Mexico City: Everyone Is Standing on It at Once

Finding my feet in Mexico City

There’s a plumb line in Mexico City’s cathedral. The line hangs straight. It’s the cathedral that makes you doubt it. By the end of my first day, I wasn’t standing particularly straight either.

The floor runs away from you like a boat deck. A woman is praying. Two men are arguing about football. A guide explains the tilt to a group who are all photographing the ceiling.

I decide to have lunch.

The altitude catches up with me on a flight of stairs. I get to the top of one storey and discover I’ve been issued a rental body for the week. On day two, I stop halfway up a hill and lean against a wall like a Victorian consumptive. A kid goes past on a scooter eating a mango.

The city under the city

I’d start in the Zócalo. Go early and you might see a man sweeping an enormous square with one broom. I admire the confidence of whoever gave him the broom.

The cathedral and Templo Mayor are right there. In 1978, electricity workers digging downtown hit a carved stone. It turned out to be a monumental sculpture of the Mexica goddess Coyolxauhqui. The discovery led archaeologists to uncover more of the ceremonial centre of Tenochtitlan.

I like that the city had been going about its business above all this for centuries, and what finally brought it to light was somebody trying to get the electrical work done. Read the Templo Mayor excavation story.

Nearby, a shop sells inflatable Spidermen. Nothing in this part of town is zoned for reverence.

Chapultepec and the object I couldn’t look away from

I’d give the anthropology museum its own morning. The Sun Stone is bigger than any photograph has managed. I’d always assumed it was a calendar. The museum label gently relieved me of the confidence with which I’d been wrong.

Then I stood in front of Coatlicue for four minutes without blinking. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the most frightening object in North America displayed without a warning sign.

I’d leave time for Chapultepec afterwards. The park has a castle, a lake and several paths I looked at with good intentions. By then I knew exactly what my rental body thought of a hill.

Where I’d stay in Mexico City

I’d look at Centro Histórico if I wanted to walk to the cathedral and Templo Mayor. For dinners and park walks, I’d compare Roma Norte and Condesa. If most of my plans were around Chapultepec, I’d look along Reforma and check the exact address before booking.

I’d pin the hotel and the places I’m likely to end up after dinner. Then I’d check the actual walk to the nearest Metro or Metrobús stop. Two hotels on Reforma can give you very different journeys, even if the booking sites describe them both as central.

If I had an early start, I’d check breakfast hours. If I planned on a late night, I’d ask for a room away from the main road and work out the ride home before going out.

A blue house and a boat with a gas ring

In Coyoacán, a girl poses against a turquoise wall while her mother holds her bag and heckles her gently. I’m in no position to judge. In Los Angeles I photographed a door with real commitment. I’d arrange the Casa Azul visit in advance and leave the rest of the afternoon free.

At Xochimilco, I get on a painted boat with a roof and a long table. Soon a mariachi band floats past. Then comes a man selling micheladas from a cooler, followed by a woman making quesadillas on a gas ring. On the water.

It’s the most ridiculous hour of transport I’ve ever paid for. I’d do it again tomorrow. If you’re going with friends, agree on the full boat price and duration before you get on.

I go to the wrestling in the wrong shirt

I go alone to Arena México in a decent shirt. This turns out to be the wrong shirt. The man next to me is wearing a mask. So is his son. It turns out the woman selling beer is wearing one too.

For the first two bouts I’m happily observing. Then a man in a silver mask does something to a man in a red mask that is clearly choreographed and clearly hurts anyway. The woman behind me shouts a word I won’t translate, and suddenly I’m standing up.

I have opinions about the legality of a hold. When I share them with a stranger, he agrees violently.

I haven’t enjoyed being wrong about something so much in years. If you’re going, check the current CMLL card before you build your evening around it.

How I’d plan a first visit

1. Day one in the historic centre. Start with the Zócalo, cathedral and Templo Mayor. Leave time for lunch and a walk toward Bellas Artes.
2. Day two in Chapultepec. Give the anthropology museum the morning, then decide how much of the park you feel like walking. If the wrestling card suits you, make Arena México your evening.
3. Day three in Coyoacán. Build the morning around Casa Azul if you have a ticket. With a fourth day, I’d give Xochimilco its own outing. I’d rather finish a boat ride with time for another quesadilla than spend it checking the clock.

I’d carry small notes. Hand someone 500 pesos for a taco and you’ll both spend longer discussing the change than eating the taco. As for al pastor, it’s a pineapple-related miracle. I’d eat it standing up, at night, somewhere with a queue of people who live nearby.

Getting around Mexico City

I’d walk between the Zócalo, Templo Mayor and Bellas Artes, then use public transport for longer hops. Keep Chapultepec, Coyoacán and Xochimilco on separate outings if you can. A short line on the map can turn into a surprisingly long sit in traffic.

Metro and Metrobús

The Metro is the subway and costs MXN 5 per ride. Metrobús runs on the surface and normally costs MXN 6. I’d get a rechargeable Tarjeta de Movilidad Integrada for both. Check the station exit as well as the line. It’s a small detail until you’re on the wrong side of a very large road. Metro map · Metrobús fares and card top-ups

Taxis and ride-hailing

For a late ride back from Arena México, I’d book through a ride-hailing app or ask the hotel to arrange a taxi from an authorised stand, called a sitio. With an app, match the plate and car to the booking before getting in. With a taxi, ask how the fare is calculated before setting off. Taxi and ride-hailing guidance

From the airport

First, check your airport code. These options are for MEX, the main Mexico City airport. If your ticket says NLU, plan that transfer separately. At MEX, I’d use the authorised taxi counter in the terminal if I had luggage or was arriving late. If I were travelling light and the route suited my hotel, I’d take the airport branch of Metrobús Line 4. It serves both terminals and costs MXN 30. Mexico City airport · Airport Metrobús information

Last night in the Zócalo

After eleven, the square is nearly empty and lit like a stage waiting for a band. A man is selling tamales out of a steamer. I buy one and eat it standing up.

That morning in the cathedral, everyone had something to do while the floor went about its own business. The woman prayed while the men argued about football. Meanwhile, the tour group took pictures of the ceiling.

By the time I finish the tamal, I’ve stopped thinking about the floor too.

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