3 Best Sights in San Angel, Mexico City

This small museum compound is where Diego and Frida lived, painted, loved, and fought (they divorced briefly in 1939) from 1934 to 1940; its three angular red and blue buildings with large multipane windows and a cacti-filled courtyard is stylistically the antithesis of the traditional Spanish Colonial Museo Frida Kahlo just a few miles away in Coyoacán. In the red main house, some of Rivera's final paintings rest on easels, and you can see his denim jacket and shoes on a wicker chair with his modest little bed and side table made up as though the artist might return at any moment. In the building's studio you can view giant papier-mâché sculptures (some of the pre-Hispanic pottery that Rivera collected) and other curious figurines and colorful folk art. The buildings' unusual, and at the time highly avant garde, designs are a big part of what makes a visit here so interesting. Architect Juan O'Gorman, who devised these buildings in 1931, was a close friend of Rivera's and lived on the property in a third structure that today, like the blue house that Frida resided in, contains rotating exhibits.

Interesting architectural features include several curving concrete exterior and interior staircases, and a bridge that connects the rooftops of Diego's and Frida's homes—a convenient passageway that allowed the two simultaneous access to and space from one another.

Erected by Carmelite friars with the help of an Indigenous chieftain between 1615 and 1628, this church—with its domes, frescoes, vaulted archways, fountains, and gardens—was never actually a convent, despite its name. Though some locals might tell you otherwise, nuns never actually lived here. The church still operates (you can enter it for free from a separate entrance next door), but part of the church complex has been converted into Museo del Carmen, with a fine collection of 16th- to 18th-century religious paintings and icons. Much of the religious art (along with a captivating collection of photos that depict San Ángel and the southern portions of the city during the early 20th century) is on the second floor of the adjoining Casa de Acueducto, which overlooks another courtyard fringed by an interesting ancient aqueduct. It's also worth visiting the dozen-or-so mummified corpses tucked away in the crypt—a creepy but fascinating sight, for sure. For a perhaps much-needed breath of fresh air, saunter out to the gracious rear garden, with its shady trees and benches. There's usually an excellent temporary exhibit as well, typically touching on some element of Mexico City history and culture.

This picturesque plaza lined with palatial 18th- and 19th-century homes as well as a number of galleries, boutiques, and restaurants constitutes the heart of San Ángel. On the north side of the plaza, the superb arts-and-crafts market Bazaar Sábado is held all day Saturday, and just west up Calle Benito Juarez there's an additional covered market on weekends where you can find less expensive knickknacks and goods. Continue a block down the hill along shop-lined Calle Madero to reach Plaza del Carmen, a smaller park with pathways and benches where still more artists sell their works on Saturday. A memorial plaque on Plaza San Jacinto's west side lists the names of about 50 Irish soldiers from St. Patrick's Battalion who helped Mexico during the "unjust North American invasion" of 1847. These men had been enticed to desert the ranks of U.S. General Zachary Taylor by appeals to the historic and religious ties between Spain and Ireland, siding with the Mexicans in the Mexican-American War. Following their capture by U.S. forces, all were hanged (16 of them on Plaza San Jacinto). If the crowds around the Plaza become a little overwhelming (as often happens on Saturday), walk down quiet, cobblestone Calle de la Amargura, behind Bazaar Sábado, toward Avenida Revolución. It's a lovely lane that's absent of vendors and leads past several beautiful homes.