When Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1521, the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan ranked among the world's most populous urban centers. The same is true of modern Mexico City, the metropolis the Spaniards built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan. You can observe this history throughout the city, which has one of the largest concentrations of museums in the world. Street crime is a concern in the Mexican capital, so explore with caution: keep valuables stowed and only use stationed radio taxis.
Per Mexican lore, the Aztecs chose the site for Tenochtitlan upon seeing an eagle eating a snake while perched on a cactus -- a divine sign, they believed, indicating where they should build their empire. In Mexico City lie the remains of Templo Mayor, the pyramid temple allegedly built on the spot where the Aztecs saw the eagle. As you meander along the elevated walkways that traverse the site, look for several noteworthy features including: a reclined figure, known as a chacmool; a shrine to the war god Huitzilopochtli; and a wall of skulls, known as a tzompantli, that recalls the human sacrifices that took place here. Some 6,000 artifacts have been transferred to an on-site museum, including a circular stone depicting the goddess Coyolxauhqui. The discovery of the stone by construction workers in 1976 prompted the excavation of the site.
In the process of turning Tenochtitlan into the capital of New Spain, the conquistadors built Plaza de la Constitucion, which occupies nearly 10 acres, making it one of world's largest public squares. Along the northern edge of the square, commonly known the Zocalo, stands the Catedral Metropolitana, partly made of materials from demolished Aztec temples. Built over three centuries from the late 1500s onward, the superlatively large cathedral marries baroque, neoclassical and Churrigueresque styles. Along the east side of the Zocalo, on the site of the former residence of conquistador Hernan Cortes -- which had displaced the palace of Aztec emperor Montezuma II -- stands the Palacio Nacional, the seat of Mexico's federal government. Visit the second floor to see a pictorial interpretation of Mexican history by renowned muralist Diego Rivera.
From 1929 to 1954, Rivera and his wife, the iconic Frida Kahlo, lived in the blue house in Mexico City where she was born. Now a museum, the house displays paintings by Kahlo, the pre-Hispanic artifacts the couple collected and even mundane belongings such as kitchen wares. The pride of Mexico City's museums is the Museo Nacional de Antropologia -- the ground floor displays a thrilling collection of artifacts attributed to pre-Hispanic civilizations; the upper floor features exhibits on Mexico's existing indigenous cultures. The city's newest museums include Museo Soumaya, which displays the collection of billionaire Carlos Slim. Among the 66,000 works are pieces by Rivera, Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso.
No figure -- divine or mortal -- is more revered in Mexico than Our Lady of Guadalupe, the apparition of the Virgin Mary who Catholics believe made contact with the now-canonized peasant Juan Diego in 1531. A cloak with an imprint of the Virgin -- proof, the devout believe, of the visitation -- is displayed behind bulletproof glass in the Basilica of Guadalupe in northern edge of Mexico City. Pilgrims flock to this holiest of shrines in Mexico on Dec. 12, the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is celebrated with music and dance. Behind the basilica, constructed where Juan Diego is said to have seen the Virgin, is a museum that displays religious artwork created between the 15th and 18th centuries.
