Historic Sites/Bldgs

Casino Español de México

Ubicación Isabel La Católica 29, Col. Centro Histórico, Alc. Cuauhtémoc, 06000 CDMX

Libraries

Camino Real Hotel, Polanco

Ubicación Calz. Gral. Mariano Escobedo 700, Col. Anzures, Alc. Miguel Hidalgo, 11590 CDMX

Historic Sites/Bldgs

Colegio Nacional

Ubicación Donceles 104, Centro Histórico, Cuauhtémoc, 06000 CDMX

Historic Sites/Bldgs

Casa Estudio Max Cetto

Ubicación Agua 130, Col. Jardines del Pedregal, Alc. Álvaro Obregón, 01900 CDMX

Museums Museums

Casa de Hernán Cortés

Ubicación Corner Calle de Tacuba & Isabel La Católica, Centro Histórico, Cuauhtémoc, 06000 CDMX

Historic Sites/Bldgs

UNAM Rectory

Ubicación Av. Universidad 3000, C.U., Coyoacán, 04510 CDMX

Historic Sites/Bldgs

Recognized worldwide as the "City of Palaces," the capital's architecture narrates the evolution of its history and society. Its streets, avenues, and squares safeguard an inexhaustible catalog of historical sites and buildings that range from the viceregal period and the French influence of the late 19th century, to the functionalism of the 20th century and contemporary verticality. Visiting these sites is to embark on a journey through time to understand how each era has shaped the face of the city, offering travelers and researchers an enriching urban experience.

In the Historic Center and its surroundings, the heart of the city displays its greatest heritage concentration. Civil power and academia are present in jewels like the Old City Hall (Antiguo Palacio del Ayuntamiento) and the Old School of Jurisprudence (Antigua Escuela de Jurisprudencia). The cobblestone streets lead to legendary mansions and large houses such as the Iturbide Palace, the House of Tiles (Casa de los Azulejos), and the old Hospital of the Church of Jesus of Nazareth. The transition towards modernity and nineteenth-century refinement can be admired in the grandeur of the Palace of Mining (Palacio de Minería) and the Postal Palace (Palacio de Correos), dialoguing with the capital's first towering structures, such as the La Nacional Building and the National Lottery Building.

Towards the west, the neighborhoods (colonias) of the Zona Rosa, Condesa, Roma, and Tacubaya mark the cosmopolitan expansion of the 20th century. In these layouts, Art Deco and functionalist architecture transformed the landscape, highlighting pioneering works of great residential and commercial value such as the Ermita Building. On the famous Paseo de la Reforma corridor, ancient mansions have given way to or integrated into a horizon of absolute modernity dictated by glass and steel titans like the Pemex Executive Tower, Chapultepec Uno, and the bold Torre Reforma.

The south of the capital reveals a particular charm where colonial splendor merges with volcanic rock and modern genius. The cobblestone mysticism of Coyoacán and San Ángel materializes in sites like the House of Hernán Cortés, the Casa Blanca, and the House of the Marquises. Tlalpan preserves its atmosphere of an old rest town and wooded refuge in buildings such as the Casa Chata and the House of Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi. Contrasting with this colonial heritage, the Pedregal and University City (Ciudad Universitaria) burst forth with the vanguard of mid-century modern architecture through the Max Cetto Studio House, the O'Gorman House, and the architectural muralism of the UNAM Rectory Tower.

For their part, the northern and eastern poles guard vital infrastructures and institutions that forged metropolitan development. The northern landscape preserves vestiges of ancient engineering with the Guadalupe Aqueduct and the historic Baths of Moctezuma. Towards the east, the Old San Lázaro Gatehouse and the General Archive of the Nation (Lecumberri Palace) bear witness to the urban control and penitentiary system of yesteryear, giving way to the political contemporaneity represented by the San Lázaro Legislative Palace complex.

Below, we invite you to explore this extensive directory of historical sites and buildings, and put together your own route to discover the architectural legacy of Mexico City.