Mexico City: Historic, Artistic, Dynamic

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Mexico City pulses with energy that spans nearly seven centuries, from its 1325 Aztec founding to its contemporary status as a sophisticated global metropolis. The sprawling capital reveals itself as a layered cultural treasure through the expert insights of Arturo Sanchez, Head Concierge at Andaz Mexico City Condesa Hotel, who shares his perspective on this magnificent city.

At the ancient heart of Mexico City, the Zócalo plaza anchors the historic center where visitors can explore the 13th-century Templo Mayor ruins alongside colonial masterpieces like the Metropolitan Cathedral. Diego Rivera's stunning murals depicting Mexican history adorn the National Palace walls, while nearby, the Palacio de Bellas Artes dazzles with its Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture, housing a Tiffany glass curtain. A few blocks away, hidden murals in the Public Education Secretary buildings showcase Mexico's muralist tradition.

Beyond downtown, the cobbled streets of Coyoacán neighborhood transport visitors to another era, where Frida Kahlo's iconic Blue House museum captivates with intimate glimpses into the artist's life. The National Museum of Anthropology stands as an essential starting point for understanding Mexico's complex history through its comprehensive collection of pre-Hispanic artifacts displayed in a stunning modern building.

The city's vibrant festival calendar reaches its colorful peak during Day of the Dead celebrations (November 1-2), when locals honor deceased loved ones through offerings, marigolds, and communal gatherings. Mexico City's world-class culinary scene ranges from street tacos to Michelin-starred restaurants, while nearby excursions offer archaeological wonders like the Teotihuacan pyramids where sunrise hot air balloon rides create unforgettable experiences.

Mexican wrestling (Lucha Libre) is an acrobatic theatrical performance where audiences choose sides in a communal celebration. As Arturo shares from personal experience, these authentic cultural moments create meaningful connections, revealing why Mexico City remains one of the world's most captivating destinations.

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Arturo Sanchez lives in Mexico City and is head concierge at Andaz Mexico City Condesa Hotel there.

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Podcast host Lea Lane has traveled to over 100 countries, and  has written nine books, including the award-winning Places I Remember  (Kirkus Reviews star rating, and  'one of the top 100 Indie books of  the year'). She has contributed to many guidebooks and has written thousands of travel articles.
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Our guest, Arturo Sanchez, ishead concierge for Andaz Mexico
City Condesa Hotel.
He was born and raised inMexico City.

(00:48):
He now works in the heart of itall and will be sharing the
most magical aspects of MexicoCity.
Welcome, Arturo, to Places IRemember.

Arturo Sanchez (00:58):
Hi, how are you?

Lea Lane (00:59):
I'm great and I can't wait to talk about your great
city.
Now.
s a hotel concierge, I know youhelp your guests experience the
city.
I believe you call your toursanti-tours.
What does that mean?

Arturo Sanchez (01:11):
That's correct.
Actually, right here in thehotel, we take care of all of
our guests.
We provide as manyrecommendations and we make, of
course, reservations.

Lea Lane (01:21):
Yeah, I think it's very important for travelers to
use the services of a conciergeif they're available, because
you do make great decisions andpeople want to go out to eat or
see something.
You'll very often give them thebest tips.
Concierges are good at it andat a great hotel like yours it's
especially useful.
There's no way a traveler cansee, taste and do all you want

(01:42):
to do in one visit to MexicoCity.
But let's go over some of thenot-to-misses.
What will you experience at thePlaza de la Constitución, a
massive square known as theZócalo?

Arturo Sanchez (01:52):
Of course, at the Zócalo, as you say, the main
plaza.
It's the heart of the city.
Right here, in the main museums, we find as many really
beautiful places like theCathedral.
The National Palace is theplace where you will find the
biggest murals from Diego Rivera, for example, Templo Mayor.
The streets to walk around aretotally beautiful.

(02:14):
Fine arts palace.

Lea Lane (02:15):
I like the Templo Mayor.
It's a 13th century Aztectemple right there in the center
.
It's very exciting to seesomething that old.
There's all kinds of stones andstuff to go look at and it's
very interesting.
I think the Diego Rivera muralsin the Palacio Nacional are
exceptional.
He painted the history ofMexico, right?
Is that what he was doing allaround?

Arturo Sanchez (02:36):
That's correct.
All the murals that we haveright there.
Diego Rivera is one of the mostpopular muralists, like Rufino
Tamayo, like Alfaro Siqueiros.
Also.
Just a couple blocks away isthe Mural Museum of Diego Rivera
.

Lea Lane (02:50):
Mexico has some of the greatest muralists ever.
Why do you think that's so?

Arturo Sanchez (02:59):
It's a little part of the history of Mexico in
different areas of the city.
I recommend right there indowntown the Public Education
Secretary offices and it's oneof the places with most murals
in all the city that are reallybeautiful and that's just a
couple of blocks away from thecathedral.

Lea Lane (03:13):
Someone took me there.
I remember now and it wasexceptional just a public
building with all these greatmurals.
Right, Excellent, tipChapultepec Castle I love.
It's in a beautiful park and Iremember going to an evening
presentation of Mexican musicand folk dance with the Ballet
Folklorico de Mexico, which is agreat company.
So there's a lot going onculturally as well as just

(03:36):
looking at the architecture.
I think the architecture isused as a backdrop very often
for some great cultural events,and I want to mention the
Palacio de Bellas Artes, thegreat cultural center.
It also has murals.
It's Art Nouveau, Art Deco.
It has a Tiffany glass curtainand I just walked into the lobby
and it's so spectacular.
It's just one of thosebeautiful things.

(03:57):
You just have to step in.
Where is that located?

Arturo Sanchez (04:00):
Actually, that is approximately five, six
blocks away from the Zo, fromthe main plaza.
That's a walking distance, ofcourse, 10 minutes walking.
We have every week theFolkloric Ballet by Amalia
Hernandez the show.
It's awesome.
It's one of the main optionsbut I love to recommend to our
guests.
It's right there in the heartof the city.

Lea Lane (04:20):
And it represents Mexico so many layers and so
much culture.
It's a fun city, but it's alsoa tremendously historic city,
and it represents Mexico so manylayers and so much culture.
so it's great for everybodyreally to come there.
The one building I do want topoint out that's not so old but
it is exceptional the NationalMuseum of Anthropology.
Tell us a little about that.

Arturo Sanchez (04:39):
Kind of place where, if you want to go fast,
you spend one, two hours, or ifyou want to spend a full day,
you can do it.
Different areas.
The Mayan exhibition is one ofmy favorites.
The Aztec exhibition that is areally awesome, so they had two
different floors.
it's really nice and that isjust across the street of the
Chapultepec castle.
Normally we should just go tothe Anthropologie Museum.
You will find many more options.

(05:01):
The Modern Art Museum.

Lea Lane (05:03):
The Museum of Anthropology is a gorgeous
modern building, so it'sespecially interesting when you
see the two.
The Anthropology Museum is agreat start.
It's a wonderful overview ofMexican history, which is a
little bit complex.
It goes way back.
I would highly recommend it.
I do recommend the suburb, thehistoric center where Cortes,
the Spanish conqueror, oncelived, Coyoacan.

Arturo Sanchez (05:25):
Yes.

Lea Lane (05:26):
It's a great neighborhood.
It has cobbled streets andplazas.
It showcases about fivecenturies of Mexican culture.
And here's where you will findartist Frida Kahlo's blue house,
Casa Azul.
It's a museum dedicated to thelife and work of the great
artist.
She lived there with DiegoRivera.
I can't get over how beautifulthat house is, the gardens and

(05:48):
within her life, but also herpaintings.
Great color.
Even if you don't know muchabout Frida Kahlo, you learn it
there and you can appreciate thegorgeous coloring and the
gorgeous artifacts, even hersunglasses, little things that
make her come to life.

Arturo Sanchez (06:03):
Talking about Coyoacán, that is, to the south
of the city Many coffee places,art galleries, the Blue House,
of course.
Next to Coyoacán you will findthe neighborhood where you will
find the house studio of Fridaand Diego.
That is different to the BlueHouse.
They're really interesting tovisit both Two museums where
you're going to spend 45 minutesan hour.
The house studio a couple ofblocks away from the Blue House.

Lea Lane (06:24):
Very good restaurant, next to the studio,

Arturo Sanchez (06:28):
That's right San Angel Inn.
Yes.
You can take the breakfast orthe lunch in the garden across
the street of the House Studio,so that is really nice.

Lea Lane (06:36):
It's just a wonderful day to learn a little bit.
Before you go, I'd say, read upon Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera
.
You'll just have a marvelousday and eat lunch at that
gorgeous restaurant and you'llbe happy.
Now Mexico is known for itsfestivals.
Some have to do with indigenoustraditions or Christian customs
or independence.
What are some of your favoritesthat you'll come across in

(06:57):
Mexico City?
My favorite, of course, is theDay of the Dead.
Colorful, we have the paradesand the decorations and the
most important about this day,it's in honor of our people who
i not anymore with us.
This is the commemoration forthese people.
It's part of our culture.
Just right here in Mexico City,in all Mexico, you will find

(07:19):
the celebration, the parades,the Day of the Dead.
I celebrated.
It was so moving and fun andhas great food and color.
The moving part was how youremember your family, how you
build little shrines withcandles and their favorite

(07:40):
things, marigolds.
Then you stop and think aboutthe past and Day of the Dead is
one of my favorite festivals ofany country and I know Mexico is
one of several countries thatcelebrate, but it probably does
it in the biggest way.
I highly recommend it.

Arturo Sanchez (07:56):
The Dead Day.
It's November 1st and 2nd.
We really appreciate it becausethe people from different
countries come to see it andthey are part of the same
celebration.
So we really love that.
We see the people fromdifferent countries with the
face paint, the dress.
We really love that becauseit's the way that we can share a

(08:16):
little part of our culture.
We love to share with all thepeople, with all the world.

Lea Lane (08:20):
Yeah, the face painting is so much fun.
You see shopkeepers in facepaint and children and older
people and you put it on andjust you become a part of the
culture.
You have a lot of musicfestivals.
Is mariachi popular in MexicoCity?
I know it is throughout much ofMexico.

Arturo Sanchez (08:36):
We have the music for all the people, for
all the families.
That depends what you love.
The mariachi band is one of themost popular.
Actually, right here in thecity we have a main plaza that's
called Garibaldi, where youwill find all the mariachis
together and some restaurantsaround.
And right here in the city,because it's part of the culture
, you can just make theappointment with the mariachis

(08:58):
to come to your house to playsome songs.
And talking about the festival,we have many different options.
The Corona Capital that is atthe final of the year.
It's alternative music and rockbands Really good and they're
really popular right now.
Also, we have another festivalfor the Latin people.
Jazz festivals too, for all thepeople who love it.

(09:19):
Classic music festivals too.

Lea Lane (09:23):
That's wonderful.
I mean you think of art whenyou think of Mexico City, but
music as well.
You also celebrate IndependenceDay September 15th.
It marks your independence fromSpain in 1821.
And on May 5th you celebratethe Battle of Puebla, where
Mexican soldiers defeated theFrench in 1862.
It goes back to your history.
There's so much.
So before you plan a trip, Iwould say, look at the calendar

(09:46):
of festivals and see which onesyou might like.
It adds to the experience.
Now we mentioned food a littlebit and cafes and something.
The food of Mexico isspectacular.
It's one of the best cities inthe world.
Truly, it's gotten to beexciting.
It's very diverse.
You have street food, finedining, you have pre-Hispanic
dishes.
What are some typical streetfoods that you would say we

(10:08):
shouldn't miss?

Arturo Sanchez (10:09):
Right here in Andaz, Mexico City, Condesa, the
neighborhood, you will find asmany options, just walking
around Go to downtown, to go toPolanco neighborhood, where is
the Anthropology Museum we arein the middle and, of course,
just walking distance you willfind as many really good options
like markets, like restaurants.

(10:30):
We have a many tours, forexample, taco tour, just to give
you some idea when the peopleask for some recommendation.

Three questions (10:37):
First of all, which location People require,
walking distance, where we haveas many options or some specific
location.
Second one, the ambience wehave right here and specifically
next to the hotel, the partyambience, the fine dining,
places.
And the third question is whatkind of food?
Of course, as many people comeright here to try the Mexican

(10:58):
food, traditional tacos, pozole,quesadillas, really good
restaurants.

Lea Lane (11:04):
I love tacos al pastor .
That's marinated pork,pineapple onions and cilantro in
a corn tortilla.
That's my favorite taco.
You get tamales and you getquesadillas.
As you mentioned, pozole, chilegorditas Yeah , I love it.
There are also pre-Hispanicdishes.
I remember eating lobster inred chili sauce.

(11:24):
I remember cactus, fruittortillas and tamales and crab
sauce.
These are older recipes thatare still being made and, of
course, there are nowMichelin-starred restaurants for
fine dining many starredrestaurants in your neighborhood
and it makes for a great tripwhen you know you have great
eating.
Now, if you want to go outsideMexico City, there are

(11:46):
archaeological sites, there'soutdoor activities.
What would you recommend?
What's the most popular?
I'm going to guess it'sXochimilco.

Arturo Sanchez (11:54):
Xochimilco.
It's part of Mexico City, thatis at the south, but well, it's
a long distance.
It's a place with the canals,with the flowering gardens, to
go with family, to go withfriends, to go just with
boyfriend, girlfriend.
There around the hotel we findas many really good options too,
like Puebla, like Tepoztlan.

Lea Lane (12:13):
Puebla, I know, is a beautiful, charming city.
It's colonial.

Arturo Sanchez (12:17):
That's correct.
Puebla is just approximatelytwo hours away from here.
Parts of Puebla are totallydifferent.
One of my favorites that'scalled Cholula.
It's a place where they have365 different churches in the
area Beautiful.

Lea Lane (12:31):
It also has the Great Pyramid of .

Arturo Sanchez (12:33):
Mexico, that's correct.

Lea Lane (12:34):
So you have the Pyramids of the Sun and Pyramid
of the Moon in nearby.

Arturo Sanchez (12:38):
Chihuahua.

Lea Lane (12:39):
Yes, thank you.
That's hard to say, but it'sworth going to see pyramids.
I don't know how many of ourlisteners realize that there are
pyramids right outside ofMexico City, so you get that as
well, which is kind of exciting.

Arturo Sanchez (12:52):
It's correct.
That is in the north of thecity.
That is approximately an hour15 minutes from here.
Pull the pyramid of the sun, ofthe moon.
You will find the differentoptions, just to go by yourself.
If you prefer, go with a tourguide.
One of the most popular is theflight with the hot air balloon.
That is really good (Over thepyramids), over the pyramids

(13:13):
Really early, see the sun risingat six, seven in the morning
right there.
You will fly right there andthen you have some time to walk
in the area, take some pictures.
They have a really goodrestaurant right there and that
is one of the most popularplaces to visit for all the
guests.

Lea Lane (13:29):
Sounds perfect.
I didn't realize you could takea balloon up there.
That sounds like a bucket listitem.
Also, outdoor activities.
You have the Valle de Bravo.
Yes, there's a mountain there,fourth tallest mountain in the
area.
It overlooks two high altitudelakes.
You have a volcano, PopoVolcano, the second highest

(13:51):
volcano in the country.
You can see it smoking.
How far is that from downtown?

Arturo Sanchez (13:56):
That is not really far.
We're talking about one hour,two hours, a maximum three hours
.
It's a place to go on theweekend just to relax.
The places like Puebla that yousay, wine, cheese, for example,
and that is near.

Lea Lane (14:09):
Oh my, tell me about Mexican wine.

Arturo Sanchez (14:12):
It's really good .
Mexico, you say.
We have different locationswhere they have a really good
wine and, for the same reason,Guerétaro is one of the states
next to Mexico City.
They have the tours of theroute right there.
You can go and visit where theyproduce the wine, plus the
cheese, of course, someactivities that the people can

(14:32):
do the same day.
That is not far.

Lea Lane (14:34):
One thing I did from San Miguel de Allende and I know
you can also do it from MexicoCity is to visit the area of the
butterflies in the centralplateau.
That's a little bit longerdrive, but for people who would
want to see that great migrationof the monarch butterflies, how
far is it?

Arturo Sanchez (14:54):
From Mexico City and are there tours that you
can get on and spend the day andcome back?
We normally suggest to do itwith a driver.
The driver is going to pick youup right here, going right
there with you.
The butterfly that is inMorelia, Michoacan, is a
different state, talkingapproximate about three, four
hours, just to give us some idea, but that is a really good
experience.
That is for the family.

Lea Lane (15:12):
What time of year?

Arturo Sanchez (15:13):
Normally we should just leave from here
around five, six of the morning.

Lea Lane (15:18):
What time of year would you say?
What month?

Arturo Sanchez (15:20):
They start approximately in October,
November until February.
We're almost done with that.

Lea Lane (15:25):
I'm going to give a tip, because I went to see them
and it was a cloudy day and theydidn't come out, and it's a
very, very long trip for peopleyou know, and something you want
to see.
So, if it's cloudy, think aboutit, see if you can get out of
it and wait for a sunny day,because they come out in the sun
and it is spectacular,wonderful things to do in and
around Mexico City.

(15:45):
For sure you can see it's agreat city.
The name of the podcast isPlaces I Remember.
So, Arturo, will you pleaseshare a personal memory of
Mexico City with us?

Arturo Sanchez (15:57):
Of course.
Well, we were talking about it.
We have as many differentplaces, we have as many
different options.
But I don't want to miss one ofmy main recommendations or the
main places where I love tovisit.
One of the most popular showsthat we have right here is the
Mexican Wrestling.
I mean the Lucha Libre.
That is really fabulous, that'scorrect.

(16:19):
That's the Mexican Wrestling.
The Lucha Libre I always saythat is like the wrestling in
different countries, but righthere is most acrobatic, that is
most show.
Of course, that is a sport.
Of course that is somethingreally hard to do, but that is
one of the main places where Ireally love to recommend.
It's one of the shows.
I have two daughters and I tryto go with the Mexican wrestling

(16:41):
as many times as we can becausethey love it right there.
That is not from the hotel, forexample.
We are just 20 minutes ago andthat is the place I always say
to get out all that you needed.
You had to scream, you had tomake noise, you had to clap,
everything that you see, becauseit's the place to enjoy with
the family, with the friends,with all the people that you

(17:02):
wanted.
And actually, in some of theoccasion, when we were talking
with a guest in the morninggiving their recommendation, we
talked about it and they said,yes, of course we want to go.
We are sitting with the tickets, with the entrance and we say,
ok, we will let you know.
How was it that way?
In the night I was talking withmy family and we was talking

(17:24):
about what we can do.
So we was in the wrestling tubeand I don't know why,
everything by the tickets forseparate, and when we was in the
arena we was just next to theguests, next to our guests, and
was really fun because that wasjust like a biggest family
enjoying that and they sharingwith us.

(17:46):
They explained with thedifferent countries and we were
sharing with the people rightthere and that was really
beautiful because that is like areally familiar and this is the
intention that we have righthere in Mexico City.
We told the people make all ourbest part of our family because
we want to enjoy it just likewe do it.
Okay, that is our intention.

(18:11):
So that show, it's reallybeautiful and that occasion was
really awesome because I repeat,after that was sold, to get it
outside, okay, let's go to eatsome tacos to share the
experience, and that is reallyreally good.
It's part of of the experience.

Lea Lane (18:21):
Sounds great.
When you say it's acrobatic,how much more acrobatic is it
than what I would think ofwrestling?
Do they dance around or doflips or what?

Arturo Sanchez (18:31):
It's like a circus, it's acrobatic.
The people flying next to theroads and next to the ring right
there, because right here inNew Mexico, we have the good
side and the bad side that wecall the rudos and the técnicos.
Choose your side, it doesn'tmatter, you have to choose your
side.
And right there, everybody'sgoing to make noise and support

(18:51):
the team.

Lea Lane (18:52):
Sounds great, it sounds local, it sounds like
what you really want to feelwhen you get to a country, the
real heart of it.
So thank you for that.
Memory it's a good tip as well,I enjoyed it.
Memory it's a good tip as well,I enjoyed it.
Thank you, in general, ArturoSanchez, head concierge of Andes
, Mexico City, Condesa Hotel,for sharing your knowledge about

(19:13):
Mexico City.
It's a great world destinationand I hope to return soon.
Adios nos vamos.

Arturo Sanchez (19:18):
Hasta la vista and we'll see you later.