Coyoacán

A colonial old town where Cortés once set up headquarters, with cobbled streets, colorful colonial houses, a plaza with coyote fountains and market snacks. The neighborhood of Frida Kahlo and Trotsky.

Coyoacán (Nahuatl for “place of the coyotes”) lies in southern Mexico City. After Hernán Cortés conquered Tenochtitlan in 1521, he set up the city's first municipal government here. In the colonial era it was a village of nobles and convents, and in the 20th century it became home to artists and intellectuals. It still keeps a small-town atmosphere quite unlike the city center.

At the heart are two neighboring squares: Jardín Centenario (two coyote fountains in the center, with café terraces around them) and Jardín Hidalgo (a gazebo and the 16th-century Church of San Juan Bautista, with Baroque gilded interiors). Along Francisco Sosa Street beside the squares, one of the most beautiful colonial streets in the city, colorful old houses line both sides, including Casa de Alvarado, former home of a composer, and the small Plaza Santa Catarina.

The Coyoacán Market is famous for tostadas (crispy corn tortillas topped with seafood or chicken) and fresh juices. Café El Jarocho, beside the plaza, is an old coffee stand dating from 1953. Also worth trying are the churros and the Tepoznieves ice cream shop. On weekends, the Bazar Artesanal handicrafts market and street musicians, clowns and traditional dancers draw local families.

A 10–15 minute walk takes you to the Frida Kahlo Museum (the Blue House) and the Leon Trotsky House Museum, where he was struck with an ice axe in his study in 1940, and bullet holes remain in the bedroom. Farther south is the central campus of UNAM (a World Heritage Site, with the library's O'Gorman mosaic mural and the Olympic Stadium). Admission is free.

Getting there: a 15–20 minute walk from Metro Line 3's Coyoacán or Viveros station, or walk from the Blue House. By Uber from Roma takes about 20 minutes.

Tips: weekends are crowded, and restaurants around the squares are pricey. The stone-paved streets are uneven. The squares and their surroundings are safe at night, but keep an eye out in quiet side streets.

Coyoacán

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