20 reasons to leave everything and live in Mexico City
From Traveler we ask you to forget everything you have been told about Mexico City. No adjective is enough: reality is much better. Here's why.
1. FOOD
We don't need to tell you twice: Mexico makes your mouth water. Tacos, sopes, pozole, skits, tamales… Mexican gastronomy is one of its greatest attractions and, at any time of the day, there is an excuse to eat, drink, or eat and drink. So central is food to the Mexican experience, we can't do it justice with a single entry on this list. Keep reading and you will see why.
two. THE MUSEUMS
Did you know that Mexico City is the second city in the world with the most museums? Well, it is (only London beats it), with almost 200 museums and art galleries. From the highly visited and highly recommended Museum of Anthropology to the University Museum of Contemporary Art , through more unusual centers such as the Museum of Light , the Chocolate Museum and the Tattoo Museum . In CDMX there are exhibitions for all tastes. All.
Tamales, to start our list of reasons strong
3. THE WEATHER
Mexico City lives in an eternal spring (although the nickname has been reserved for Cuernavaca, 60 kilometers to the south, it could very well be lent to the capital as well). The temperature remains stable between 20 and 25 degrees during the day in any month of the year and the height above sea level prevents heat spikes. Below zero does not exist here, come in any month of February and you will see it.
Four. THE ARCHITECTURE
Walking through Mexico City is jumping from one historical era to another, and from one architectural style to another. Just by crossing a street you can go from the 20th century Paris that is the Condesa neighborhood, to the functionality of the 80s that is Insurgentes Norte, to fully immerse yourself in the colonial era in the Historic Center.
The Zócalo is a perfect example of the clash of cultures that the streets of Mexico City speak of: the (Catholic) Cathedral stands on the ruins of the Aztec Templo Mayor, in the shadow of the Presidential Palace. Enough to feel the weight of the history that CDMX carries behind it.
The Zócalo, miscellaneous 'cultural architecture'
5. THE WALK OF REFORM
But if there is a specific street that you have to walk from top to bottom in the Mexican capital, it is Paseo de la Reforma. Commissioned by Emperor Maximilian in the 19th century, today it is the artery of capital life, the scene of protests and marathons, concerts and cultural activities.
reform is also the home of two of the symbols of Mexico City, the Angel of Independence and Diana the Huntress, as well as the decoration of one and a thousand Sunday walks.
6.**MEAL I: BREAKFAST**
Do you remember how we said at the beginning that in CDMX there is always a reason to celebrate around the table? So that's it. And it is that In Mexico, even the mornings are celebrated in a big way.
Here you don't have five churros for breakfast and a quick coffee with milk. Nothing of that. In Mexico City , the first meal of the day is worthy of Roman banquets: it starts with traditional pastries (such as horns or shells), followed with a main course (How about some chicken enchiladas with green sauce and melted cheese? Or eggs rancheros with beans and tortilla chips? Or the star of the menu, some good chilaquiles?) and everything is washed down with a pot coffee, a champurrado chocolate or a juice of celery, melon and nopales.
And there is no more.
The Angel of Independence presiding over the Paseo de la Reforma
7. THE COST OF LIVING
In few countries can you live like a king for half what it would cost in Spain... and one of them is Mexico. The cost of living itself is significantly lower than in Europe or the United States, and now more than ever due to the depreciation of the Mexican peso. Three-course dinners, coffee and wine for 15 euros? Tickets to museums for just over three? Entire Airbnb floors in cool neighborhoods for $40 a night? Mexico City puts them on a plate for you.
8.**CHAPULTEPEC FOREST**
In a city like Mexico City, with its 2,000 km2 and its 25 million inhabitants, sometimes it seems that the air is missing. Do not despair: the Chapultepec forest is here to give you a break.
As soon as you enter this immense green lung, between lakes and trees you will see families celebrating children's birthdays and dogs chasing squirrels. Such is the calm and (semi) pure air, that you will even forget that you are in the middle of the largest city in the Americas.
Chapultepec, the green lung of the city
9.**FRIDA AND DIEGO**
Mexico has been proudly a republic for almost two centuries, but that does not take away from the fact that it has had an unofficial monarchy... How else do we define Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera? This couple of artists, philosophers, and political activists define Mexico at the beginning of the 20th century so fiercely that they even occupy a place of honor like the faces on the 500-peso bill.
Mexico City was his home for most of his life, and samples of his work are dotted throughout the city. Essential, the Blue House of Coyoacán and the murals of Fine Arts.
10. XOCHIMILCO
Get rid of Venice: in Mexico City you can also ride a gondola. In the neighborhood of Xochimilco, to the south of the city, there are the last visible remnants of what was the lagoon of Mexico that surrounded ancient Tenochtitlán , and where neighbors and tourists come every other Sunday to spend the day drifting along the canals.
Except that the gondola is actually called a trajinera, and the ride is not a romantic plan in which couples sail in privacy towards the sunset. Xochimilco is a group event, in which you will see families with children and dogs, and groups of friends sharing loggerheads (the Mexican litrona) as they sing at the top of their voices with one of the many mariachi groups that sail by their side.
It's not Venice, exactly, no… There's no need to.
The mythical Casa Azul, in Coyoacán
eleven. THE FOOD II: THE SNACKS
Has your breakfast already been lowered? Are you sure not? Because from mid-morning the street stalls are ready to satisfy hunger as soon as it strikes. Tacos al pastor? panuchos? Corn with cotija cheese? Milanese cake? Quesadillas? One of each?
12. THE CULTURAL CLOSENESS
Although it is true that Mexico City (and all of Mexico) can be disconcerting at times, you will identify many other aspects of Mexican daily life. The importance of family life, the meals that come together with dinner (yes, the desktop is also carried here) , the madness for football, the pleasure of a beer with friends, the lack of shyness when it comes to expressing feelings (good and bad) … For these reasons, and many more, you will feel at home.
Eat when, where and how you want
13. LANGUAGE
The cultural closeness is helped, of course, by the common language... Although sometimes it will be hard for you to believe that we speak the same language. But don't forget to enjoy it, because although you can't 'take' a bus here and put up with the traffic isn't 'cool' at all, any man from the capital will remind you that, after all, you are his carnal, that it is very cool that you have come and that if you need a ride, he will give it to you. Is it clear to you? Listen then.
14. THE MARIACHIS
If while you are in Mexico City you are invited to a wedding, baptism, communion, birthday or Sunday lunch, don't be surprised if a group of mariachis appears out of nowhere to liven up the atmosphere . Don't be surprised if at the second chord all the guests get up to dance, much less refuse if they pull your hand to join you (which they will). In Mexico music is not enjoyed, it is lived, savored and appreciated.
Don't resist dancing when the music plays
15.**THE FOOD III: THE PULQUE AND THE MEZCAL**
Men (and women) do not live on tequila alone in Mexico. The answer to the enigma that is the Mexican soul is hidden in the vital liquid of a plant: maguey.
The maguey extract It is the basic ingredient of two drinks less known than tequila, but on the same level: mezcal. , quintessential guest of every Mexican night, and the pulque , the drink of the Aztecs in full rebirth. Discover them.
16. THE LITERARY ROUTE
Mexico City is absorbing, in the most 'literal' sense: **writers, poets and philosophers from all over the world have been drawn to the Mexican capital**, immortalizing it in their novels or sometimes in their memoirs. That was the case of the quintessential Colombian writer, the great ** Gabriel García Márquez , who arrived in Mexico in 1961 and never left.**
Other great fans of Mexico City were the beatniks , beginning with William S. Burroughs and his filthy apartment in the Roma neighborhood. Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady they joined him a year later and shared war stories, poems and liters of alcohol at the legendary Bounty bar (known today as Krika's).
Gabo at his home in Mexico City. he came to stay
17. THE CANTINES
Do you want a fully Mexican night? Prepare taste buds and digestive system, and go to a canteen. These centers of Mexican nocturnality and treachery are something to experience.
The Mexican poet Salvador Novo described them as "temples with two doors" and in their day they were places of political and cultural discussion, as well as places consecrated to masculinity: for much of their history, women were not allowed to enter.
Today his mysticism has calmed down a bit, but attendance is still at its peak . And it is that despite the rise of nightclubs and bars, they resist disappearing, in a 3D example of the indefatigable spirit that characterizes Mexicans.
18. THE MARKETS
And for a fully Mexican day, arm yourself with courage and patience, and visit one of the hundreds of markets, or tianguis, dotted around the city. From the antiques of Sullivan, to the handicrafts of the Citadel, to the contemporary art of San Ángel, through the irresistible monster that is the Mercado de la Merced, Mexico City makes it easy for you to search and hunt for souvenirs.
And if the souvenir you are looking for is an experience not to forget, get up before the sun rises and join farmers, fishermen and restaurant vendors at the Mercado de Abastos. I said, not to forget.
Contemporary art in the San Ángel market
19. THE 'MEXICAN POWER'
But what will make you want to drop everything and move to Mexico City are the Mexicans. In no other place better than in the capital you will see the pure spirit of its people.
It is obvious upon arrival: Mexicans are inveterate fighters, tireless workers, who live halfway between international mistrust and national uncertainty. Mexicans represent that saying "if you fall seven times, get up eight" , and they do it with a smile on their face, a dance on their feet and an outstretched, welcoming hand, which is impossible to refuse.
twenty. DID WE ALREADY MENTION FOOD?
If at this point it is not clear to you that we like Mexican food, there is little more we can do… More than recommending that you go to Mexico City and see for yourself. You can thank us on the way back (and if it's with some potato flutes, even better).