Points of Interest
The Alameda is the oldest, most visited and traditional park in Mexico City, a favorite of the inhabitants since the Colonial times. It was named after the poplars (álamos) that were first planted there, though nowadays ash trees predominate in the park. While walking through the Alameda, you can enjoy the sights of the Santa Veracruz square, and other attractions.
- Pinacoteca Virreinal (Colonial Art Gallery)
- José Martí Cultural Center
- San Juan de Dios Church
- Franz Mayer Museum
- Stamp Museum
- Santa Veracruz Church
- Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts)
Pinacoteca Virreinal (Formerly San Diego's Convent)
Estimated time:15 minutes.
Address: On the corner of Dr. Mora and Basilio Badillo, west of Alameda Park.
Open: Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 17:00 hrs.
This building, previously a church, was built in the first half of the XVII Century, and partly occupied the San Hipolito Marketplace. The art gallery in the former San Diego Church houses an important collection of Mexican paintings from the colonial era. The Dolores Chapel, one of the finest in the city in regard to its collection of paintings, displays various pieces by the Masters; Jose Juarez, Federico Cantu and Vallejo, as well as an Immaculate Conception sculpture by Pedro Patiño Ixtolinque.
José Martí Cultural Center
Estimated time: 15 minutes.
Address: On Av. Hidalgo and Dr. Mora .
Open: Tuesday to Sunday, from 9:00 to 17:00 hrs.
This center was built to honor a hero who fought for freedom, and to encourage the cultural values of the Latin American people. Inside, you will find a mural painted by several Mexican and Cuban artists. There is a small library, an auditorium for various functions and a yard which is a typical meeting place for chess players looking for a match."
San Juan de Dios Church
Estimated time: 10 minutes.
Address: West of the San Juan de Dios square, on Hidalgo Avenue.
Open: Tuesday to Sunday, from 9:00 to 17:00 hrs.
This church was built as a place of worship for Saint Anthony of Padua in the mid XVIII Century, and takes the space previously occupied by the chapel of Our Lady of the Forsaken. This is one of the few churches in the city with a Latin cross plan, a portal vestibule and a shell vault.
Franz Mayer Museum
Estimated time: approximately 1 hour.
Address: Av. Hidalgo #45, Santa Veracruz Square
Open: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 17:00 hrs.
During Maximillian's Administration, it was known as the "Hospital de la Mujer " (Women's Hospital), keeping this name until 1966. Nowadays, it holds a collection of Mexican and European works of art, mostly gathered by the German Philanthropist Franz Mayer.
The permanent exhibition houses Mexican pottery, Chinese and Spanish porcelain, the reconstruction of a bedroom from that period, Mexican and Spanish furniture, gold and silver work, ancient Mexican and European textiles and paintings.
Stampa Museum
Estimated time: approximately 30 minutes.
Open: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 17:00 hrs.
Located at: Av. Hidalgo #39
It holds official, private and global collections of lovely engravings. The permanent exhibit rooms show video clips of current and ancient techniques, at which the greatest masters excel. The place also holds a unique piece, an 1800 Washington press, the oldest engraving and printing machine.
Santa Veracruz Church
Estimated time: 10 minutes.
Address: It is located on AV. Hidalgo, east of the San Juan de Dios square, north of the Alameda .
Open: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 17:00 hrs
Although the building itself was built in 1730, this church is one of the oldest in the city. It is deemed one of the city's most important baroque buildings. In 1526, a sanctuary was erected, and inaugurated by Hernan Cortes. Cortes also founded the Vera Cruz Cofraternity to remember their happy arrival in on a Good Friday, 1519. The illustrious Manuel Tolsá, architect and writer, is buried in its atrium.
Palace of Fine Arts
Estimated time: 30 minutes.
Address: On one side of the Alameda, between Eje Central, 5 de Mayo and Hidalgo avenues, and
Angela Peralta St.
Open: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 17:00 hrs.
It replaced the Saint Isabel Convent, and its construction began in 1904, under the hand of the Italian architect Adamo Boari. This Art Nouveau building has a Carrara marble façade, and inside you can admire its famous stage stained-glass curtain depicting the Iztaccihuatl and Popocateptl volcanoes. Throughout its vestibules, you will find several al fresco murals by the famous Mexican muralists Orozco, Siqueiros, Rivera, Tamayo, and . The construction of the palace was interrupted by the Mexican Revolution, and was finished in 1934 by the architect Federico Mariscal.
The theater offers different shows, in the mornings and evenings. Traditional shows include the Ballet Folklórico Nacional de Amalia Hernández (Amalia Hernandez's Folkloric Dance Troupe), the Opera Season, as well as permanent and temporary exhibits from all over the world.
