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Photo: via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 de
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.
The National Palace is the seat of the federal executive in Mexico. Since 2018 it has also served as the official residence for the President of Mexico. It is located on Mexico City's main square, the Plaza de la Constitución. This site has been a palace for the ruling class of Mexico since the Aztec Empire, and much of the current palace's building materials are from the original one that belonged to the 16th-century leader Moctezuma II.
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National Museum of Cultures
Housed in the former Mint building built in 1734. The museum is dedicated to anthropology of the world.
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.
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.
Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation
This building was completed in 1945 and was designed by architect Antonio Muñoz Garcia.
El Zócalo
This square measures 240m long on either side. A huge Mexican flag occupies the center, which is ceremoniously lowered and re-raised each day at 18:00. You may see art exhibits, concerts, demonstrations or all manner of social gatherings taking place here. On New Year's Day, practitioners of Mexico's indigenous religions gather to bless believers for the coming year; Mexican independence is celebrated in the plaza on 15 and 16 September. During December, through the miracle of modern refrigeration, the entire Zócalo is transformed into an ice skating rink.
Plaza de Tenochtitlán
This place is allegedly where the Aztecs found the eagle eating a snake on top of a cactus (nopal), the divine sign of the gods to settle down and establish the city of Tenochtitlán. It features a sculpture by Juan Olaguibel made in 1970.