Plaza de Las Tres Culturas

To wander around the Plaza de las Tres Culturas is to feel the weight of the three cultures that have shaped modern Mexico. The ruins of the ancient city of Tlatelolco surround a colonial church, both of which are glowered over by the Edificio Chihuahua, an ugly high-rise housing complex. The occasionally cavalier attitude toward human life, which has characterized the more brutal chapters of Mexican history, is also symbolized at the site- it was the setting of the last stand of the Aztecs against Cortes in 1521 as well as the brutal massacre of hundreds of student demonstrators by government troops in 1968.

Location:
Eje Central with Eje Uno Norte, Mexico City
North Of The Center, Mexico City, Mexico

City Plaza

Getting There
To get here, get off the Metro at Tlatelolco and walk about 20 minutes east down Manuel Gonzalez, or walk north 10 minutes up Lázaro Cárdenas from Garibaldi Metro. Peseros head this way from the south near Bellas Artes along Lázaro Cárdenas.

Relative price: Free

Travel Skills: None

Tlatelolco Ruins. The church next to the ruins. Plaza Garibaldi.

By Lisa Rodan

Created: 03 Jan 2009

Updated: 03 Jan 2009