ARTWORK: BEND TO HER WILL, SANELL AGGENBACH, LURE, 2017, PRINTED CANVAS AND RAYON THREAD. PHOTOGRAPHS: ANTONELLA RAGAZZONI/500PX, JACQUES COETZEE, ©LUCAS VALLECILLOS/AGEFOTOSTOCK, JOHN COLETTI/AWLIMAGES, HUGHES HERVE/AGEFOTOSTOCK, DESIGN HOTELS™ WWW.DESIGNHOTELS.COM. ILLUSTRATIONS: MASCHA TACE/MERFIN/MAKSIM M/SHUTTERSTOCK
MEXICO CITY, Mexico
WHY NOW? To most travellers, the mention of Mexico conjures
up images of tropical beaches, crumbling Maya ruins swallowed
by jungle, cactus-studded deserts and sleepy colonial towns.
Less often does it suggest the city that gave the country its name,
but the capital is becoming a destination in its own right: public
places are being cleaned up, a cultural renaissance is in full
swing and the city counts as one of the safest urban areas in
Latin America.
WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT? Mexico City’s storied history, from
sleepy pre-Hispanic beginnings to high-octane megalopolis, is
revealed on every street, with tonnes of museums, parks and
galleries to explore.
WHAT SHOULDN’T I MISS? Coyoacán – a suburb of leafy squares,
cobbled streets and colonial architecture, which still retains its
village feel. It was the haunt of painter Frida Kahlo, whose
family home, Casa Azul, is now a museum dedicated to her life,
with exhibits including her collection of Pre-Columbian art and
portraits of communist heroes (£8; museofridakahlo.org.mx).
From here, catch a cab northward to another enclave of calm:
the Bosque de Chapultepec, an urban park dotted with lakes
and museums (chapultepec.org.mx). Popular with picnicking
locals on Sundays, it’s been a point of retreat ever since Aztec
nobles strolled its leafy expanse for recreation. Doubtless said
nobles would approve of Hotel Condesa, a palatial design hotel
at the edge of the park, with a rooftop terrace from which you
can observe the chaos of the city from the serenity of a
sunlounger (from £215; condesadf.com).
HOW DO I GET THERE? BA flies to Mexico City from Singapore
or Kuala Lumpur via London Heathrow (from £1,153; ba.com).Frida Kahlo was a Mexican
artist who explored
questions of identity,
postcolonialism, gender,
class and race in Mexican
society through her artAlameda Central
park and the Torre
Latinoamericana tower.
RIGHT FROM TOP
The restaurant and
bar at Hotel Condesa;
street musicians in
Coyoacán wearing
traditional mariachi
costume