The traditional centre of the
city is the
Zócalo,
or Plaza Mayor; the heart of
ancient Tenochtitlán and of
Cortés' city, it's surrounded
by the oldest streets, largely
colonial and unmodernized. To
the east, the ancient
structures degenerate rapidly,
blending into the poorer areas
that surround the airport.
Westwards, avenidas
Madero
and
Juárez lead to the
Alameda , the small
park that marks the extent of
the old city centre. Here is
the Palacio de las Bellas
Artes, the main post office
and the landmark Torre
Latinoamericana. Carry
straight on past here and you
get into an area, between the
ugly bulk of the
Monumento
a la Revolución and the
train station, where you'll
find many of the cheaper
hotels. Turn slightly south
and you're amid the faded
elegance of the
Paseo de la
Reforma , which leads down
to the great open space of
Chapultepec
Park , recreation area for
the city's millions, and home
of the Museo Nacional de
Antropología and several
other important museums. Off
to the right as you head down
Reforma is a sedate, upmarket
residential area, where many
of the long-established
embassies are based, while on
the left is the
Zona Rosa
with its shopping streets,
expensive hotels and constant
tourist activity. To the
south, the Zona bleeds into
Condesa
, which in the last few years
has become
the
fashionable place to eat,
drink and party. To the west,
the northern flank of
Chapultepec Park is lined by
the flashy high-rise hotels of
Colonia Polanco , among
the city's chicest districts
and home to many of the finest
shops and restaurants.
The Avenida de los
Insurgentes crosses
Reforma about halfway between
the Alameda and Chapultepec
Park. Said to be the longest
continuous city street in the
world, Insurgentes bisects
Mexico City more or less from
north to south. It is perhaps
the city's most important
artery, lined with modern
commercial development. In the
south it runs past the suburb
of San Ángel and close
by Coyoacán to the University
City , and on out of
Mexico City by the Pyramid
of Cuicuilco . Also in the
southern extremities of the
city are the waterways of Xochimilco
, virtually the last remains
of the great lagoons. In the
outskirts Insurgentes meets
another important
through-route, the Calzada
de Tlalpan , which runs
due south from the Zócalo
past the eastern side of
Coyoacán and past a couple of
fine museums - Diego Rivera's
Anahuacalli, and the wonderful
Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño.
To the north, Insurgentes
leaves the centre past the
train station, and close by
the northbound bus station, to
sweep out of the city via the
basilica of Guadalupe
and Indios Verdes . The
northern extension of Reforma,
too, ends up at the great
shrine of Guadalupe, as does
the continuation of the
Calzada de Tlalpan beyond the
Zócalo.
One further point to
remember is that many street
names are repeated over
and over again in different
parts of the city - there must
be dozens of streets called
Morelos, Juárez or Hidalgo,
and a good score of 5 de Mayos.
If you're taking a cab, or
looking at a map, be clear
which area you are talking
about - it's fairly obvious in
the centre, but searching out
an address in the suburbs can
lead to a series of false
starts unless you know the
name of the official colonia
, or urban district
(abbreviated "Col"
in addresses outside the
centre), that you're looking
for.
