One of the main reasons to go to Mexico City is to take in all the great food. We had four nights which means four dinners. We were staying at the Hyatt Regency in Polanco which served us a great breakfast buffet every morning which had us well fueled until dinnertime. I selected restaurants from a list given to us by the concierge at the hotel as to places that would be within a 20 minute walking distance radius. After I get a list from a concierge, I then review the reviews and make my...

The National Museum of Anthropology (MNA) is one of the most important museums in Mexico and the Americas. It is designed to house and exhibit the archaeological legacy of the peoples of Mesoamerica , as well as to reflect the country's current ethnic diversity. There is a lot of history to take in when visiting this museum; my hope is that this brief summary of the contents and the rooms will help to orient you when you plan a visit. Among the most emblematic pieces in the collection are the...

The Palacio de Bellas Artes ("Palace of Fine Arts") is a prominent cultural center in Mexico City. It hosts performing arts events, literature events and exhibitions (including important permanent Mexican murals). "Bellas Artes" for short, has been called the "art cathedral of Mexico". The design of the building is a mix of styles; Art Nouveau dominates the exterior and Art Deco, the interior. We visited the palace with our ToursByLocals guide Jose Luis to focus on the murals of Rivera,...

Our guide, Jose Luis, took us here to take in more of José Clemente Orozco. I reached out to Gemini, my favorite AI tool for some help in refreshing my memory as to what our guide shared with us, as there was a lot of history that went with understanding why every inch of wall space and stairwells were covered in murals. Feel free to keep swiping to get to my pics, but I think reading the history will shed some light on how important this work was and is. Orozco, along with the other masters...

As many of you may know by now, I prefer to use ToursByLocals or Context when booking a guide; for our visit to Mexico City, we booked Murals, Art and Architecture Tour in Mexico City led by ToursByLocals guide Jose Luis C.; he was fantastic. While we covered some highlights of archictecture in the City Center, we had an in depth art history mini seminar on the murals of Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros. In 1946, architect Carlos Obregón Santacilia commissioned...

We thought we would check out this castle built in the late 1700's at the Viceroy's request, but he died a year after construction began in 1786. The castle is locate on top of Chapultepec Hill. It was the official residence of Emperor Mximillian I of Mexico from 1864-67. In 1882, it became the official residence of the president until 1934 and subsequently became a museum. On the flag of Mexico and here in the museum, there is a sculpture of an eagle with a rattlesnake in its mouth which...

Mexico City is a sprawling metropolis with many districts. With our ToursByLocals guide, Jose Luis, we focused on art (mainly murals) and architecture, at least as much as could be covered in 6 hours. We also did our own exploring with the hopes of getting into some art galleries, but we quickly discovered that while coming to Mexico City the week before Easter is great because many folks have left town, so the streets are not quite as crowded, but included in the exodus are the owners of...