Main Content
In the Xochimilco section of the city, trajineras, brightly painted gondolas, let passengers explore the canals of the region.
Photograph by Russell Gordon/Aurora Photos
The famed “many Mexicos” of this rich and diverse country are reflected in this teeming, chaotic, noisy, and colorful capital. The historic region, studded by lakes, is now a city of superlatives, rippling with many millions of lights by night, peppered with neighborhoods steeped in tradition such as Xochimilco and gleaming financial districts like Santa Fe, as well as the inevitable shanty towns that fringe its ever-expanding outskirts. Trendy art deco zones with cafés and boutiques compete with leafy bohemian neighborhoods such as Frida Kahlo’s Coyoacán and Polanco, a diverse area of the city that is now the magnet for upscale shopping and dining. Amid food stalls and street vendors vociferously hawking their wares, the heart of the Great Tenochtitlan resonates still with the violent and magnificent history of the conquest of the Americas, with the exposed ruins of the Aztec Templo Mayor elbow to elbow with the great Metropolitan Cathedral, the first on the continent, sun bleached and tilted picturesquely by quakes.
Mexico City Photos and Quiz
Related Features
-
Mexico City Must-Dos
Our experts recommend the top attractions in and around Mexico City—with advice on how to get the most out of your visit.
-
Crystal Palace
Cavers in Mexico confront extreme conditions and find extraordinary beauty.
-
Feature: Mexico Butterflies
Experience the monarch butterfly migration in Central Mexico's volcanic highlands.
-
Pyramid of Death
At the Pyramid of the Moon in central Mexico, humans and animals were buried alive at sacrifices once witnessed by thousands of spectators.
This requires the latest version of Flash Player. Click here to download.Advertisement
Travel With Us
Travel Top 10
-
Hideaways & Inns
Find a destination that's great for anyone in need of a getaway.
Travel Blog
-
Intelligent Travel
Cultural, authentic, and sustainable: This is your brain on travel.
Special Ad Section
-
Audio Slideshow
Take a photographic journey through Montana and hear Annie Griffiths Belt's narrative.
-
Adventure Videos
Check out adventure videos and go "Behind the Lens."
