City Theater Esperanza Iris

The Esperanza Iris theatre, in Mexico City

The theatre of the Ciudad Esperanza Iris, built in 1918, was long the most important cultural centre of Mexico City before the Palace of Fine Arts. The Mexico City audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this theatre inspired by the Scala of Milan, willed by the singer and actress Esperanza Iris, declared Favourite Daughter of Mexico, that has hosted for more than a century the great figures of the stage.

The theatre of the Favourite Daughter of Mexico

This theatre, built in 1918, was long the most important cultural centre of the city, before the creation of the Palace of Fine Arts. From its opening, it bore the name of Esperanza Iris, of her real name María Esperanza Bofill Ferrer, Mexican singer and theatre actress of the twentieth century, decorated by the King of Spain Alfonso XIII and declared in 1922 Favourite Daughter of Mexico. It is she who requested the construction of this theatre, designed on the model of the Scala of Milan. Thanks to the architects Ignacio Capetillo and Federico Mariscal, it was inaugurated in 1918 and has hosted for more than a century the greatest national and international figures of the stage. At the death of Esperanza Iris, the theatre was left abandoned some fifteen years, before becoming property of the city and taking the name of Theatre of the Ciudad, the theatre of the city. Restored between 1999 and 2002 to renovate its interior while respecting its original architecture, it recovered its name of Esperanza Iris in tribute to its founder. With its elegant Italian-style hall, its balconies and its hushed atmosphere, it remains one of the high places of the cultural life of Mexico City, programming concerts, operas, ballets and theatre plays. A historic theatre and a tribute to an artist, the Esperanza Iris theatre is a fine stop of the discovery of Mexico City.

What to see

Here you admire a theatre built in 1918, long the most important cultural centre of Mexico City before the Palace of Fine Arts, designed on the model of the Scala of Milan at the request of the singer Esperanza Iris, declared Favourite Daughter of Mexico; restored between 1999 and 2002, it has hosted for more than a century concerts, operas and ballets in an elegant Italian-style hall. The Esperanza Iris theatre is a cultural high place of Mexico City. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Esperanza Iris theatre lies in the historic centre of Mexico City, reachable on foot or by metro. You admire its façade from the street; for shows or tours, it is best to enquire about the programme and the conditions of access, which vary. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

Who was Esperanza Iris, whose theatre bears the name in Mexico City?

A Mexican singer and theatre actress of the twentieth century, of her real name María Esperanza Bofill Ferrer, decorated by the King of Spain Alfonso XIII and declared Favourite Daughter of Mexico in 1922; it is she who requested the construction of the theatre, inaugurated in 1918 on the model of the Scala of Milan, that recovered its name after a restoration between 1999 and 2002.

Where is the Esperanza Iris theatre in Mexico City?

In the historic centre of Mexico City, in Mexico.