A Capital Built on an Aztec Lake
Mexico City is the capital of Mexico and one of the largest cities in the Americas, set in a high valley at about 2,240 metres above sea level. It stands on the site of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital founded on a lake island in 1325, and the Spanish city that followed in 1521 was built over its temples. The Historic Centre and the canals of Xochimilco were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, and the scale of what you can walk through is remarkable.
Start at the Zócalo, the vast central square flanked by the Metropolitan Cathedral and the National Palace, where Diego Rivera's murals tell the country's story in colour. Just beside it, the Templo Mayor excavations reveal the Aztec ceremonial heart. A short walk away is the Palacio de Bellas Artes, a marble landmark of Art Nouveau and Art Deco design. The city rewards slow looking: every street seems to hold a courtyard, a mural or a bookshop worth entering.
Tacos, Tasting Menus and Frida's Blue House
Food is the city's loudest pleasure. Tacos al pastor carved from the spit, blue-corn quesadillas, tamales at breakfast and fresh churros by night sit comfortably beside inventive tasting menus in Polanco and Roma, two of the capital's most stylish neighbourhoods. Mercados such as Coyoacán and San Juan show the pantry of Mexico in a single hall, from chillies and mole pastes to tropical fruit. Condesa's tree-lined avenues and cafés give a leafy counterpoint, and the rooftop bars of the historic centre frame the cathedral at dusk.
Art and culture fill the days. The Museo Nacional de Antropología, in Chapultepec Park, holds some of the world's finest pre-Hispanic collections, while in Coyoacán the Casa Azul, Frida Kahlo's family home, is now a museum. Luis Barragán's house and studio is a UNESCO site, and the Day of the Dead celebrations of 1 and 2 November turn the city into a river of marigolds. For a hotel group, the capital's blend of design, gastronomy and history is a gift to storytellers.
Read the full Mexico City guide on Visit Travel Group, or see VisitMexicoCity.co.uk on Visit Travel Group.