Travelers Guide to Mexico
Travelers Guide to Mexico

• Historic Center
  Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988, the four-square-mile (10-square-kilometer) Centro Historico, or historic downtown area, radiates out from the city's main square. It is home to important constructions from pre-Hispanic times to the present, including ruins of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan dating from the 14th century, colonial-era churches and mansions built over 300 years, between the time of the Spanish Conquest (1521) and Mexico's Independence from Spain (1821), and lavish European-style homes and monuments built during Mexico's industrial boom.
• Where to Dine in Historic Center
  Cafe del PalacioInternationalCharming Art Deco-style cafe, wine and snack bar with a pleasant terrace facing Alameda Park. Great for a bite before or after a show. Palacio de Bellas Artes , Phone: 5512-0807Casa de los AzulejosInternationalHoused in the famed House of Tiles, this spot offers a wonderfully picturesque setting for Mexican favorites and American-style comfort food. Sit around a trickling fountain in the elaborately decorated main dining room, surrounded by hand-painted walls, at counters or booths at its old-fashioned diner, or in the top-floor bar area with views of surrounding historic buildings. Madero 4, Phone: 5510-9613El Balcon del ZocaloInternationalDine with a sweeping view of the Zocalo from its open-air top-floor terrace. Breakfast and lunch buffets, a la carte dinners. Weekend brunch 9 a.m. to noon; buffet and parrillada (barbecue) 1 to 5 p.m. Holiday Inn Zocalo Hotel , Phone: 5130-5130Plaza MayorInternationalDine on Mexican and international fare, especially fish and seafood specialties, on a charming open-air terrace with a spectacular view of the Zocalo or in a formal dining room with live piano music (jacket required). Menu highlights include roasted Baja oysters, jumbo shrimp in tamarind sauce, and fillet of beef in Roquefort sauce. Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico, Phone: 1083-7700Cafe Tacuba.MexicanHand-painted tile walls make this restaurant one of the Historic Center's most picturesque. Serving traditional Mexican cuisine since 1912. Live mariachi and estudiantina music 8-11:30 p.m. Popular for lunch on weekends. Tacuba 28, Phone: 5518-4950Hosteria de Santo DomingoMexicanIn business since 1860, it claims to be the city's very first restaurant. Specialties are chiles en nogada (a cold dish of poblano chili stuffed with ground beef and raisins, topped with walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds) and pollo ranchero a la nata (tender chicken in a delicious cream sauce you'll want to scoop up with the fresh baked tortillas). Piano and violin duet.Belisario Dominguez 72, Phone: 5526-5276La OperaMexicanAn authentic 19th-century cantina with a lot of history and tradition. Adding to the charm of its stately period decor and architecture is a bullet hole in the ceiling courtesy of Pancho Villa. Great margaritas, Mexican food and snacks, live music. Closed Sunday. Cinco de Mayo 10, Phone: 5512-8959Los GirasolesMexicanAn attractive restaurant serving creatively prepared Mexican cuisine and innovative dishes. Don't miss the fresh mortar-and-pestle salsas made table-side. Try the tacos Sinaloenses and tamarind mole. Downtown branch has sidewalk seating. Tacuba 8 and 10, Plaza Manuel Tolsa and Presidente Masaryk 275 , Phone: 5510-0630 (Tacuba), 5282-3291El Cardenal.MexicanThe original restaurant on Calle Palma (No. 23), a traditional favorite for classic and modern Spanish fare, has grown to include these new branches. Sheraton Centro Historico Hotel and Palmas, Phone: 5518-6633 (Sheraton), 2623-0401 (Palmas)
• Nightlife in Historic Center
  La Casa de las SirenasCantinasThis charming, renovated building houses a ground-floor cantina and tequila bar. Attractive and cozy. Open 1 to 11 p.m.; to 6 p.m. Sunday. Guatemala 32, behind the Metropolitan Cathedral, Phone: 5704-3465La OperaBarsAn authentic 19th-century cantina with a lot of tradition. Adding to the charm of its period decor and architecture is a bullet hole in the ceiling courtesy of Pancho Villa. Great margaritas. Guitar trio or quartet plays Thursday-Saturday from 5 p.m. Cinco de Mayo 10, Phone: 5512-8959Plaza Garibaldi.OtherAt the famed "mariachi square," bands play requests while waiting to be hired for a wedding, birthday, serenade or partyPlaza Garibaldi TenampaCantinasFounded in 1925, this bustling cantina has roving mariachi bands playing all at once. Open 1 p.m. to 3 a.m. Plaza Garibaldi , Phone: 5526-6176ZincoBarsA warm, smoky basement, ideal for jazz. Ranked by Condé Nast Traveler as one of the "25 exciting new nightspots" in the world. Open 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Wednesday-Saturday. Cover charge, except Wednesdays. Motolinia 20, corner of Cinco de Mayo, Phone: 5518-6369
• Where to Shop in Historic Center
  El Palacio de HierroShopping CentersA leading department store featuring designer labels and a gourmet section carrying tequila, Mexican wines and foodstuffs. Also Mexican handicrafts, travel agency. Branches in Puebla and Monterrey. 20 de Noviembre and the Zocalo; also at Plaza Moliere; Centro Santa Fe and four other locations, Phone: 5229-1999SanbornsShopping CentersCarries everything from shaving cream to jewelry. Cafe, restaurant, bar and browser-friendly magazine section with English-language publications.Madero 4 (La Casa de los Azulejos); also on Reforma, at "The Angel" monument and other locationsArte Mexicano Para el MundoHandicraftsA sampling of Mexican handicrafts spread over two floors, including silver, textiles, ceramics. Sixth-floor terrace restaurant offers Mexican fare. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; to 8 p.m. Thursday to Sunday. Monte de Piedad 11, on the main square, Phone: 5518-0300FonartHandicraftsWonderful places to shop for Mexican folk art and stock up on souvenirs. Fonart retail shops are part of a national fund for the promotion of Mexican arts and crafts and feature works by top artisans from all over the country. Juarez 89; also at Patriotismo 691; Reforma 116., Phone: 5598-5552 (Patriotismo). Museo de Arte PopularHandicraftsThe museum shop features fine folk art, from hand-woven textiles to silver jewelry, and all proceeds go directly to the artisans themselves. Open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except Monday. Revillagigedo and Independencia , Phone: 5510-3133. San Juan Handicrafts MarketHandicraftsOne of the city's oldest and most traditional markets carries handicrafts from all over the country. Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; to 5 p.m. Sunday. Ayuntamiento, corner of Aranda , Phone: 5512-2790Victor Artes PopularesHandicraftsEntrance is through a ground-floor perfumery. Mexican folk art, from tin toys and amate (tree bark) paintings to gold and silver jewelry. Open Monday to Friday, noon