Mexico City Attractions

Venue: El Zócalo    When: Daily

In the middle of the historic district of Mexico City is the Plaza de la Constitución, nicknamed El Zócalo. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This was the centre of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán, with its ceremonial area just to the north. Every day the city's heritage is relived with conchero dancers in feathered headdresses dancing to the beat of drums.

The present square was paved by Cortés in the 1520s and until the early 20th century it functioned as a marketplace. Nowadays it is a ceremonial space where tourists throng and locals come to see and be seen. Dominating one side of the square is the National Palace, in which you can see Diego Rivera's wonderful murals celebrating the pre-Spanish era.

El Zócalo is home to five Aztec temples (in ruins), parts of which are open to the public. Another side of the square is dominated by the city's cathedral (the largest on the continent) and built with the stones of the ruined Aztec temples.

El Zócalo shares its World Heritage Status with Xochimilco, which lies 28km south of Mexico City. With its network of canals and artificial islands, it testifies to the efforts of the Aztec people to build a habitat in the midst of an unfavourable environment. The existing urban and rural structures, built during the 16th century and in the later colonial period are extremely well-preserved.