Zocalo, Mexico City

Zócalo, Mexico City: The Square That Has Been the Centre of Everything for 700 Years

The Plaza de la Constitución, universally called the Zócalo, is one of the largest city squares in the world at 57,600 square metres. Its name comes from a pedestal (zócalo in Spanish) built in the 1840s for a monument to independence that was never completed; the pedestal stood alone for years until people started calling the entire square by the name of its incomplete memorial. The square has been the ceremonial, political, and commercial heart of the city since the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan was built here in the 14th century. Beneath the Metropolitan Cathedral and beneath the National Palace lie the foundations of the temples and palaces they replaced, a continuity of occupation that is unusually complete.

What Surrounds the Square

Metropolitan Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana): Construction started in 1573 and wasn’t finished until 1813, which explains why the building contains four distinct architectural styles layered across its facade and chapels. The interior is vast, dark, and filled with chapels containing colonial-era art. The Altar of the Kings (Altar de los Reyes) at the east end is the most elaborate. Entry is free; open 7am to 8pm. The building is visibly sinking into the old lake bed at different rates in different sections – you can see the tilt standing in the nave.

National Palace (Palacio Nacional): The seat of the Mexican executive covers an entire block of the east side of the square. Entry is free. The Diego Rivera mural cycle on the main staircase and upper gallery, painted between 1929 and 1951, depicts the entire sweep of Mexican history from Aztec civilisation through the Spanish Conquest, colonialism, independence, and Revolution. The staircase mural alone is 4.8 metres high and 27 metres long. Allow at least an hour.

Templo Mayor: The ruins of the main Aztec ceremonial complex occupy the block immediately northeast of the cathedral. The site was discovered in 1978 when utility workers broke through to the massive carved disc of the moon goddess Coyolxauhqui. The museum holds the original disc and thousands of excavated objects. Admission is around MXN 85 (about USD 5); open Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm.

Where to Eat Near the Zócalo

El Cardenal on Palma 23, half a block from the square, is the standard recommendation for traditional Mexican breakfast and lunch. The champurrado (thick chocolate atole), tamales, and enchiladas verdes are the things to order. Open 8am to 6:30pm; arrive before 9:30am on weekends to avoid a wait.

Café de Tacuba on Tacuba 28 has been in the same building since 1912; the tiled interior is one of the best-preserved dining rooms in the city centre.

The Centro Histórico Beyond the Square

Palacio de Bellas Artes, 10 minutes walk west, is a white marble opera house completed in 1934 with an Art Deco interior and murals by Rivera, Siqueiros, and Orozco on the upper floors. Entry to the building and mural floors is MXN 90.

Practical Notes

The Zócalo metro station (Line 2) sits directly under the square. Mexico City’s metro is cheap (MXN 5 per journey) and extensive. The flag ceremony at sunrise and sunset draws large crowds; the sunset ceremony is the more atmospheric.

Gran Hotel Ciudad de México on the north side of the Zócalo, a 1905 building with a Tiffany-attributed stained-glass atrium ceiling, is the most atmospheric accommodation close to the square at around USD 150 to 250 per night.