We planned a 4-day trip with family and friends to this beautiful city in February of 2025. Mexico city is rich in history with UNESCO heritage sites, museums and art galleries and a vibrant culinary scene. Our trip was a combination of guided and self tours. I always try to squeeze in at least one guided tour wherever we travel, mainly to gain a deeper understanding of the city’s rich history, culture, and customs from a local guide.
- Mexico City – Day 1, 2
- Mexico City – Day 3 – Viator guided tour
- Mexico City – Day 4
Having lived in the United States for more than 30 years, I really wish I had visited Mexico City sooner. We had great weather on all 4 days and felt safe wherever we went, day or night. The city itself is clean and well maintained with wide sidewalks and roads. Our Airbnb was within walking distance to many of the sites that we were planning to visit. The attractions which were not so close, we took Uber.
Some historical information about Mexico City:
- Mexico City is the oldest city in the Americas, founded in 1325 and was called Tenochtitlán.
- It was built over water. Before the arrival of the Spaniards, Mexico City was located on an island in the middle of a lake.
- In 1521, the Spanish conquistadors led by Hernan Cortes conquered Tenochtitlan. The city was redesigned and rebuilt according to Spanish urban standards and the municipality of Mexico City was established in 1524
- The Mexican War of Independence happened between 1810 – 1821. It culminated with the drafting of the Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire in Mexico City on September 28, 1821.
- Known Issue – The city was built on the drained lakebed of Lake Texcoco, which is made up of soft, compressible clay soils. As the population grew, the city began heavily extracting groundwater from the aquifer to meet water demands, leading to the soil compacting and sinking. The process of the land sinking due to groundwater extraction is called subsidence. The sinking is causing damage to buildings, roads, and other infrastructure due to uneven settlement.
- You will notice many of the historical buildings like the church in Tlatelolco and the Old Basilica in Our Lady of Guadalupe in a tilted position or walls breaking apart, due to subsidence.