2 Best Sights in Mexico City, Mexico

Background Illustration for Sights

Mexico City's principal sights fall into three areas. Allow a full day to cover each thoroughly, although you could race through them in four or five hours apiece. You can generally cover the first area—the Zócalo and Alameda Central—on foot. Getting around Zona Rosa, Bosque de Chapultepec, and Colonia Condesa may require a taxi ride or two (though the Chapultepec metro stop is conveniently close to the park and museums), as will Coyoacán and San Angel in southern Mexico City.

Monumento a la Independencia

Juárez Fodor's Choice

Known as El Angel, this Corinthian column topped by a gilt angel is the city's most uplifting monument, built to celebrate the 100 anniversary of Mexico's War of Independence. Beneath the pedestal lie the remains of the principal heroes of the independence movement; an eternal flame burns in their honor. As you pass by, you may see one or more couples dressed in their wedding apparel, posing for pictures on the steps of the monument. Many couples stop off here before or after they get married, as a tribute to their own personal independence from their parents.

Monument Fodor's Choice
Mexico City, 11580, Mexico

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Monumento a la Revolución

Alameda Central Fodor's Choice

The bronze art deco dome of the monument commemorating Mexico's bloody, decade-long revolution, which began in 1910, gleams like a beacon at the end of Avenida Juárez, one of the Alameda's busiest thoroughfares. Take an elevator to the observation deck up top, which offers 360-degree views of the city, or admire the Oliverio Martinez sculptures that adorn the four corners of the monument from below. There's also a small café and museum devoted to the history of the Revolution accessible at an additional cost. Lit up nightly at 10 pm, the monument is a moving sight. At the base of the pillars lie the remains of important figures from 20th-century Mexican history, including those of Pancho Villa.