160 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Mexico City - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Mexico City

Mexico City, Mexico

La Isla de las Muñecas (Island of the Dolls)

An island filled with hundreds of hanging, decomposing, decapitated dolls.

Mexico City, Mexico

La Casa Azul

Frida Kahlo's childhood home, now a museum of her life and works.

Mexico City, Mexico

Cafebrería El Péndulo

Part bookstore, part café, and part forest.

Mexico City, Mexico

Mercado de Sonora

Superstitious? Discover the witchy side of Mexico through its largest esoteric market.

Mexico City, Mexico

Biblioteca Vasconcelos

A jaw-dropping "megalibrary" that turns book-browsing into a geometric adventure.

Mexico City, Mexico

Soumaya Museum

66,000 pieces of art, donated by one of the world's richest men.

Mexico City, Mexico

Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo House Studio Museum

The famous artist couple lived and worked here, in two different houses separated by a bridge.

Mexico City, Mexico

Santuario Nacional del Angel de la Santa Muerte

A church dedicated to the Mexican skeleton saint.

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Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Mexico City

Mexico City, Mexico

Cafebrería El Péndulo

Part bookstore, part café, and part forest.

Mexico City, Mexico

Minichelista Restaurant

A quirky and charming restaurant founded by artists.

Mexico City, Mexico

The Sweets Section at Mercado de la Merced

Mexico City's largest market contains a Willy Wonka-esque wonderland.

Mexico City, Mexico

Café La Habana

This old-school café is famous for serving coffee, chilaquiles, and the Cuban Revolution.

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Layer by Layer: A Mexico City Culinary Adventure

Immerse yourself in the complex cultural identity of Mexico City through its street food, bustling markets, and well-seasoned history of gastronomic traditions.

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Stories About Mexico City

Podcast: Isla de Las Muñecas

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

October 28, 2021

Construction crews are cooperating with expert paleontologists as the site is developed and more bones are uncovered.

What Will Mexico City Do With 2,000 Mammoth Bones?

The fate of an enormous trove of fossils hangs in the balance.

September 30, 2020

A microbus at Olivar del Conde, Mexico City.

How Mexico City Crowdsourced a Map of Its Riotous Informal Bus System

The fourth episode of TED’s Far Flung podcast looks at the power of collective creativity.

At the Xochimilco natural reserve in Mexico City, the site of artificial islands created by the Aztecs for agricultural purposes, people use flat-bottomed river boats to get around.

In Mexico City, the Coronavirus Is Bringing Back Aztec-Era ‘Floating Gardens’

Business is booming for farmers who plant on man-made islands.

by Amanda Gokee

“It’s wonderful to be a musician," says Jorge Galindo. "If I didn’t do it from the heart, I’d be better off as a street sweeper or driving a truck."

Street Musicians Have Turned Mexico City Into One Giant Music Venue

Not everyone welcomes the performances, but they're traveling far and taking risks to get by.

by Ellen Freeman

Farmers on a <em>trajinera</em>, a traditional flat-bottomed river boat.

How to Feed a Megacity Like the Aztecs

The chinampas that nourished Tenochtitlan may hold the key to better urban gardens.

by Reina Gattuso

November 18, 2019

The Weeping Woman.

How Mexico's Most Sorrowful Spirit Became a Cultural Phenomenon

As America's immigrant population grows, so does La Llorona's cultural stature.

October 30, 2019

Researchers may have discovered the only recording of Frida Kahlo's voice...or maybe not.

Found: The Only Recording of Frida Kahlo’s Voice, Probably

In the recording, she likens Diego Rivera to a toad.

by Sabrina Imbler

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