Chapultepec & Polanco

Arguably the greatest archaeological museum in the Americas, opened in 1964 in a modernist building by Pedro Ramirez Vazquez. The central courtyard's massive stone umbrella fountain, supported by a single column, rains water in a spectacular curtain. The Aztec Sun Stone (Piedra del Sol), a 24-tonne basalt disk carved in 1479, is the museum's centerpiece. Galleries cover every major Mesoamerican civilization: Olmec (colossal heads from 1200 BC), Maya (the jade Pakal death mask), Zapotec, Mixtec, and Aztec. A single visit can't do justice to the collection — most visitors return multiple times.

The Aztec and Maya halls are the most popular — visit those first before fatigue sets in. The upper floor, dedicated to living indigenous cultures, is equally important but often skipped.

The only castle in North America ever used as a royal residence, sitting atop Chapultepec Hill where Aztec rulers once had summer homes. Built in 1785 as a viceregal summer house, it became Emperor Maximilian I and Empress Carlota's imperial residence in the 1860s (she personally decorated the rooms with European furnishings). During the 1847 Mexican-American War, young military cadets (the Ninos Heroes) defended the castle against U.S. forces — several leapt from the ramparts rather than surrender. The castle now houses the National History Museum. The views over Mexico City from the terrace are panoramic.

The walk up the hill from the base takes 15-20 minutes through pleasant forest paths. The Alcazar (residential wing) with Maximilian and Carlota's furnished rooms is the highlight.