Mexico City’s Historic Center (In Pictures) Part II, Mexico City, Mexico

Last week, I shared the first of two sets of photographs that illustrate (or try to, anyway) what makes Mexico City’s gritty, chaotic and dynamic historic center such a special place to visit. The historic center of Mexico City (Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México) is the central neighborhood in Mexico City and it extends in all directions for a number of blocks. It contains 9,000 buildings, 1,550 of which have been declared of historical importance. Most of these historic buildings were constructed between the 16th and 20th centuries. The Centro Histórico contains most of the city’s historic sites from both eras as well as a large number of museums. This has made it a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

So, I’m just gonna pick up where I left off last week and start at one of the most prominent cultural centers in Mexico City and home to the Ballet Folklórico de México…

The Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) is a prominent cultural center in Mexico City. It has hosted some of the most notable events in music, dance, theatre, opera and literature and has held important exhibitions of painting, sculpture and photography. The initial design and construction was undertaken by Italian architect Adamo Boari in 1904, but construction was stopped completely by 1913 due to complications arising from the soft subsoil. Construction began again in 1932 under Mexican architect Federico Mariscal and was completed in 1934. The roof covering the center of the building is made of crystal designed by Hungarian artist Géza Maróti… ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).