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Mexico City Bus Tour Stations
Stop 1: La Plaza de las Tres Culturas
La Plaza de las Tres Culturas (The Plaza of the Three Cultures) gives us a miniview of Mexican
history. In the plaza, we see the coming together of three cultures: the culture of the Aztec
Indians (1345–1521), the culture of the Spanish colonial settlers (1521–1821), and the presentday culture of Mexico. The plaza is surrounded by examples of building styles, or architecture,
from all three of these cultures.
Spanish Colonial Church and School
After the Spanish settlers conquered the Aztecs, they built a Catholic
church and several schools on top of the Aztec ruins. The church is
called the Templo de Santiago (Temple of Santiago). It was completed
in 1609. The school next to it was completed in 1779. These buildings
are excellent examples of early and late colonial architecture.
Modern Buildings
Many modern office
and apartment buildings
surround the plaza.
Aztec Ruins
In the plaza lie the ancient ruins of a marketplace and a
building where the Aztecs held public ceremonies. The Aztecs
fought their last battle against the Spaniards here in 1521.
Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec king, was taken prisoner here.
© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
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Stop 2: La Basílica de Guadalupe
One of Mexico’s most famous sights is a Roman Catholic church located in Mexico
City. The church is named La Basílica de Guadalupe. It was built near the spot
where an Aztec named Juan Diego is said to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary,
the mother of Jesus.
Diego was an Aztec who adopted the Christian
faith that Spanish missionaries brought to Mexico.
According to Catholic tradition, Diego saw his first
vision of Mary on December 9, 1531. She told Diego
to build a church on the spot where she stood. The
vision of Mary had special meaning to Diego. Like
him, she had dark skin. Diego saw the vision on a
hill where Indians had always worshipped an Aztec
goddess called Tonantzin. In this way, the story about
her appearance combined parts of the Christian and
Aztec religions.
A bishop, or church leader, asked Diego to prove that
Mary had appeared to him. According to tradition,
Diego saw Mary again on December 12, 1531. She
told him to gather roses in his cloak and bring them
to the bishop. Diego opened the cloak before the
bishop. When the roses fell out, an image of Mary
was imprinted on the inside of the cloak. The bishop
ordered the church to be built. Diego’s cloak, with the
image of Mary, was framed in gold and hung inside
the church.
Today, the basilica is one of the most important churches in Mexico. The image of
Mary is known as Our Lady of Guadalupe. She is an important national symbol
of Mexico. Over the centuries, millions of people have come to La Basílica de
Guadalupe to see the image of Mary on Juan Diego’s cloak. In 1976, a new church
was built nearby the old one. The image now hangs behind bulletproof glass above
the altar in the modern church.
© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
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Stop 3: Neighborhoods of Mexico City
Hola (hello). My name is José Fernández. I am a professor of urban studies. I study
the problems facing cities, such as Mexico City. As you may have noticed, housing
in Mexico City is better for the rich than it is for the poor.
As you can see from the map, most of the poor
people live in the east and north. Many of these
people came in the 1960s to settle on the edges,
or outskirts, of the city. They became known
as “squatters” because they built shacks out of
scrap wood or cardboard on any land that wasn’t
being used. Often squatter settlements lack basic
government services, such as safe drinking water
and hospitals.
Mexico City Neighborhoods by
Economic Class
Middle-class neighborhoods are located throughout Mexico City. Middle-class Mexicans have all
the basic services, such as running water, electricity,
sewers, and public transportation.
The rich live in high-income neighborhoods in the
west and south. They live in extreme luxury, and
they have the best hospitals, schools, and shops.
Mexico City has been growing too fast. Now we are
trying to slow down the city’s growth so that the
government can provide comfortable housing for
everyone, rich and poor alike.
© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
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Stop 4: Environment in Mexico City
Water
Valley of Mexico, about 1519
• Fresh water for drinking and farming
Land
Water
has always been scarce in the Valley
of Mexico, because many of the lakes
are salty. The Aztecs, Spanish, and
Lake
Tenochtitlán
modern Mexicans have all had to find
Texcoco
ways to get enough fresh water.
• Mexico City is one of the world’s
fastest growing metropolitan areas.
The metropolitan area grew from 5.5
million in 1960 to about 20 million
0 1 2 miles
0 1 2 kilometers
today. The average daily water use in
Albers Conic Equal-Area projection
2004 was about 95 gallons per person.
• Mexico City depends on water that is brought in at great expense
from far away. Tap water is pumped at a height of more than
3,000 feet from the Cutzamala Valley at a very great price.
• About 35 percent of households in the Mexico City metropolitan
area have no running water.
Valley of Mexico Today
Land
Water
Lake
Texcoco
Mexico City
Metropolitan
Area
N
W
N
E
S
Air
• The air of Mexico City is extremely polluted,
although the government has taken steps to
improve air quality since the mid-1990s.
• Mexico City has about 4 million motor
vehicles. Some experts think that 0 to 80
percent of the air pollution in Mexico City
comes from vehicles.
• Every year, more than 2.5 million tons of
pollutants are released into the air. Pollutants
are substances that cause pollution.
1
2 miles
W
0 1 2 kilometers
Albers Conic Equal-Area projection
E
S
Since Aztec times, the
lakes in the Valley of
Mexico have been drained.
All that remains of Lake
Texcoco today is a small
body of water.
• Every year, vehicles and factories produce
tens of thousands of tons of sulfur dioxide.
This air pollutant damages people’s lungs.
Other air pollutants include ozone and carbon
monoxide. Air pollution can give people
headaches, irritate their eyes, and cause
breathing problems.
• Steps to improve air quality include a program
that limits the number of cars on the road
Monday through Friday.
This is a cross-section of
the Valley of Mexico. It
shows why air pollution
is easily trapped in the
valley.
13,000
11,500
0
Volcan Tlaloc (a volcanic mountain near the city)
10,000
Pico Tres Padres
8,500
Mexico City
7,000
Feet Above Sea Level
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