Centro (Mexico City)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
El Centro or Centro histórico is the original downtown of Mexico City, the decentralization and growth of the city has left it mostly as a cultural and retail centre with many government offices, unlike cities in the United States which gather all the office units and corporations in their downtowns.
The Centro histórico is home to some of the city's finest buildings which range from the baroque to the modern. It is also home to the Templo Mayor archeological site. At its center is the Plaza de la Constitución, most commonly known as the Zócalo. The Zócalo is surrounded by several historic buildings: to the east is the Palacio Nacional where the original Moctezuma palace was, to the north is the Catedral Metropolitana, and to the south are the twin buildings of the Mexico City government.
[edit] Architecture
Even though Spanish colonial buildings make up most of Centro histórico there are fine examples of different architectural styles
- Baroque: Palacio de Iturbide, Casa de los Azulejos, Palacio Nacional and Palacio de los Condes de Valparaiso
- Neoclassical: Palacio de Mineria
- Italiante style: Edifico de Correos
- Art Nouveau Palacio de Bellas Artes (exterior)
- Beaux-Arts: Museo Nacional de Arte, Banco de México
- Art Deco Banco de Mexico (anexo guardiola), Interior of Palacio de Bellas Artes
- Functionalist: Torre Latinoamericana
[edit] Today
The Centro histórico is currently undergoing renovation and receiving a lot of public and private investment in an attempt to overcome the deterioration it has suffered in the last decades.
The Festival de México is an annual event with programs dedicated to art (popular and high) and academia. In 2008, was the 24th Festival with 254 performances and shows from over 20 countries.in 65 plazas and other locations in this section of the city.[1]