Spend an hour

Make a beeline straight for the Zocalo. There is more local color to indulge in and history to experience here than in any other part of the city. Surrounding this vast concrete expanse are the architectural wonders of the Cathedral, National Palace and the archaeological zone of Templo Mayor; and the sights and sounds of traditional Aztec dancing reverberate in the air.

Spend a day

A trip to the ancient city of Teotihuacan is a must. Located 35 miles northeast of downtown, this was the first great city of the New World. The origins of the people who built it are a matter of speculation. It was founded around 150 B.C. and rose to its greatest height of cultural and religious significance from A.D. 100 to A.D. 600. The city fell into sharp decline around A.D. 650, but the reasons why are also shrouded in mystery. Architectural highlights include the Street of the Dead, La Ciudadela (the Citadel), and the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon.

Spend a weekend

Spend your first day in the charming district of Coyoacan, taking in museums that celebrate modern legends of art and history. Among your choices are the Museo Frida Kahlo, Museo Leon Trotsky, and ex-Convento de Churubusco, home to the bizarre Museo Nacional de las Intervenciones, which offers a definitive history of foreign interventions on local soil. Day two should be spent exploring Chapultepec Park and surrounds, with visits to the Museo Nacional de Antropologia, one of the finest museums of its kind in the world, and the Museo de Arte Moderno. Chapultepec Park, the city’s great lung, is home to the presidential residence, Los Pinos; Chapultepec castle; and the first zoo established in the Americas.

Even the shortest of visits will open your eyes to the extraordinary history and culture of Mexico, and in particular Mexico City—the oldest continuously inhabited city in North America, where so much action continues to unfold.