Estadio Azteca Light Rail

Photo: ProtoplasmaKid, Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 4.0

The Estadio Azteca station on the Xochimilco Light Rail is one of the most heavily used on the line. Perhaps that’s for obvious reasons. Almost directly north of the Tlalpan / Coyoacán border, the station logo is a stylized profile of the stadium for which the station is named.

The official opening of the Azteca Stadium took place on May 29, 1966. Designed by the celebrated architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, it’s one of his most iconic works even in a portfolio that includes the New Basilica of Guadalupe, the Congressional Palace at San Lázaro, the Anthropology Museum and the Museum of Modern Art, among others.

The stadium has been the scene of many  historic sporting events. These include two World Cups and those of the 1968 Olympic Games. It’s the home field of the Football Club América and the Mexican national football team.

Those arriving to the station should expect a walk of some 15 minutes to the stadium. The giant sculpture, El Sol Rojo by artist Alexander Calder. It was installed as part of the Ruta de la Amistad for the 1968 Olympics.

The Estadio Azteca light rail station is in the Colonia Ex-Ejido de Santa Úrsula. The Parque de Santa Úrsula is just northwest of the stadium. Famous for the aviary and gardens it’s a peaceful place to wait till game time. On the other side of the tracks, the Huipulco Cetram provides access to bus service to many parts of Coapa and points further in the City’s southeast. Just on the other side of the bus station, the giant Huipulco Lunch Market makes an excellent stop for lunch or late-night food.