Zocalo

The main plaza where the Halls of Moctezuma once stood is the second-largest in the world, after Moscow's Red Square. To the north is the Metropolitan Cathedral, begun in 1567 and finished two and a half centuries later. To the east is the National Palace, containing the offices of the Presidency and featuring along the walls of its central patio Diego Rivera's stirring mural "Epic of the Mexican People in their Struggle for Freedom and Independence." On the west side of the Zocalo is the 200-year-old National Pawnshop and an arcade lined with jewellery shops. The southern flank is occupied by the twin buildings of City Hall.

Templo Mayor.

Off the Northeast corner of the Zocalo stand the impressive ruins of the Great Temple of the Aztecs, destroyed by the conquistadores, who used the stone and debris to build the cathedral nearby. The temple marks the ceremonial center of Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec empire and larger than any city in Europe at the time of the Spanish Conquest. An island-city about a square mile, it contained temples, palaces and pyramids. The museum is a beautifully designed multilevel building with dramatically displayed artefacts extracted from the ruins and a large model of the city of Tenochtitlan.

Madero

Along this avenue are some of the city's oldest and most distinguished buildings. Worth visiting are the ornate 18th-century Iturbide Palace, the Church of San Francisco, and the nearly 400-year-old House of Tiles.

Palacio Bellas Artes          

Juarez and Eje Lazaro Cardenas. Mexico's principal opera house, the Palace of Fine Arts, is an architectural masterpiece inside and out. The interiors are a beautiful blend of art deco and art nouveau styles. Construction began in 1900 and, after being interrupted by the 1910 Revolution, was completed 34 years later. Its Tiffany stained-glass curtain is a spectacular depiction of the Valley of Mexico with its two imposing volcanoes, Iztaccihuatl ("Sleeping Lady") and Popocatepetl ("SmokingMountain").

AlamedaPark

The charming colonial-era park was for years the exclusive realm of the elite and fenced off to the masses. Today, it throbs with pedestrian traffic, and plays host to lunch time idlers and enamored couples. An occasional free concert draws a crowd on Sundays. A massive marble monument facing Juarez Avenue honors beloved President Benito Juarez.