Mexico City, the City of Palaces, the ancient capital of the Mexican empire and the jewel in New Spanish Viceroys crown is today one of the biggest, most complex and most beautiful cities in the world.
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The mere size of the urban spread makes it a city among cities.
Mexico City is a modern, cosmopolitan city situated in an old lake basin that is surrounded by volcanic mountains.
The different cultures that inhabited the city during the course of the centuries left an interesting architectural legacy that comprises many different styles.
Firstly, there are the pre Hispanic remains that tell of the greatness of the civilizations that settled on this land before the arrival of the Spaniards.
Mexican art can be seen on the ruins of the Templo Mayor (The Great Temple), the site where the monolith of the goddess Coyolxauqui was found.
The architects that arrived from Europe during the colonial period applied and shared their knowledge of baroque, neoclassic and other styles of art that were combined with the indigenous styles to create an architecture that is quite unique in all the world.
Works such as the Metropolitan Cathedral, palaces, mansions and an endless number of sober, sumptuous churches adorn the central area of the city now called the Historic Centre; these extraordinary types of buildings can also be seen in some of the picturesque towns and villages such as Coyoacan, San Angel, Tlalpan and Xochimilco that used to be the outskirts of the city but have now become incorporated into the built up areas; in spite of this, they still maintain their provincial atmosphere. Later, after Mexico became an independent country, new districts of the city were built in a Frenchified style and in the art deco and colonial Californian styles.
Magnificent skyscrapers sprung up in districts such as Polanco, Anzures, Del Valle and Santa Fe characterized Modernism.
The advantage of a mega-city such as Mexico City is that it offers the visitor all sorts of entertainment possibilities during the day and at night. Avenues like Avenida Insurgentes are true axis of fun and recreation and have spots that cater to all tastes.
Mexican culture in all its manifestations can be admired at the large number of quality museums that can be found in many different parts of the city. These have displays and exhibitions of art and culture ranging from the pre Hispanic (the National Museum of Anthropology) to the Vice Regal (the Franz Mayer Museum) to the modern (the Museum of Modern Art), as well as Mexican traditions as can be seen in the Frida Kahlo Museum.
