La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) is a very (if not the most) important university in Latin America, and its campus is gigantic. I honestly had not realised how big it was before exiting the train at the Universidad metro station. Because it is tremendously HUGE! I was expecting some clear paths leading to the center of the campus from the metro station. I only stumbled on a confusing maze of street vendors and food stands before only hitting fences. After some walk, I found a map of the campus and though: Great! I'll be able to find my way around it. Mistake. It was only the map of the Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia UNAM (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine UNAM), that alone has more than 20 buildings!

Nevertheless, I still made my way to main sights of the core zone. Despite the peaceful ambiance and the blooming Jacaranda, I was disappointed. As important as this university is, it did not appear special or unique to me. La Biblioteca Central, even though it might look like a giant owl or an oversized ghetto blaster, is an amazing piece of art and a valuable WHS. It is very beautiful and the murals made of thousands of colored tiles represent an extraordinary construction effort and a highly creative and innovative feat by Juan O'Gorman. Sadly, nothing else on the campus really stands out. Some buildings are worth mentioning: el Auditorio Alfonso Caso is notably beautiful. Unfortunately, the mural “El pueblo a la Universidad, la Universidad al pueblo. Por una cultura nacional neohumanista de profundidad universal” on La Rectoría building was under scaffoldings and could hardly be seen. But again, none are outstanding. The same applies with the Olympic Stadium, which is singularly built with local volcanic stones, but is mundane to see from the distant fences.

I also visited other UNAM sights in the buffer zone and was again disappointed by them. For example, the botanical garden (Jardín Botánico IB-UNAM) and the ecological reserve (Reserva Ecológica del Pedregal de San Ángel) were rather small (at least the parts we are allowed to visit) and not very well maintained compared with other gardens I've visited in Mexico. I also walked to el Espacio escultórico de la UNAM. Most of the sculptures are intriguing and fun to walk around but are far from jaw-dropping. The main sculpture, described by a traveller I met as her highlight of Mexico, is a 13-m wide circular platform with an outer diameter of 120 m. It supports 64 4-m high triangular pieces, and its center is filled with crushed volcanic stone. I think it was very impressive and represent a nice piece of land art, but I think she still overestimated it.

Logistically, I spent about half a day walking around UNAM. Walking is the key word here, as, as I already told, the campus is gigantic. However, twelve bus lines (Pumabús) also run around the campus, and I took one to come back at the metro station. These buses are free to board and have a frequent schedule. I combined this half-day trip with another one in Coyoacán, to see TWHS Frida's blue house and visit the historic neighborhood. Similarly, this part was interesting without being fantastic. Among the six days I spent in Mexico City, this one was, by far, the dullest.