5. South: UNAM, Coyoacán and San Ángel
Coyoacan and San Angel are two formerly separate colonial towns which as Mexico City has grown, have become absorbed into the city. They still maintain their own distinct character and charm.
If you have a whole day, I recommend taking an Uber to UNAM, then continuing on to Coyoacan. From Coyoacan walk to San Angel along Avenida Francisco Sosa, from the Jardín Centenario to the Plaza de los Arcángeles. It’s one of the loveliest, quietest colonial walks in the city.
UNAM & Museum of Contemporary Art
On the way, don’t miss the city’s best contemporary art museum MUAC (Tue–Sun, 10 or 11 AM – 6 PM, Thu and Sat to 8 PM · 60 pesos / ~3 USD), located on the campus of UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico). Also check out the murals on the UNAM Library building.
Juan O’Gorman’s murals on the Central Library at UNAM
Anish Kapoor exhibition at UNAM’s MUAC (University Museum of Contemporary Art)
Coyoacán
7Coyoacan main plaza and church
9Frida Kahlo house (Tue–Sun 10 AM – 6 PM · 320 pesos / ~17 USD) – unless you are a big fan, I really consider this optional, as there is not much to see other than a simple upper middle class house and furnishings from the time period. Better to spend time seeing a large collection of her art at the Xochimilco and the Dolores Olmedo in Xochimilco (on your way to the floating gardens) or at Diego Rivera’s Anahuacalli (below). If you do go, buy timed tickets online days ahead, because they sell out. (Also on Dua Lipa’s list.)
8Museo Casa Kahlo (“Casa Roja”) (closed Tuesdays, 9 AM – 6 PM · 270 pesos / ~14 USD), Aguayo 54 – the Kahlo family’s other house, a short walk from the Blue House, and more personal: the family kitchen with the only known mural by Frida, her letters to her sisters, family photos and the basement she used as a hideaway. Buy tickets at museocasakahlo.org
10Plaza de la Conchita – a quiet plaza ten minutes east of the main square, with the little Capilla de la Concepción, one of the oldest chapels in Coyoacán. On the corner of Higuera and Vallarta is the Casa Colorada, the red house that local legend says Hernán Cortés built for La Malinche. Private, so look from the street
San Lucas Tlaxopa, a few blocks further east, is one of Coyoacán’s recognized barrios originarios, the old Indigenous villages the colonial town grew around. Winding cobbled lanes, small plazas and almost no visitors:
11Los Arcos on Vicente García Torres, by the Hospital de la Ceguera
12The round chapel on Manuel Gutiérrez Zamora, an old circular chapel
13Templo de San Lucas, Av. Real de San Lucas 54 – the small 16th-century chapel at the heart of the barrio
14Fuente de San Miguel – a fountain on a little triangular plaza at the other end of the barrio, where the walk ends
Restaurants on the plaza include Danzantes and Corazon de Maguey (excellent upscale Mexican cuisine). Reserve on OpenTable.
Anahuacalli
Calle Museo 150, Coyoacán · Tue–Sun 11 AM – 5:30 PM · 130 pesos (~7 USD), free with a Frida Kahlo Museum ticket · website
Diego Rivera designed this dark “pyramid” of volcanic stone for his huge collection of pre-Hispanic art. It’s one of the most striking buildings in the city, and there’s now a new wing of studios and gardens around it. Around Day of the Dead it puts up a big ofrenda. Photos cost 30 pesos extra. A ticket to the Frida Kahlo house includes Anahuacalli, so go to both. It’s a short Uber south of central Coyoacán.
Diego Rivera’s Anahuacalli
Mítikah
Río Churubusco 601, Xoco – just across the Circuito Interior from Coyoacán, a short walk from Metro Coyoacán · website
Before or after Coyoacán, look up. The 267-meter Torre Mítikah is the tallest building in the city, and at its feet is the city’s biggest mall, five floors and about 280 shops. Not why you came to Mexico. But if you need a break from colonial charm, a cold drink or something you forgot to pack, here it is. Film fans, the Cineteca Nacional (the national film archive, with cinemas and a garden) is a few blocks away.
Mítikah: El Palacio de Hierro, Liverpool and Cinépolis under one glass roof
Five floors of shops around the atrium
Walking tour: San Ángel to Coyoacán
About 7.2 km (4½ miles) or 1 hour 35 minutes of walking without stops, one way: start at Plaza de los Arcángeles in San Ángel, then the Bazar del Sábado, Plaza San Jacinto, Grand San Ángel and the Mercado del Carmen, and along Avenida Francisco Sosa past Plaza Santa Catarina to the main plaza of Coyoacán, the Casa Kahlo and the Frida Kahlo House, then south to Plaza de la Conchita and the old barrio of San Lucas Tlaxopa. Take an Uber back from the Fuente de San Miguel. On the map, tap or click a pin for details; the red dotted line is the route.
Map key: 1Plaza de los Arcángeles · 2Bazar del Sábado · 3Plaza San Jacinto · 4Grand San Ángel & Mercado del Carmen · 5Avenida Francisco Sosa · 6Plaza Santa Catarina · 7Coyoacán main plaza & church · 8Museo Casa Kahlo · 9Frida Kahlo House · 10Plaza de la Conchita · 11Los Arcos · 12Round chapel · 13Templo de San Lucas · 14Fuente de San Miguel
56Avenida Francisco Sosa
Walk along Avenida Francisco Sosa between Coyoacan and San Angel (around one mile). It is lined with beautiful colonial mansions and intriguing small alleys. The little neighborhood church and plaza of Santa Catarina is about halfway.
Mansion along Avenida Francisco Sosa
San Ángel
3Plaza San Jacinto – open air art and crafts market
2Bazaar del Sábado – Saturdays only, many unique art and craft vendors inside an old mansion
Some of the city’s best craft shops on the south side of the plaza to the west of the Bazar
1Plaza de los Arcángeles – a hidden, quiet little plaza of colonial mansions with bougainvillea pouring over the walls
4on Calle Amargura off Plaza San Jacinto – Grand San Ángel, an old house turned into upscale shops and restaurants, and next door the Mercado del Carmen, a hip food hall
A colonial doorway in San Ángel
Gate and bougainvillea in San Ángel
Bougainvillea at Plaza de los Arcángeles
Where to eat in the South
Places recognized by outside guides are marked in brackets – see the key.
Restaurants
1Avenida de la Paz, San Ángel – the block between Revolución and Insurgentes is lined with good upscale restaurants of small Mexico City chains, such as Puerto Madero steakhouse and El Cardenal
2Corazón de Maguey · website
Coyoacán main square – Oaxacan specialties, mezcal, and insects on the menu if you dare. Reserve on OpenTable.
3La Bella Lula · website
Oaxacan cuisine.
4Los Danzantes · website · Michelin selected
Coyoacán main square – upscale, excellent Mexican cuisine with its own mezcal. Reserve on OpenTable.
5Sud 777 · Blvd. de la Luz 777, Pedregal · website · Michelin 1 star · 50 Best #59
One of the city’s top restaurants, chef’s cuisine – not molecular, real food. My #2 fave.
Tacos & casual
6Churrería del Convento · Av. de la Paz 58, San Ángel
Churros.
7Tacos Charly · Av. San Fernando 201, Tlalpan · Michelin Bib Gourmand
Suadero tacos.
8Taquería Los Milanesos · Veracruz 156, Progreso Tizapán, near San Ángel · website · Michelin Bib Gourmand
Breaded milanesa tacos.
Not on the map
El Vilsito · Michelin Bib Gourmand
Av. Universidad at Petén, Narvarte – a mechanic’s workshop by day, al pastor taquería by night.
Los Consentidos del Barrio · Manzanas 27B, Del Valle · Michelin Bib Gourmand
Charcoal-grilled tacos and arrachera.