Floating Gardens of Xochimilco
In Aztec times, with prime farmland being scarce, the Indians developed a system of floating reed mats loaded with soil and used as gardens. Visitors float in flat bottomed boats through what’s left of a once enormous agrarian canal system that fed the Aztec capital.

National Museum of Anthropology
Arguably the finest archaeological museum in the world. There are 26 exhibit halls covering some 100,000 square feet of exhibits! Each room is dedicated to a portion of Mexico’s 30 centuries of human evolution.

Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe
Known affectionately as La Villa, the Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe is the most sacred spot in all of Mexico. It is here in 1531 that an Indian named Juan Diego received from the Virgin, a cloak imprinted with Her image. The enormous Basílica where the cloak is on display can accommodate 10,000 worshipers.

Zocalo
Built by the Spaniards atop the ruins of the Aztec’s main temple complex, this is the third largest square in the world. For centuries it has been a meeting place and center for religious and political demonstrations and celebrations. It is an imposing, unpretentious square that has witnessed a continuum of historic development since the fourteenth century.

Tlaltelolco
About 2 km. north of the Alameda is the area known as Tlaltelolco, site of several historic events, some glorious and others tragic. The area served as a satellite city to the Aztec capital, and was the site of the area’s major marketplace. It is also here that the last battle to take the capital was fought in 1521. More recently, the area has been the site of a bloody political demonstration just days before the 1968 Olympic Games, and its massive housing projects suffered horrendous damage during the earthquake of 1985. The major historic attraction is the Plaza of Three Cultures, a fascinating site that dramatically portrays the city’s history. The plaza juxtaposes three periods of the city’s history. Atop the excavated remains of Aztec temples, in what was once the Aztec’s most important marketplace, is a church dating back to 1609.

Museums
Most museums open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM. On Sundays admission is usually free (though crowded). Few of them have an extended schedule (like Anthropology Museum until 7 PM) or later (like San Ildefonso and Children’s’ Museum) on Wednesday or Thursday.