Alameda Central

The Alameda Central, in Mexico City

The Alameda Central is the main park of Mexico City, the oldest of America, laid out from the sixteenth century in the heart of the city. The Mexico City audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this haven of greenery of more than four hundred years, adorned with fountains and sculptures, born from the will of a viceroy to offer the inhabitants a space of relaxation, on the site of a former Aztec market.

The oldest park of America

Here you are in the main park of the city, laid out in the sixteenth century thanks to Luis de Velasco, viceroy of New Spain, the name given to the territory of Mexico just conquered by the Spaniards. He wished to offer the inhabitants a space of relaxation in the very heart of Mexico City. Enlarged and embellished over the centuries, the park adorned itself little by little with fountains, rose gardens, sculptures and fine parcels of flowers that give it a quite particular charm. It extends on the very site of a former Aztec market, become a square in 1592, where parades and gatherings took place. It must however be recalled, with measure, that this place also knew dark hours, having served in the past as the scene of executions of the Inquisition, a memory that the park has long since left behind it. It is today a much appreciated space to stroll in the shade of the ash trees, to rest at the edge of the fountains and to escape for a moment from the bustle of the capital. Lined with great monuments, including the Palace of Fine Arts and the Diego Rivera Mural Museum, the park elegantly links the high places of the historic centre. With its shaded paths and its pools, the Alameda has embodied, for more than four centuries, the green lung of Mexico City. A historic park and a haven of greenery, the Alameda Central is a fine stop of the discovery of Mexico City.

What to see

Here you discover the main park of Mexico City, the oldest of America, laid out from the sixteenth century by the viceroy Luis de Velasco on the site of a former Aztec market; adorned with fountains, rose gardens and sculptures, shaded by ash trees, it links the high places of the centre, from the Palace of Fine Arts to the Diego Rivera Mural Museum. The Alameda Central is the green lung of Mexico City. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Alameda Central lies in the heart of the historic centre of Mexico City, near the Palace of Fine Arts, reachable on foot or by metro. It is a public park freely accessible, shaded by ash trees and adorned with fountains and sculptures, pleasant for a walk. You discover it during a stroll in the centre.

Why is the Alameda Central of Mexico City so old?

Because it was laid out from the sixteenth century by the viceroy Luis de Velasco, who wanted to offer the inhabitants a space of relaxation, which makes it the oldest park of America; established on the site of a former Aztec market become a square in 1592, it adorned itself over the centuries with fountains, rose gardens and sculptures, in the shade of the ash trees.

Where is the Alameda Central in Mexico City?

In the heart of the historic centre of Mexico City, near the Palace of Fine Arts, in Mexico.