Editor’s note: Mexico City was my first solo international destination. I stayed for a week, and like Sam, didn’t think I had enough time even then to do it justice. I’m excited to go back in 2025. You can read my guide to the city here, or click here to read more of San Spector’s awesome writing.

One of my favorite parts of travel is being surprised. Often it is the places we least expect that become some of our favorites. Who would have guessed that one of my favorite cities to visit in America would be Cincinnati, Ohio? When I went backpacking through the Balkans, I had not even planned to go to Bosnia and Herzegovina, yet after detouring to Mostar, it became one of my favorite towns in Europe. I could go on and on as very often the places that I am most excited for I discover to be overrated and the places that I have reservations about or were not high on my list I discover are some of the best hidden gems in the world. A city that I would not call a hidden gem by any means but that I had never had a desire to go to was Mexico City. What I had heard about Mexico City was that it was a dangerous, polluted, and overpopulated city. However, as I have previously written about, I love Mesoamerican ruins and so I bit the bullet to go to Mexico City so that I could visit the incredible ruins of Teotihuacan just outside the city, spending only two nights so that essentially I could get in and see the ruins and then get the heck out of there. As it would turn out, I discovered one of my favorite cities in the world and going there was one of my biggest travel wins, while spending only a couple days is to this day one of my biggest travel regrets.

Before I sell you on the remarkable sights of Mexico City, a couple things to note about traveling to Mexico City. With 9.2 million inhabitants in the city proper and 22 million people in the metropolitan area, Mexico City is the largest city in North America. The sheer size of Mexico City means that it is highly accessible with direct flights from all over the United States that are often fairly affordable. In one of my quirky adventures, I drove down to Tijuana, Mexico and flew domestic out of their airport, which connects to the United States border. Upon arrival in Mexico City, the city is filled with taxis and also the cheapest metro system that I have ever encountered in the world, while also going throughout the city to all the major tourist attractions. With an unbelievable exchange rate, the American dollar goes far and Mexico City is one of the more affordable places that I have visited. What I also discovered in Mexico City was some of the kindest and most helpful people that I have encountered. When I got confused at a subway stop, a gentleman I asked for directions insisted on taking me to the proper subway platform so that I could find my way. I went to the Zona Rosa, which is home to the center of Mexico City’s LGBTQ community, on the night of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida that resulted in the deaths of 49 innocents and the injuries of 58 others. In that neighborhood I found people grieving, supporting, and holding each other; when they heard I was from the United States, it was truly touching the level of compassion they showed towards me.

Straight from the airport, I went to quite possibly the best museum that I have been to anywhere in the world, the Museo Nacional de Antropologia (National Anthropology Museum). The museum covers 23 rooms over 20 acres of space, was founded in 1964, and grew out of a collection that began in the 18th century. The museum is a rectangular building created around a courtyard that has a massive pond in it. The courtyard has a ceiling overhang which is entirely held up by a single pillar, which looks as though it should defy physics. The pillar acts as an umbrella with a waterfall that pours from each side of the top. The museum holds many treasures such as the Tizoc Stone, a monolithic circular stone that depicts 15 scenes of a costumed warrior having his hair pulled by another warrior. The stone was going to be cut up by construction workers when an anthropologist stopped them and preserved it; it is believed to have been used for sacrifices and has the cardinal directions on top. Another top attraction is the 16th century Aztec Sun Stone. At 12 feet in diameter and 39 inches thick, and weighing in at over 54,000 pounds, this piece is perhaps the most famous Mexica sculpture and has become one of the symbols of the country. It represents the relationship between the Aztec deities and humankind, and many think it was a form of sundial. Other must-sees in the museum include the ornate funerary mask of the 7th century king of Palenque, K’inich Janaab’ Pakal, a skull covered in turquoise, the skull-like disk of the Aztec god of death, brightly colored Mesoamerican murals, and replicas of tombs, temples, and artifacts. This museum felt like the Western Hemisphere’s version of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and is a must-see for any history buff.

The National Museum of Anthropology is located in Chapultepec Park, one of the largest and most beautiful urban parks in the world, covering 1700 acres. In addition to the museum, the park has lovely cafes, ponds and lakes where you can paddleboat, pre-Columbian ruins, and trees you can sit under and read a book. The park is also home to the Chapultepec Castle, which today is a history museum of Mexico, but was, until 1939, the presidential palace built atop an Aztec holy site. Strolling through the park was a nice, relaxing journey for a couple of hours to escape the hustle and bustle of the megacity. I also got to watch there the famous Dance of the Flyers, an incredible acrobatic feat that began with the Totonac people of Mexico five centuries ago to appeal to the gods for rain. In this dazzling stunt, a man sits on top of a 30 meter pole playing flute and drums, while four other brave men spin upside down with ropes tied to their feet while maintaining equidistance from each other. The ceremony is performed throughout Mexico and was named a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. You can watch the ceremony right across the street from the anthropology museum and it is something truly spectacular to witness. Not far away is the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the fine art museum, the architecture of which is spectacular and worth seeing even just the outside, as it has been dubbed “Mexico’s Art Cathedral.”

Once you get hungry, be sure to visit the La Merced Market. The market is the largest food market in the city and is located in the historic center. The market is full of produce stalls selling local fruits and vegetables, and especially chilis and corn. Additionally, you can buy household items and souvenirs. There are also tons of restaurants, so this is a great place to get a traditional bite to eat at a super low price or to try a sampling of foods throughout the market. While this market is a must for experiencing Mexico City, do be careful here as pickpocketing is common. Though I did not notice (likely as a result of my own obliviousness), apparently, prostitution is in abundance at the market with an estimated one third of prostitutes being underage. Violence against the prostitutes here is known to go unpunished by law enforcement, so while the market is a wonderful place to visit, please be aware of your surroundings and safety.

Finally, the other phenomenal place in Mexico City where I went and also stayed was the Zocalo. This spot is the historic, cultural, and spiritual center of the city, if not the whole nation. This is the main square of the city and one of the largest squares in the world, and was where the Mexican constitution was signed in 1812. It has in the center an enormous flagpole and flag of Mexico waving in the breeze. Today, the National Palace and the Metropolitan City Cathedral are in this square. The cathedral was built in phases between 1573 and 1813 and has gothic and baroque elements to it. At over 200 feet tall and more than 400 feet in length, it is an imposing structure with its bell towers and ornate facades. Like many cathedrals of Latin America, the inside has incredible pieces of fine art, beautiful chapels, and golden altars. Make sure to visit the crypt as well, which is the burial place of many of the archbishops of Mexico City dating back hundreds of years. I also greatly appreciated the sculpture of Pope John Paul II outside the church commemorating his visit to the site, which shows the pope waving with the front of his cloak turning into an image of the Virgin Mary. The sculpture is made entirely of melted down keys donated by the Mexican people, and the backside of his cloak depicts the keys, a symbol that the Mexican people had opened their hearts to him.

The location of the National Palace and the Metropolitan City Cathedral are clearly intentional, as next to the cathedral, largely underground, are the ruins of the Templo Mayor, the main temple of Tenochtitlan, the name of Mexico City for the Mexica people, and also the palace was built on the same spot as the home of the Mexica emperor. By building the Catholic cathedral and palace directly on top of these sites, it sent a message that Spanish culture and colonialism were there to replace the indigenous ones. It is only a wonder what still lies beneath these buildings, as much of the most important treasures in the anthropology center were discovered during construction of the cathedral and palace. However, there is a museum at the Templo Mayor today, where you can see the ruins of this temple that date back to the 12th century. Inside the museum, you will see ancient sculptures of deities and other symbolism for the indigenous people, as well as the actual 1992 Nobel Peace Prize Medal given to indigenous rights activist Rigoberta Menchu. A particularly impressive display is that of the dozens of stone masks found at the site and mounted on a wall.

While I got to see quite a bit in the city, I did not do it justice. I will also have a whole other article dedicated to my day trip of Teotihuacan. However, there are also day trips or weekend trips to the towns of Puebla, Cuernavaca, Taxco, Queretaro, and San Miguel de Allende, among others. Also, within Mexico City are the Xochimilco waterways with floating gardens, and today restaurants and bars, that were important waterways for the Aztecs, as well as so many more museums. A mistake that I made was that I did not realize that museums are closed on Mondays, so use this as a day to do a day trip. When I visited Mexico City, I expected to hate it and thought I would get in and get out and so I only stayed for two days. I am determined to go back and stay in the region for two weeks next time. In Mexico’s capital, you will find New York City meets Latin America and discover what is truly not only one of the world’s largest cities, but one if its best, most cultural, and historic metropolises.

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