Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
* Palacio de Bellas Artes
Top 10 Pre-Hispanic
Sites
! Teotihuacán
It was conceived by Porfirio
Díaz to be the cultural showpiece
of his regime, and construction
began in 1904. But, swampy
subsoil and the onset of the
Mexican Revolution stopped
work. By 1916 only the grand
façades were completed.
Construction resumed in 1932,
and the building was completed
in 1934 (see pp20-21 ).
( Antiguo Colegio de San
The site comprises 8 sq
miles (20 sq km) of pyramids
and temple ruins (see pp32-3) .
@ Tlatelolco
The most important Aztec
market of Mesoamerica, now
known as Plaza de las Tres
Culturas (see p95) .
£ Templo Mayor
The largest and most
important temple stood at the
center of Tenochtitlán (see
pp16-17) .
$ Zócalo
Ildefonso
Originally built by Jesuit friars in
1588, the property was seized by
the Spanish in 1767. After inde-
pendence it became a National
Preparatory School. Elected presi-
dent in 1920, the reformist Álvaro
Obregón wanted art to mend the
country and by 1922 muralists
were hired to decorate the interior
walls. Diego Rivera, David Alfaro
Siqueiros, and José Clemente
Orozco painted some of the best
examples of Mexico's muralist
movement here (see p68) .
Major market area and site
of festivities during the Aztec
Empire (see p67) .
% Pirámide de Cuicuilco
An unusual circular pyra-
mid at Cuicuilco, the earliest
known city in the Valley of
Mexico. d 5606-9758 • 9am-
5pm daily • Free
^ Xochimilco
The canals and floating
gardens were created by the
Xochimilcas (see pp28-9) .
& Museo Nacional de
Antropología
Fascinating artifacts from
different pre-Hispanic cultures
of Mexico are displayed here
(see pp8-9) .
* Chapultepec
Plaza Santo Domingo
The highest hill in the
central valley, it was a Toltec
settlement (see pp82-5) .
( Tenayuca
) Plaza Santo Domingo
One of the oldest colonial
plazas, it is best known today for
the Portal de los Evangelistas,
where public scribes still write
business and love letters for the
city's poor and illiterate. In the
colonial era the plaza was
surrounded by the Church and
Convent of Santo Domingo, the
Palace of Inquisition, and
Customs Tax Collectors. d Map Q2
Pre-Aztec pyramid with
two parallel stairways leading
to the temples at the top.
d Map B1 • 10am-5pm Tue-Sun
• Adm for museum
) Acatitlán
One of the few intact
pyramid temples in Mexico.
d Map B1 • 10am-5pm Tue-Sun
• Adm for museum
41
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