Photo: Betoqa, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Housed in the former Mint building built in 1734. The museum is dedicated to anthropology of the world.
The Museo Nacional de las Culturas is a national museum in Mexico City dedicated to education about the world's cultures, both past and present. It is housed in a colonial-era building that used to be the mint for making coins. Prior to this, the site was the home of the location of the Moctezuma's Black House. The mint was moved to Apartado Street in 1850, and the building was used for various purposes until it was converted to its current use in 1966.
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House of the First Print Shop in the Americas
This building, which dates from 1524, housed the first printing press in the New World, which operated from 1539 until 1560. After this time the building was used for a number of purposes until it was restored by the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) in 1989; it now houses a museum displaying some of the first books printed in Mexico.
Iglesia de Santa Teresa
Built in 1678 and refurbished in 1845.
Antiguo Palacio del Arzobispado
Eclectic art collection owned by the government's Finance ministry. Mexico has an innovative tax program that allows collectors and artists to pay tax debts by donating significant artworks. The collection includes works by famous artists like Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Rufino Tamayo as well as many cutting-edge contemporary works.
National Palace
The palace in its current form began construction in 1693 and served as the Palace of the Viceroy of New Spain until the Mexican War of Independence, when it became the executive seat of the President (though today it is no longer his official residence). The walls inside the palace display murals by Diego Rivera depicting the history of Mexico from the pre-Columbian age to the Mexican Revolution. You can also visit the Recinto Legislativo, a replica of the first Mexican Congress, and tour the home of Benito Juárez. Tours in English are free; ask for one at the information desk across the street. It’s strongly recommended to get there early in the day, and you’ll likely be given a reserved time to return later that afternoon.
Museo JLC / José Luis Cuevas Museum
Housed in the former convent of Santa Ines built in 1600. The museum's collection features works by Mexican artist Jose Luis Cuevas as well as other modern artists, it also presents works (especially sculptures) from European artists such as Picasso and Rembrandt. The museum's courtyard features an enormous statue called, appropriately enough, La Gigantesca.
Museo Nacional de San Carlos / Academy of San Carlos
Housed in a building dated 1785 that was conceived as the Royal Academy of Beaux Arts. It is administered by the National University and features permanent and temporary painting collections. This is the oldest arts academy in the Americas and has trained large number of Mexico's most famous artists. Today, the academy is part of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) and only graduate courses are taught in the historic centro.