Mexico City and it's Metropoletan Area

Mexico City covers an area of 1,480 sq km (571 sq mi).

It is the central, urban core of the Federal District, which was created around the capital city by the 1824 constitution.

The Federal District occupies an area of 1,547 sq km (597 sq mi).

However, the larger metropolitan area of the capital extends well into the neighboring states of Mexico and Morelos.

The metropolitan area largely fills the basin floor of the Valley of Mexico.

Its urban development has engulfed a number of old, once-independent towns, such as Coyoacán, creating surprising pockets of colonial architecture in the midst of 20th-century suburban sprawl.

Growth has extended to the western edge of the basin and is beginning to creep up the foothills on its western face.

To the south the city has reached the town of Tlalpan on the edge of the valley.

To the east, poorer areas stretch for miles in a string of ciudades perdidas (Spanish for 'lost cities').

A classic example of the city’s unchecked expansion is the sprawling neighboring community of Netzahualcóyotl, in the state of Mexico.

Economically and socially an integral part of Mexico City, the settlement was a sparsely populated lake bed in 1960.

Its population grew to a little more than 500,000 people in 1970 and then more than doubled to 1,225,972 in 2000, making it one of the largest cities in the country.

It had to deal with problems characteristic of much of the greater metropolitan area.

In the late 1990s only 10 percent of the streets in Netzahualcóyotl were paved, and few public services were available.

The people faced poverty, massive unemployment, malnutrition, and soaring infant mortality rates.

Since Aztec times the Zócalo, known officially as the Plaza of the Constitution, has been the hub of Mexico City.

During the Aztec Empire, this public square was the point where three great causeways converged to connect the city, which was an island in Lake Texcoco, to the mainland empire.

Archaeological excavations have exposed the lower levels of the Aztec pyramids and temples in both the Templo Mayor, just behind the Zócalo, and the Plaza of the Three Cultures, a short distance to the north.

The excavations are important not only as archaeological sites but also as symbols of Mexico's rich past.

When the Spaniards conquered the Aztec in 1521, the Spaniards destroyed a great Aztec palace and temple at the site. They replaced them with a church and palace.

The small, original Spanish church on the north side of the plaza was replaced by the Metropolitan Cathedral, which was built between 1573 and 1813.

On the plaza's eastern side is the National Palace, the present seat of the Mexican government.

Spanish colonial authorities began building the palace in the late 17th century to replace the residence of the Spanish viceroy (colonial governor), erected by conqueror Hernán Cortés and destroyed by rioters in 1692.

Work on the palace continued intermittently throughout the 1900s, and the entrance is now adorned with murals by 20th-century Mexican painter Diego Rivera.

A rather austere and daunting public space, the Zócalo is the scene of major public ceremonies and military displays.

The Zócalo continues to be filled with significance for many Mexicans.

It is a sacred place for Native Americans seeking to identify with their precolonial past.

It is also a rallying point for political protesters and the location for massive Independence Day celebrations each year on September 16.

Slightly to the west of the Zócalo, in the heart of the city's commercial and shopping district, is the Alameda, a park of tree-lined walks laid out in 1592.

The park is bordered on the east by the imposing 19th-century Palace of Fine Arts, with its theater and murals.

Also nearby is the 44-story Latin American Tower, downtown Mexico City's tallest structure, which houses professional and commercial offices.

Farther to the west is the Paseo de la Reforma, an elegant, tree-lined boulevard that is 60 m (200 ft) wide.

Seven landscaped traffic circles, or glorietas, line the Paseo de la Reforma and are marked by monuments honoring Mexico's past.

These monuments include landmarks such as the statues of Mexican president Benito Juárez and the 'Angel of the Independence,' a symbol of Mexico's national identity.

The Paseo de la Reforma passes some of Mexico City's finest shops, embassies, and offices on its southwesterly course to the 400-hectare (1,000-acre) Chapultepec Park.
Stands of trees fill the park, which has extensive recreational facilities, including a lake, fountains, museums, a zoo, and an astronomical observatory.

In precolonial times Aztec emperors used Chapultepec as a retreat. Today it offers some indication of the former natural beauty of the valley.

The park houses some of Mexico's most important public buildings, including Chapultepec Castle.

Construction of the castle began in 1783. Positioned on the park’s highest elevation, the castle functioned as a fortress during colonial times.

It once served as the presidential residence and now houses the National Museum of History, which includes murals by 20th-century Mexican painter Juan O'Gorman.

Los Pinos, the official residence and working offices of the president, is also on the grounds, but it is not open to the public.

Chapultepec Park also contains several museums. The most important is the National Museum of Anthropology.

Other museums include Mexico's Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Natural History. (These museums are described below in the section Education and Culture.)

Mexico City's major north-south artery is the Avenida Insurgentes, which stretches 30 km (21 mi). It crosses the Paseo de la Reforma just north of the tourist area known as the Zona Rosa (Spanish for “Pink Zone”).

Within this neighborhood are many of the principal hotels, restaurants, and fashionable stores catering to the tourist trade.

Southward along the Avenida Insurgentes, various stages of the city's growth can be seen.

In Colonia Juárez, just south of the Paseo de la Reforma, are elegant 19th-century mansions from the era of Mexican dictator Porfirio Díaz.

Less distinguished housing of pre-1940 vintage is located farther south.

Finally, as the Avenida Insurgentes approaches the city’s boundaries, more affluent neighborhoods appear, with modern buildings, restaurants, and boutiques.

At the southern edge of the city, the National Autonomous University of Mexico straddles the Avenida Insurgentes.

On the western part of the campus is the 100,000-seat Mexico 68 Olympic Stadium, site of the 1968 Olympic Games.

Just east of the Avenida Insurgentes is the university's main library. The building and its famous tile mosaic exterior were designed by Juan O’Gorman.

Three-dimensional murals by Diego Rivera adorn the rectory on the main campus slightly farther to the east.

Outside the city, in the state of Mexico, lie major archaeological sites, including two important pyramids located at Teotihuacán, the capital of an ancient pre-Aztec civilization.

The two pyramids face each other on a north-south axis and are known as the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. Massive in size and height, they provide an extraordinary view of the surrounding region.

Mexico's leading religious shrine is located just north of Mexico City in the community of Gustavo A. Madero (formerly Guadalupe Hidalgo).

In this community is a basilica that marks the site of the appearance of the Virgin Mary to an indigenous peasant in 1531.

The Virgin of Guadalupe, as the apparition came to be called, became a symbol for Mexican forces fighting to gain independence from Spain in the early 1800s.

As the patron saint of Mexico, the Virgin of Guadalupe is revered by millions of Mexicans. The shrine attracts more religious pilgrims than any other site in the country.