8 Best Sights in Mexico City, Mexico

Interesting architectural features include several curving concrete exterior and interior staircases, and a bridge that connects the rooftops of Diego's and Frida's homes—a convenient passageway that allowed the two simultaneous access to and space from one another.

This cube-shape art museum built in 1972 by businessman and collector Dr. Alvar Carrillo Gil is one of the top venues in the city for viewing vanguard art. Rotating exhibits showcase contemporary art in a wide range of media, often by young, emerging artists. At times you can also view portions of the immense permanent collection, which consists of more than 2,000 works, about 1,400 of which Gil collected himself. These include more than 50 murals and paintings by José Clemente Orozco as well as important pieces by Rivera, Siqueiros, Klee, and Picasso.

Erected by Carmelite friars with the help of an Indigenous chieftain between 1615 and 1628, this church—with its domes, frescoes, vaulted archways, fountains, and gardens—was never actually a convent, despite its name. Though some locals might tell you otherwise, nuns never actually lived here. The church still operates (you can enter it for free from a separate entrance next door), but part of it has been converted into Museo del Carmen, with a fine collection of 16th- to 18th-century religious paintings and icons. Much of the religious art (along with a captivating collection of photos that depict San Ángel and the southern portions of the city during the early 20th century) is on the second floor of the adjoining Casa de Acueducto, which overlooks another courtyard fringed by an interesting ancient aqueduct. It's also worth visiting the dozen-or-so mummified corpses tucked away in the crypt—a creepy but fascinating sight, for sure. For a perhaps much-needed breath of fresh air, saunter out to the gracious rear garden, with its shady trees and benches. There's usually an excellent temporary exhibit as well, typically touching on some element of Mexico City history and culture.

This picturesque plaza lined with palatial 18th- and 19th-century homes as well as a number of galleries, boutiques, and restaurants constitutes the heart of San Ángel. On the north side of the plaza, the excellent arts-and-crafts market Bazaar Sábado is held all day Saturday, and just west up Calle Benito Juarez there's an additional covered market on weekends where you can find cheaper knickknacks and goods. Continue a block down the hill along shop-lined Calle Madero to reach Plaza del Carmen, a smaller park with pathways and benches where still more artists sell their works on Saturday. A memorial plaque on Plaza San Jacinto's west side lists the names of about 50 Irish soldiers from St. Patrick's Battalion who helped Mexico during the "unjust North American invasion" of 1847. These men had been enticed to desert the ranks of U.S. General Zachary Taylor by appeals to the historic and religious ties between Spain and Ireland, siding with the Mexicans in the Mexican-American War. Following their capture by U.S. forces, all were hanged (16 of them on Plaza San Jacinto).

This Mexico City attraction has been a hit since it opened, attracting long lines of people eager to see the largest aquarium in the country. A visit to the site starts four stories underground, at the "bottom of the ocean," and moves upward toward the surface. Thousands of species of fish, sharks, rays, eels, jellyfish, and more swim among the ruins of a sunken ship, vibrantly colored coral, and gracefully swaying kelp, all dramatically lit in huge tanks. The "rain forest" exhibit is home to reptiles and amphibians such as Mexico's endangered, curious-looking ajolote salamander.

This 1681 mansion, which contains both a cultural center and Museo Casa del Risco, is one of the prettiest houses facing the Plaza San Jacinto. The huge 18th-century Risco Fountain—exploding with colorful porcelain tiles, shells, and mosaics—dominates the eastern wall of the enclosed courtyard. Inside, the upper galleries contain a splendid if slightly somber collection of 17th- and 18th-century European baroque and colonial Mexican paintings and furnishings, all donated by the house's last owner, statesman and politician Isidro Fabela, who died in 1964. Fabela also donated books and magazines to a small library behind the museum (by way of a lovely patio) that is open to the public. Events and rotating art exhibits are staged throughout the year.

Founded by an heir to the Jumex juice fortune, this contemporary art museum is located just across the way from the Museo Soumaya, and though the subdued travertine building that houses it is not as eye-popping as Carlos Slim's shiny silver cloud next door, the exhibition design of the Jumex is arguably superior. Shows draw from the museum's 2,700-strong collection, which includes boldfaced names like Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, and Andy Warhol, as well as temporary exhibitions of work by international contemporary artists. There's also an on-site café and store.

The Plaza Loreto branch of the famed art museum in Polanco contains several huge exhibition rooms set inside the upper level of a colonial-era warehouse building that now houses shops and restaurants. It's a bit south of the heart of San Ángel, and not necessarily worth a trip all on its own, but the rotating exhibits can sometimes be quite interesting, and admission is free.