3 Best Sights in San Rafael and Santa María la Ribera, Mexico City

With nearly 600,000 books, magazines, and international newspapers, this is the largest library in Mexico. It covers more than 410,000 square feet, with rows of catwalks leading up to its six-story ceiling. Opened officially in 2006, the space is regarded as having some of the most unique architecture of any public building in the city. An auditorium regularly hosts concerts, lectures, and other cultural events. Computers are available for public use, as is Wi-Fi. The massive building, which also houses the graffitied skeleton of a gray whale, is surrounded by gardens boasting palm trees and moonflowers.

Built by Mexican architect José Ramón Ibarrola, the Moorish Kiosk was meant to serve as the Mexico Pavilion at the 1884 World’s Fair in New Orleans. It was relocated to Mexico in 1910 and placed where it now stands, as a proud symbol of Santa María la Ribera. Designed in the Moorish Revival architectural style known as neo-Mudejar, which was popular at the time in Spain, it is made of wrought iron and wood painted in blue, red, and gold, and is topped with a glass cupola dome. It sits in the principal plaza of the colonia, and draws photographers and lovers (it’s not uncommon to see a modeling shoot going on or a couple in a deep embrace) as well as families. Its sheer size is enough to accommodate even occasional dance classes and events.

This 603,000-square foot contemporary art space features several galleries of mostly Mexican visual and video artists, an auditorium for concerts, readings, and lectures, and a large rotating gallery space that features performance art. Operated by the National Autonomous University of Mexico, El Chopo is known for representing, honoring, and celebrating vast elements of contemporary culture and subcultures of Mexican society.