tell the next visitor which mural, cantina or bakery to find.
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