On the 4th day of our stay in Mexico City, we visited the sites in and around Chapultepec Park. Please be aware that most of the museums and art galleries are closed on Mondays.
- Chapultepec Park (Bosque de Chapultepec)
- National Museum of Anthropology
- Museo Soumaya
- Polanco Neighborhood
- The Monument to Revolution
- Paseo de la Reforma and the Angel of Independence
Chapultepec Park (Bosque de Chapultepec) – This park is the oldest and largest urban park in Latin America, covering an area of more than four square kilometers.
We took an Uber to the entrance of the park. Divided into several sections, it houses important sites such as Chapultepec Castle, the National Museum of Anthropology, and Lake Chapultepec. We took a leisurely stroll through the park towards the National Museum of Anthropology.
National Museum of Anthropology – This museum, located in Chapultepec Park, is widely regarded as the most important museum in Mexico. It is hard to miss due to the huge Tlaloc monolithic figure marking its entrance. It houses many of the relics and artifacts uncovered in Templo Mayor. We were only able to check it out from the outside, as it was closed on Mondays.
Museo Soumaya – We heard about this futuristic looking building and wanted to check it out. The museum is named after Soumaya Domit, who died in 1999, and was the wife of the founder of the museum, Carlos Slim, one of the wealthiest men in the world. Inside is more than 66,000 pieces of art that span 3,000 years, sculptures from Mesoamerica right up to works from Tintoretto and Salvador Dali. After admiring the building from outside, our eyes fell upon the food stalls down the street.
Polanco Neighborhood – This is a glitzy, up-scale, and expensive neighborhood with fabulous hotels and fine dining. Within the neighborhood are countless shops and restaurants, as well as a corner of Chapultepec Park. We spent a fair amount of time walking around this neighborhood. It had a gorgeous church and the Belgian Embassy is located here.
The Monument to Revolution – This towering and impressive triumphal arch is 220 feet tall and was completed in 1938 and was built to commemorate the Mexican Revolution that began in 1910.
This monument was a 10 min walk from our Airbnb. We bought the tickets to go up to the top of the arch. Before you take the elevator to the top, you will be asked to go down to the basement to check out the museum. The museum is dedicated to the Mexican Revolution and includes artifacts, exhibits, and events. There are over 400 artifacts related to the Revolutionary periods, including the Constitution of 1917.
Paseo de la Reforma and the Angel of Independence – Towering 148 feet into the sky on the capital’s central Avenida Paseo de la Reforma, this golden angel (modeled on the Greek goddess Nike) shimmers in the sunlight, holding aloft a laurel of victory and a broken chain to symbolize freedom. President Porfirio Diaz ordered the construction of the monument in 1910, commemorating one hundred years since the start of Mexico’s War of Independence.
This monument was a 25 min walk from our Airbnb. It was a pleasant evening walk along the magnificent Paseo de la Reforma avenue, which is home to many historic statues and sculptors.
