Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
World War I Firing Walls
Cercle solaire du Kiischpelt
Kiischpelt’s Solar Circle
Front of the monument from the ground
Niederwald Monument
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The Big Well
This Kansas Town Advertised the World’s Largest Well. It Wasn’t.
Rats didn’t take over the city by being foolhardy.
Do New York City Rats Deserve Their Bad Rap?
The Secret Gardens Saving the World’s Rarest Plants
Solo travel can be challenging and sometimes lonely, but it also often leads to the greatest adventures.
Dear Atlas: How Do I Unplug on a Solo Trip?

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Mexico Mexico City Garden Santa Fe

Garden Santa Fe

The underground mall's skylights look like they could be part of a spaceship.

Mexico City, Mexico

Added By
linkogecko
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Garden Santa Fe.   Ordnajela13/CC BY-SA 4.0
Skyscrapers   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
Garden Santa Fe   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
Public gardens   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
Garden in the funnel   EDurban / Atlas Obscura User
Inside Garden Santa Fe   EDurban / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Mexico City's modern Central Business District of Santa Fe is as well-known for its impressive shopping malls and creatively-nicknamed skyscrapers—including architectural wonders like "The Pants" and "The Washing Machine"—as it is for its questionable urban design. Developed atop an area used as landfill, it was designed to be a new business hub that would alleviate the traffic congestion and seismic risks in the older, more central business districts of Polanco and Reforma.

Unfortunately, Santa Fe was developed too fast and too successfully. Given its non-central location and lack of access to public transportation like the Mexico City Metro, the area is known for having one of the longest commute times for workers in the city. Additionally, it was developed as a car-centric zone and was initially severely lacking in green space. The shopping mall of Garden Santa Fe is an attempt at solving some of these issues.

Built on the space formerly occupied by a parking lot, Garden Santa Fe boasts 1,600 underground parking spaces as well as space for 90 stores. It's considered Latin America's first underground mall, and was developed by the architectural firms Arquitectoma and KMD. Its main feature is that its rooftop is actually a green oasis in the midst of skyscrapers and corporate offices.

The rooftop features three large glass sinkholes, which are actually skylights that let natural light into the subterranean mall. This was installed as part of a plan to have Garden Santa Fe certified as an environmentally sustainable building, as the natural light significantly reduces its reliance on electricity. Built out of tempered glass, the skylights are covered in a special film that keeps UV light out and regulates temperature, further reducing the amount of heating and air conditioning needed.

Of note, one of the lower levels of the mall includes a Royal Bol bowling alley which was inaugurated by Mexico City resident, Nobel Literature Prize-winning Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez, in 2013.

Related Tags

Shops Malls Architecture Architectural Oddities Subterranean Subterranean Sites Underground

Know Before You Go

The easiest way to reach Santa Fe in public transport is to take a bus departing outside the Metro stations of Tacubaya, Miguel Angel de Quevedo, Observatorio, or Balderas. If driving or taking a taxi to the area, it is recommended to avoid the normal commute rush hours of 8  to 10 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, as traffic jams are notorious.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Flavors of Oaxaca: Markets, Mezcal & Home-Cooked Meals

A Culinary and Cultural Journey Through Oaxaca.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

linkogecko

Edited By

Mario Yair TS, EDurban

  • Mario Yair TS
  • EDurban

Published

August 7, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://obrasweb.mx/construccion/2014/04/03/garden-santa-fe-un-reto-para-la-infraestructura-subterranea
  • https://masaryk.tv/76615/todo-lo-que-debes-de-saber-de-centro-comercial-garden-santa-fe
  • https://expansion.mx/entretenimiento/2013/09/30/gabriel-garcia-marquez-inaugura-un-boliche-en-la-ciudad-de-mexico
Garden Santa Fe
1205 Calle Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena
México D.F.
Mexico City, 01219
Mexico
19.365689, -99.264216
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Concrete Animal Cemetery

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Museo de Manga (Manga Museum)

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Vía Verde Vertical Gardens

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico

Places 180
Stories 17

Nearby Places

Concrete Animal Cemetery

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Museo de Manga (Manga Museum)

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Vía Verde Vertical Gardens

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico

Places 180
Stories 17

Related Places

  • P-1 Level 1.

    Athens, Greece

    Klafthmonos Square Parking Structure Fortification Walls

    Preserved portions of Athens's ancient defenses are on display in a subterranean parking garage.

  • Corridors filled with wine in the Golden Collection. (vonlohmann/Flickr)

    Milestii Mici, Moldova

    Mileștii Mici

    The largest wine cellar in the world is a 150-mile network of underground caves near the capital of Moldova.

  • Underground House

    Las Vegas, Nevada

    Underground House

    A luxurious doomsday bunker hidden beneath an unassuming Las Vegas home offers the best of subterranean suburbia.

  • Looking into the tunnel from the gift shop.

    Traverse City, Michigan

    Botanical Garden Visitor's Center Gift Shop Tunnel

    It leads to a former hospital’s old root cellar.

  • Komsomolskaya station.

    Moscow, Russia

    Moscow Metro Stations

    The gorgeous entrances into the city's underbelly look more like grand halls than subway stops.

  • The entrance to the underground city

    Nushabad, Iran

    Nushabad Underground City

    A 1,500-year-old, 3-story subterranean city where ancient Persians took refuge in times of war.

  • Washington, D.C.

    Lincoln Memorial Undercroft

    A cavernous three-story, 43,800-square-foot basement that was forgotten about for 60 years.

  • The never-ending escalator ride.

    Kyiv, Ukraine

    Arsenalna Metro Station

    The deepest metro station in the world.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.