All in all I spent some 14 nights in Mexico City in December 2021 and January 2022. I knew Mexico City was a very large city with a lot to offer but the city definitely exceeded all my expectations. The historic centre proper around the Zocalo area, the Templo Mayor area, the world class unique murals and museums, the exquisite interior and exterior of the Bellas Artes Museum building, and the Xochimilco area would easily cover a good week, keeping in mind the initial jetlag and altitude acclimitization coming from Europe. On top of that there are 3 WHS within the city (UNAM, Luis Barragan and Camino Real) and 2 WHS just outside (Teotihuacan and Father Tembleque Aqueduct) making it a top hotspot in Mexico and North America.

Although I'm usually not a modern building fan, I must confess that I gladly visited the Bellas Artes Museum Building practically everyday and it certainly is Mexico City's best landmark. First from the old Torre Latinoamericano at noon and at sunset, then several times from the Sears Centro Historico terrace cafeteria, before resting at the nearby popular public garden, before or after some shopping, and of course I also visited its great interior (when I visited in December 2021 none of the murals were covered in plastic yet). This building alone in my opinion deserves inscription and I would rate it highly too.

Contrary to my praise for the Bellas Artes component of this WHS, the Xochimilco area extension is the area I would suggest skipping if you're pressed for time. Even though I enjoyed visiting if only for the local nightlife experience and some birdwatching (and also managed to see the rare albino axolotyl), what is left to see does not match up to the rest of the Mexico City WHS and is just a good way to try to remember that Mexico City was once an extensive lake and canal system. That said we really enjoyed the atmosphere in the canals and floating gardens on the many artificial islands from our private trajinera (it gets very touristy, much more than in Inle Lake in Myanmar, or Halong Bay in Vietnam, with mariachi bands, and vendors selling all kinds of trinkets, food and beverages, approaching your trajinera by canoe). There's also a disturbing Atlas Obscura haunted island of dolls!

The second component which in my opinion could easily be inscribed on its own is the Templo Mayor area. The area was once the centre of ancient Tenochtitlan and was completely built upon by the Spaniards. Practically most of the pedaments of churches, monuments, and buildings in the Zocalo area were built on the religious centre of Tenochtitlan, a bit like Cusco in Peru or Ancient Rome, so every now and then, whenever some restoration works take place, more incredible remains and finds are uncovered. Most of the top original artefacts and statues are now housed in the Templo Mayor Museum (included with the entrance ticket). For example the statues of frogs, serpents, eagles, etc., the large Coyolxauhqui circular stone, the Tlaltechuhtl sculpture, the offering urns, the totems, the countless skull wall, etc. are all housed inside the museum together with several other interesting finds.

The Zocalo area and several different styles of architecture in Mexico City were certainly worth visiting and in a way the volcanic rocks used in many facades reminded me a lot of the historic centre of Lima in Peru. The highlights though were the unique murals in the Diego Rivera Museum, the Museum of the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso and the Museum of the Secretaria de Educacion Publica where there was a great free exhibition going on in December on some of the greatest artefacts in Mexico. Unfortunately, other murals such as for example in the Palacio Municipal were out of bounds blaming Covid restrictions. Another impressive sight is the Tiffany glass ceiling of the Gran Hotel Mexico City, which easily compares to the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, Spain.

All in all Mexico City WHS exceeded all my expectations and is by far one of the best city WHS I visited outside of Europe.