Benito Juárez Esplanade

The Benito Juárez Esplanade is a giant complex of plazas and monuments. These directly surround the local head of the Benito Juárez government. Sandwiched between the big Parque de los Venados to the east, the Benito Juárez sports complex lies to the west. To the south is the Santa Cruz Atoyac pueblo which lends its name to the entire neighborhood. It’s one of the Benito Juárez original settlements. Atoyac can also be understood as the colonial-period forerunner of something of a local government for this part of the City.

Today the esplanade is the busy center of civic life. Loaded with official monuments, the most prominent honors Benito Juárez himself. The southeastern corner, itself sometimes called the Jardín de los Grandes Valores (Garden of Great Values) contains monuments to Silvia Pinal Hidalgo (b. 1931​), a former actress and later senator. Plácido Domingo (b. 1941), the internationally recognized opera singer, composer, and orchestra director, also hails from a pedestal here. This part of the esplanade is often understood as an extension of the Venados park across the street.

The main Benito Juárez Esplanade sometimes bears the name the Parque Sefton. This name arrives from the Escuadron Sefton scouting organization who’ve frequently used the esplanade for events. But events are what the broader plaza is all about.

Especially during El Grito (September 15) and during the Christmas season, the plaza fills with displays, booths, and fair grounds rides. Over the course of any year, the esplanade will host concerts, performances, and more quotidian events. All of them support the civic life of the community. The Metro station at the south of the plaza is Metro Parque de los Venados.