Excursion tour in Mexico City. Top architecture - monuments, castles, temples and palaces

» The high Catholic basilica of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary with a bell tower dates from the 16th century. It took two hundred years to construct it.
» The exterior is a mix of three architectural styles: Baroque, Renaissance, Neoclassicism.
» A tall construction made of grey stone and finished with white granite has two seventy-metre towers. It’s decorated with carved pillars and an arched entrance. The corner towers have 30 bells. The central one has a tower clock with a set of bells. Their melodious ring is repeated regularly.
» The outer side of the cathedral is decorated with the statues of patron saints and figures of apostles. Visitors are allowed inside, but they ought to observe the code of conduct accepted here.
» The interior decoration strikes with its luxury. Both walls and round pillars supporting the ceiling have elements of gilding, marble tiles, and ivory. The Altar of Forgiveness rises on the central pedestal.
» Two 18th-century organs that are the largest ones in Latin America are preserved in the cathedral. There’s a carved choir cherry in colour. The underground part has crypts with the remains of bishops who faithfully served the people. Many monarchs were crowned here.

» In the middle of the 16th century, the peasant had a vision of the Virgin Mary. No one believed and then he brought roses that gave off a bright light as a proof. It was decided to build the cathedral on the hill, on the site of the appearance of the Virgin Mary.
» The sacred cloak of the peasant, in which the flowers were wrapped up, is kept in Basilica de Santa Maria de Guadalupe.
» The silky fabric is very soft. Researchers couldn’t explain the preservation of the cloak of agave leaves that is aged almost 500 centuries. You can clearly see the face of the Mother of God on the cloth. The Virgin of Guadalupe is worshipped as the celestial patron of the whole city.
» The number of pilgrims (12 million every year) is rising from year to year. There are two escalators for their convenience. They move in different directions. They also take visitors to the altar, above which you can see a blue cloth in the shatterproof glass box.
» The building is adjacent to the museum. Its exposure tells about events and items of the religious cult.
» The festivity dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe that takes place in the square in front of the cathedral has become an annual tradition.
» The building has a circular layout with a diameter of 100 meters. It accommodates almost a thousand worshipers.

» In the historic center, there is the Palace of Fine Arts.
» When it was being built, the items dating back to the period of the Aztec Empire had been found in the ground.
» It started to be built in 1904. The construction lasted 30 years because it was hampered by the civil war.
» The outer walls are lined with white Carrara marble (the most precious type of this material). The building was projected by the Italian architect at the beginning of the 20th century. The huge construction is upheld by a steel frame. There is the sculpture of the eagle on the palace dome. It is surrounded by symbolic figurines of the goddess and the muse.
» The interior walls are decorated with historical paintings created by Mexican artists.
» There are a lot of rooms in the palace, some of which are occupied by the Opera House. Its scene is decorated with curtains made in the Workshop Tiffany. It is made of fine glass pieces. As a result, it depicts the volcano. The audience hall accommodates a thousand people.
» The building includes different themed museums, of architecture and fine arts. There are seven showrooms in the National Museum. Each of them is dedicated to a particular local artist.
» The palace is surrounded by sculptures and the park.

» Some religious movements use architecture with new forms and constructions as an additional means of attracting new worshipers to their folds.
» The example of such an extraordinary construction is La Luz del Mundo. There is the Light of the World Association headquarter. It is located in the craft district of Hermosa Provincia.
» The church consists of seven levels. It is 90 meters high. The spire is seen from many points of the megacity and serves as an unusual pointer for tourists of Guadalajara.
» The cone building resembles the golden sanctuary seven-branched candlestick. The next platform is a “step” to enlightenment.
» The room can accommodate up to a hundred novices. During rites and services, the temple welcomes 300 thousand pilgrims from all over the world.
» The construction of the new church was possible due to the laymen’s donations.
» The multi-level structure let the constructor Leopoldo Fernandez leave his mark on global architecture.
» The project started to be developed in early 1983. The building was completed in 9 years.

» There is the Estadio Azteca at the site of the volcano that erupted at one time. To clear the area for the grand construction, thousand tons of igneous rocks were removed.
» Before construction began, project engineers visited several sports grounds around the world to view different types of stadiums.
» Architects even took into account the sun's movement. The daylight hits the dome of the building perpendicularly, squarely, and doesn’t distract sportsmen during the match.
» The stadium has a special sliding roof. It doesn’t cover the playing field but protects it from bad weather or scorching sun.
» There are four-tier stands around the field. They are divided into seven sectors.
» The football pitch is located 9 meters underground.
» The sports complex was built specifically for the 1968 Summer Olympics. It was used for football matches. The World Football Championship was held here.
» The stadium can host over 100 spectators.
» Sports contests and matches go hand in hand with music performances. The stadium welcomed such eminent guests, as Michael Jackson, Elton John, and famous opera singers.

» The architectural studio has designed the cultural site to introduce the general public to modern art. The building is suitable not only for static and temporary exhibitions, but also for art seminars.
» The site where the museum is located is not incidental: weather conditions and its fitness for the city landscape have been considered.
» The total area of the internal space if over 2000 square meters. The museum has 5 floors. At the first level, there are exhibitions and learning halls. On other floors, there are bookstores and cafes.
» The unique roof has been constructed for bright and natural lighting. The exterior design is extraordinary too: two round objects situated far away from each other are connected by stairs.
» In exhibition halls, you will learn about the art and life of modern local artists and see the paintings of eminent painters. Drawings, sculptures and unusual installations are also displayed in showrooms.
» You can also see here some part of the collection of sculptures in the garden.

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Facts: » The Angel of Independence symbolizes the victory of Mexicans in the struggle for freedom.
» The angel with golden wings was constructed on the dome to mark the 100th anniversary. The seven-ton sculpture of the Greek Goddess is made of bronze and gilded. Nike holds hoops and the laurel wreath symbolizing broken chains and the desire to win correspondingly.
» One of the earthquakes damaged the sculpture and it was split into several pieces. Fortunately, it was restored. The Angel of Independence is placed on the podium. There are bronze sculptures in the corners of the podium. They symbolize peace, war, law, and justice.
» There are figurines of insurgents on top of the pedestal. The eternal flame burns in their honor. Colonnades are decorated with flying eagles.
» The President laid the first stone here in 1902. Besides state officials, guests from other countries took part in the monument opening ceremony.
» To see the Angel from the inside, you need to go upstairs to 45 meters. It is quite difficult as there are 200 metal and narrow steps. Moreover, some stairways are not illuminated.
» You can stay on the platform for no more than 15 minutes to see the statue closer.