Mexico - DESTINATIONS & HOTELS

• Introduction
• Destinations & Hotels
• Info & facts
• Itinerary Ideas
• Oasis Highlights
• Price Guide
• Themes

Mexico City

Mexico’s capital is a beast, a vast, buzzing metropolis of some 21 million people but don’t let that put you off! The original city was founded in 1524 on the ashes of the Aztec kingdom Tenochtitlan and today brims with colonial monuments, ancient ruins and world-class restaurants and galleries. At its heart, the immense “zocalo” square is overlooked by the huge cathedral and national palace while walk a short distance and you will stumble upon the ancient ruins of the Aztec temple “Templo Mayor” discovered by workmen in the 1970’s. Above all, Mexico City is renowned for its vibrant art and culture. Close to the centre, the elegant Fine Arts Museum houses some of the great works of the muralists Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros as well as paintings by Mexico’s favourite daughter Frida Kahlo. Mexico City boasts over 260 museums and galleries, the most of any Latin capital. Among them is the famous “Casa Azul” house that Kahlo shared with Diego Rivera in the colonial suburb of Coyoacan and the wonderful collection of Mexican Arte Popular at the Museo Dolores Olmedo. Although the Tenochtitlan was raised to the ground by the Spanish, remnants of the Aztec empire are still found at the impressive temple complex of Teotihuacán just outside the city as well as the floating gardens of Xochimilco. These channels are all that remains of Lake Texcoco, on which the city was founded, and are now a popular picnic spot where floating mariachi bands keep both tourists and locals entertained.