#1 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Cerro de la Estrella
Mexico City
~23.44 miles from San Rafael city center
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Cerro de la Estrella (from Spanish, meaning Hill of the Star) is a small mountain associated with several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican archaeological sites, located in southeastern Central Mexico's Valley of Mexico. The site is contained within the urban sprawl of present-day Mexico City, in the Iztapalapa delegación (borough) of the Mexican Federal District.
One of the sites is a 1,500 year old pyramid structure associated with the Classic-era Teotihuacano culture, which is located underneath a Roman Catholic religious site from the Colonial period. Originally rediscovered and described in 1972,[1] the structure was rediscovered on April 5, 2006 with much accompanying fanfare. The 60-foot tall pyramid was originally carved from the hillside in 500 B.C., some 2,000 years before the Spanish ...
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#2 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Museo Dolores Olmedo Patino
Mexico City
~24.64 miles from San Rafael city center
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Upon the death of his wife, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera instructed Dolores Olmedo Patino, his wealthy patron, to purchase all the Kahlo paintings she could find. Paying little for these now priceless works, Olmedo managed to "corner the market" on Kahlo's work, thus insuring that no substantive exhibition of Kahlo's art could be launched without Olmedo's collection (approximately 27 pieces) being involved. Olmedo had little use for Kahlo, finding her lifestyle disreputable and her art pedestrian. Ironically, it was Frida's work (and not her beloved Diego's) that proved a lucrative investment for the savvy patron. As Diego faced death, he named Olmedo as administrator for the joint estates of Kahlo/Rivera, specifying the establishment of "free" museums for the Mexican people.
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#3 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
Ixtacalco
~25.54 miles from San Rafael city center
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#4 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli
Mexico City
~26.44 miles from San Rafael city center
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The Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli or simply Anahuacalli Museum is a museum located in Coyoacán, in the south of Mexico City.
The unique museum was conceived and created by muralist Diego Rivera, who, motivated by his own interest in Mexican culture, collected near 60,000 pre-Hispanic pieces during his life and projected a building to place and exhibit them. It was completed after his death by architects Juan O'Gorman and Heriberto Pagelson and Rivera's own daughter, Ruth. Built of black volcanic stone, it takes the form of a pyramid. The museum articles are collected from almost every indigenous civilisation in Mexico's history.
The word Anahuacalli literally means "house around of water" in Nahuatl.
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#5 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Museo Nacional de las Intervenciones
Mexico City
~27.33 miles from San Rafael city center
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The 17th century Templo de San Diego and Convento de Santa María de los Angeles, founded in the sixteenth century, together comprise this historical museum. The temple and convent, also known as the Convento Churubusco, served as fortresses for Mexican troops against the invasion by the United States in 1847. After several ends, in 1981 the buildings were designated as a museum. The 14 exhibition halls provide a complete overview of the many invasions by foreign governments withstood by Mexico throughout its history.
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#6 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Museo Nacional de las Culturas Populares
Mexico City
~28.00 miles from San Rafael city center
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Traveler Description: This museum features a large number of exhibits regarding archeology and anthropology from around the world.
Attraction type: Museum
Address: Avenida Hidalgo, 289 Mexico City 04100
Mexico
Tel: 52-5-5545030
Fax: 52-5-5544303
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#7 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Museo Leon Trotsky
Mexico City
~28.06 miles from San Rafael city center
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The house was built just before the Mexican Revolution, and had a turret added during revolutionary times so that a watchman could alert the owners if soldiers of whatever faction were in the area. Most Mexican houses have a large wall around them, so it was probably the watchtower that made Trotsky decide to take over the property in 1939.
The house's defenders repelled one major attack in May 1940, and the bullet holes can still be seen in the inside of the house, including one right over Trotsky's bed.
Following his assasination in August 1940, his body was cremated and the ashes placed in a grave that can be found in the garden.
If you are intererested in twentieth century political history, the house deserves a visit. It is located at Viena 45, but the entrance today is aro...
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#8 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Parroquia de San Juan Bautista
Mexico City
~28.08 miles from San Rafael city center
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San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca is a small town and municipality located in the State of Oaxaca, Mexico. The name, “Coixtlahuaca” means ‘plain of snakes’ in the Nahuatl language. The town was founded by the Chocholtecs in 37 AD. Their last emperor was Atonaltzin, who fought against the Mexicas. Two times he was defeated, the second and last time by Moctezuma II, who conquered much of this area.
It is located in the northeast part of the state of Oaxaca, 2,100 meters above sea level near the Cuacnopalan-Oaxaca highway. Its main attraction is the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista (Church of Saint John the Baptist). Completed in 1576, it is of Renaissance style with rose windows, sculptures, and a main entrance with dozens of recesses. It also has a Baroque-style altarpiece (retablo).
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#9 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Museo Frida Kahlo
Mexico City
~28.19 miles from San Rafael city center
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This was home to the enigmatic painter Frida Kahlo (often called "the paintbrush of angst") where she occasionally lived with her husband Diego Rivera. Personal objects such as jewelry, unfinished canvases propped on easels, her typical tehuana ornate dresses, paper mache and pre-Hispanic objects, as well as her wheelchair, are on display in the studio where she painted. Works by Mexican painters such as Jose María Velasco, Claussel and Orozco among others, are exhibited alongside some of Frida's own paintings. No photography is allowed. Admission prices: MXN20 adults; MXN10 students and teachers; free for seniors.
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#10 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Suprema Corte de Justicia
Mexico City
~28.43 miles from San Rafael city center
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La Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación es el máximo tribunal de México y cabeza del Poder Judicial de la Federación. Le corresponde defender el orden establecido por la Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, mantener el equilibrio entre los diversos poderes y órganos de gobierno, y solucionar, de modo definitivo, asuntos judiciales de gran relevancia social, a través de las resoluciones jurisdiccionales que dicta. Por lo anterior, y al tratarse del principal y más alto tribunal de naturaleza constitucional, no existe órgano ni autoridad que se encuentre por sobre ella o recurso judicial que pueda interponerse en contra de sus decisiones.1
La Suprema Corte está conformada por once ministros, uno de ellos designado "Ministro Presidente". El actual Ministro Presidente de l...
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#11 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Palacio Nacional
Mexico City
~28.45 miles from San Rafael city center
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Hernán Cortes, the conqueror of Mexico, built this government palace on the site of Moctezuma's residence. The Palacio Nacional that we see today dates back to 1693, although a floor was added in the 1920s. Inside there is a wonderful collection of murals by Diego Rivera. The most famous one is the "Epic of the Mexican People in their Struggle for Freedom and Independence", where two thousand years of history are condensed into the space of an enormous wall. The palace also houses a small museum dedicated to Benito Juárez and the Mexican Congress.
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#12 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Downtown Cocoyoc (Neighborhood)
Cocoyoc
~28.48 miles from San Rafael city center
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#13 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Museo de la Ciudad de Mexico
Mexico City
~28.49 miles from San Rafael city center
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The 27 halls comprising this 18th-century Colonial palace offer an insight into the urban development of the city of Mexico through maps, maquettes, paintings and photographs on exhibit. The room on the upper level displays murals painted by the Mexican painter Joaquín Claussel. Among the many highlights found here is a large wooden door of intricate carved detail, including the coat of arms belonging to the Counts of Santiago de Calimaya. A presumably pre-Hispanic serpent's head, fashioned in a large stone, juts out from the building towards the corner of República del Salvador
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#14 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Templo Mayor
Mexico City
~28.52 miles from San Rafael city center
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The Templo Mayor was one of the main temples of the Aztecs in their capital city of Tenochtitlan, which is now Mexico City. Its architectural style belongs to the late Postclassic period of Mesoamerica. The temple was called the huey teocalli in the Nahuatl language and dedicated simultaneously to two gods, Huitzilopochtli, god of war and Tlaloc, god of rain and agriculture, each of which had a shrine at the top of the pyramid with separate staircases. The temple, measuring approximately 100 by 80 m (330 by 260 ft) at its base, dominated a Sacred Precinct. Construction of the first temple began sometime after 1325, and it was rebuilt six times after that. The temple was destroyed by the Spanish in 1521. The modern-day archeological site lies just to the northeast of the Zocalo, or main pla...
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#15 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Ayuntamiento (City Hall)
Mexico City
~28.53 miles from San Rafael city center
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#16 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Sagrario Metropolitano
Mexico City
~28.55 miles from San Rafael city center
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This parish church, quite independent of the Cathedral, adjoins it on the east. Built to the design of Lorenzo Rodriguez and conscecrated in 1768, the Sagrario Metropolitano is one of the finest examples of Mexican Churrigueresque.
On the façade geometric ornamentation predominates in the form of the pilasters known as estípites. The harmonious transition from the high central part of the façade to the lower side elements is contrived with consummate skill.
A particularly notable feature of the interior is the high altar (1829) by Pedro Patiño Ixtolinque, an Indian pupil of Manuel Tolsá who is also credited with the altar in the chapel of the Virgen Dolorosa. Part of the interior was destroyed by fire and earthquake in the 18th c. Here, as in many other buildings in Mexico City, the ...
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#17 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Centro Historico Downtown Mexico City (Neighborhood)
Mexico City
~28.55 miles from San Rafael city center
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The historic center of Mexico City is also known as the "Centro" or "Centro Histórico." This neighborhood is focused on the Zócalo or main plaza in Mexico City and extends in all directions for a number of blocks with its farthest extent be west to the Alameda Central. The Zocalo is the largest plaza in Latin America and the second largest in the world after Moscow’s Red Square. It can hold up to nearly 100,000 people.
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#18 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Plaza de la Constitucion
Mexico City
~28.55 miles from San Rafael city center
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The central feature of Mexico City is the Zócalo (Plaza de la Constitución), where Mexico's first Constitution was proclaimed in 1813. Measuring some 240 m (780 ft) each way, it is one of the largest squares in the world. The Spaniards began to lay out the square immediately after the conquest of Tenochtitlán, with its northern half overlying the southern part of the demolished Aztec temple precinct, the Teocalli. In the early colonial period the square served a variety of purposes - as a bullfighting arena and a market, among other things. Today the square is one large empty space, which is used for festivals, parades and demonstrations. A huge flag is hoisted every morning. In the Metro station below the square models are on display illustrating the city's development. Dominating the squ...
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#19 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Zocalo
Mexico City
~28.55 miles from San Rafael city center
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The Zócalo is the main plaza or square in the heart of the historic center of Mexico City. The plaza used to be known simply as the "Main Square" or "Arms Square," and today its formal name is "Constitution Square" (Plaza de la Constitución). This name does not come from any of the Mexican constitutions that have governed the country but rather from the Cádiz Constitution which was signed in Spain in 1812. However, it is almost always called the "Zócalo" today. This word literally means "base" or "plinth". Plans were made to erect a column as a monument to Independence, but only the base, or zócalo, was ever built. The plinth was destroyed long ago but the name has lived on. Many other Mexican towns and cities, such as Oaxaca and Guadalajara, have adopted the word "zócalo" to refer to thei...
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#20 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Cuicuilco
Mexico City
~28.56 miles from San Rafael city center
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Cuicuilco Pyramid is located in an ancient city in the central Mexican highlands, on the southern shore of the Lake Texcoco in the southeastern Valley of Mexico. Today, it is a significant archaeological site that was occupied during the Mesoamerican Middle and Late Formative (ca. 700 B.C. to A.D. 150). Based on its date of occupation, Cuicuilco may be the oldest city in the Valley of Mexico and was roughly contemporary with, and possibly interacting with the Olmec of the Gulf Coast of lowland Veracruz and Tabasco.
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#21 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Downtown Tepoztlan (Neighborhood)
Morelos
~28.57 miles from San Rafael city center
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#22 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Metropolitan Cathedral (Catedral Metroploitana)
Mexico City
~28.59 miles from San Rafael city center
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The Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral (Spanish: Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de María) is the largest and oldest cathedral in the Americas and seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico. It is situated atop the former Aztec sacred precinct near the Templo Mayor on the northern side of the Plaza de la Constitución in downtown Mexico City. The cathedral was built in sections from 1573 to 1813 around the original church that was constructed soon after the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlán, eventually replacing it entirely. Spanish architect Claudio de Arciniega planned the construction, drawing inspiration from Gothic cathedrals in Spain.
The cathedral has four facades which contain portals flanked with columns and statues. The two bell towers contain a total of 25 bells. The ...
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#23 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
La Ensenanza
Mexico City
~28.61 miles from San Rafael city center
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La Enseñanza Church is located on 104 Donceles Street in the historic center of Mexico City. It has been argued that the Mexican Churrigueresque style of this church, especially that of its altarpieces, represents the pinnacle of the Baroque period in Mexico, as this style soon gave way to the Neoclassic after this church was built. The church’s official name is Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Pilar (Church of Our Lady of the Pillar). The former convent was called El Convento de la Enseñanza La Antigua (The Old Convent of the Teaching), from which is derivedthe church’s popular name. After the Reform War, the convent was disbanded and the complex had various uses but the church has returned to is originally-intended function.
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#24 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Secretaria de Educacion Publica
Mexico City
~28.63 miles from San Rafael city center
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#25 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Plaza de Santo Domingo
Mexico City
~28.74 miles from San Rafael city center
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To the south of the church is Plaza San Domingo. It is flanked to the west by the Portal de Evangelistas, which is a Tuscan colonnade with round arches. Scribes with typewriters and antique printing machines work in this Portal. Scribes offer their services to illiterate clients, often offering services similar to that of lawyers, counselors, and financial consultants. A statue of Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez, a heroine of the Mexican War of Independence stands in a fountain in the middle of the plaza. It was sculpted by Enrique Alcati.
Unfortunately, this area is also very well-known for the falsification of documents. According to the intelligence division of the Policia Judicial of the Distrito Federal, in addition to the 242 print shops that operate legally in this zone, there have noted...
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#26 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Palacio de Los Deportes
Mexico City
~28.96 miles from San Rafael city center
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#27 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Iglesia de Balvanera
Mexico City
~28.99 miles from San Rafael city center
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This historic church, located in the city's Centro Histórico, is dedicated to the Virgin of Balvanera.
Attraction type: Religious site
Address: Correo Mayor y Uruguay Mexico City 06010
Mexico
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#28 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Torre Latino
Mexico City
~29.01 miles from San Rafael city center
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The Torre Latinoamericana (literally, "Latin-American Tower") is a building in downtown Mexico City, Mexico. Its central location, height (183 m or 597 ft; 45 stories) and history make it one of the city's most important landmarks. It is also widely recognized internationally as an engineering and architectural landmark since it was the world's first major skyscraper successfully built on highly active seismic land.
Torre Latinoamericana was Mexico City's tallest building from 1956, when it was built, until the 1984 completion of the Torre Ejecutiva Pemex, which is 22m higher (although, if one subtracts the height of the TV antenna atop the Torre Latinoamericana, it was surpassed already in 1972 by the 207m high Hotel de México, which was subsequently remodelled and turned into the World ...
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#29 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Museo Biblioteca Palacio Postal
Mexico City
~29.05 miles from San Rafael city center
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The headquarters of the city's postal service, this huge castle-like structure is a striking architectural site.
Attraction type: Museum
Address: Calle Tacuba, 1 y Eje Central Lazaro Cardenas Mexico City 06060
Mexico
Tel: 52-5-5102999
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#30 of 30 Things To Do in San Rafael
Palacio de Bellas Artes
Mexico City
~29.10 miles from San Rafael city center
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The Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) is the most important cultural center in Mexico City as well as the rest of the country of Mexico. It is located on the west side of the historic center of Mexico City next to the Alameda Central park. The first National Theater of Mexico was built in the late 19th century, but it was soon decided to tear this down in favor of a more opulent building in time for Centennial of the Mexican War of Independence in 1910. The initial design and construction was undertaken by Italian architect Adamo Boari in 1904, but complications arising from the soft subsoil and the political problem both before and during the Mexican Revolution, hindered then stopped construction completely by 1913. Construction began again in 1932 under Mexican architect Fede...
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