Jardín Dr. Ignacio Chávez

The Jardín Dr. Ignacio Chávez is another of the great City Parks that resulted from the tragedy of the 1985 earthquakes. The garden is on the site of the former offices of the Federal Secretary of Commerce and Industrial Development (SECOFI). That giant office shared its block with a giant movie theater, the Cine Internacional. Both buildings suffered such significant damage that they needed to be torn down.

Today the park is known also as the Saturday Bazar de la Roma and the Tianguis de Cuauhtémoc. This is for the Saturday antiques market that has enlivened the sidewalks for decades. The park was named for the heart surgeon Ignacio Chávez Sánchez when it opened in 1987.

The park is at the western edge of the Doctores Neighborhood on Cuauhtémoc Avenue. Although it’s very tranquil during the week, on Saturdays, the antiques market will swell crowds, especially on the side of the avenue.