Mexico City - a compilation of pictures

[Mario_Giovannetti]

This is the city where I was born and raised. Mexico City is a place of many contradictions…a place where more than 20 million people from all walks of life coexist in a rather chaotic, hectic and somewhat disorganized way. According to Forbes Magazine, Carlos Slim, the second richest man in the world and eight other billionaires live in this town. The magazine also claims that Mexico City has more millionaires than any other city in Latin America.

In 2005 PricewaterhouseCoopers ranked Greater Mexico City as the eighth-richest urban agglomeration in the world after the greater areas of Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Paris, London and Osaka/Kobe. Mexico City alone would be the 30th largest economy in the world.

Unfortunately MC also faces many serious challenges, including corruption, crime and poverty; all of which could make life in this wonderful city quite interesting to say the least.

But overall Mexico City is a very exciting place to live. Culture, fashion, nightlife, music, food…you name it. A large numbers of foreigners also call Mexico City home – particularly Americans (est. 450,000). There is also a large number of Central and South American immigrants, especially from Argentina, Chile, Cuba and Guatemala. European expatriates from Spain, Italy, Germany and Eastern Europe can also be found in significant numbers as well as growing Chinese community. Mexico City is also home to one of the largest Jewish and Lebanese groups in Latin America.

Here is a compilation of photographs provided by several forumers in the Mexican Forums of SSP and SSC.



Skyline of the Reforma Avenue corridor


Angel de la Independencia (Angel of Independence) monument


The National Auditorium building


Skyscrapers on Reforma Avenue


Chapultepc Castle - only castle in North America that was ever used as residence by a ruling European sovereign


Partial view of the Bellas Artes (Fine Arts) building - left


La Alameda Central (park)


Antropology Museum courtyard


Partial view of the Altus condominium tower in the Bosques de las Lomas area


Towers in the Alameda area


Chapultepec Lake


View of the Condesa and Polanco districts


Elevated expressway


Chapultepec Castle interior view


Historic district - old and new


City at night


Santa Fe business district


Buildings in the historic part of downtown


Park and the Polanco neighborhood in the background


Statue of Diana la Cazadora (Diana the Hunter) on Reforma Avenue


One of many expressways in the city


Campo Marte, which translates to Camp Mars is a military training facility


South Insurgentes Avenue


City bus


Partial view of the city from the Chapultepect Castle


Side view of the Metropolitan Cathedral in the heart of the city


View of the Mexican Stock Exchange building


Chapultepec Zoo


Buildings in the old historic area


Chapultepec Park and the Polanco skyline


Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Museum) aerial view


Metro (subway)


Tláloc fountain


View of the Lomas residential area


Bellas Artes side view


UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico): close to 290,000 students


Chapultepec lake


German steak house restaurant


Metropolitan Cathedral day view


Houses in the Coyoacan neighborhood


HSBC Tower at night


Aerial view of Insurgentes Avenue - longest street in the world


Pemex Tower - Pemex: Petroleos Mexicanos or Mexican Petroleum


City at sunset


Parque Hundido (Sunken Park)


Palacio de Hierro department store


Top of the new St. Regis Hotel, designed by Cesar Pelli


Modern art at the park


Metrobus


Angel de la Independencia and the American Express building behind


City lights


Ice skating rink at the Zocalo during Christmas time


Los Arcos Bosques towers


Polanco


Aerial view at night


Reforma


18,000 naked people at the Zocalo by photographer Spencer Tunick


Office buildings


Monumento a la Revolucion (Monument to the Mexican Revolution)


Polanco at night


Presidential Palace


Pre-Hispanic ruins in downtown


Residential towers in the Las Lomas area


Xochimilco - known as the Mexican Venice is a series of canals that date back to the aztec times


Traffic in the city


View of a residential area and a few office buildings in the background


Reforma at night


Zocalo and the Mexican Flag


Outside the National Auditorium


Network of elevated expressways. A few years ago the local government decided to ad 2nd floors to the existing expressways to relieve traffic


Reforma skyline


View from the Independence monument


Metro - outdoor station


Casona Hotel in the Roma district


Ride your bike to work day


Old Building in downtown


View of Reforma


Torre Mayor


Tour bus


Pyramid of the sun in Teotihuacan - outside Mexico City


Angel at night


A stroll through the city


Azteca Stadium - Max. capacity of 114,600 spectators, making it the 3rd largest in the world after Rungrado in N. Korea and Salt Lake Stadium in India


Zocalo buildings


Santa Fe district


El Centro


Chapultepec


Metro station - subway


Bellas Artes


Banco de Mexico (Bank of Mexico) building


Street in Coyoacan


UNAM at night


Reforma from Chapultepec


Reforma


Nightview


Elevated highways


El Caballito - statue of Carlos IV of Spain


New residential towers in the suburbs


Corporate buildings


Cathedral at night


Statue of Cuauhtemoc


Alazraki building - Photo by Mito Covarrubias


Metro - interior


Zara department store


Nisha Bar


Torre Mayor and Chapultepec


Historic building


Glorieta of the Independence


Torre Latinoamericana (Latin American Tower) at night


St. Regis


Torre Pemex


Reforma 222 complex


Downtown street


Old buildings in downtown


Mexican Stock Market


Aerial of the Los Arcos Bosques towers


Some architectural styles in the city


Centro Historico (Historic District) aerial view


Full moon


Diana


Stores in the Centro Historico district


Residential buildings in Polanco


Chapultepec at night


Torre Latinoamericana


Outside Bellas Artes at night


Alameda


Buildings on Reforma


Revolution monument during the Mexican Independence celebrations


Reforma at sunset


Modern art


Mexico's tallest


Pelli tower at ground level


Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores (Foreign Relations Secretariat) buildings


Downtown partial skyline


Office buildings in Santa Fe


Neighborhood church


Torres Arcos Bosques


Shopping mall


This last image is a photograph taken by Oscar Ruiz and manipulated by David Torres, a SSP forumer. David added several buildings to the image that are either under construction or proposed, and this is how the Reforma district skyline is going to look in the near future. Keep in mind that Mexico City has several skylines but this is probably the main one.

[Quixote]

Very intriguing city.

[ChrisLA]

Wow! Just wow.

One of the best photos threads put together on this entire forum. Thats saying alot since I've been on this forum a very long time.

I've always wanted to visit Mexico City. Just recenly at Borders Books here in LA, they had a clearance sale on the book Above Mexico City for 4.99. I couldn't believe it because usually they go for like $45. I hurried up and purchased this book before they all vanished for good. I've been looking at it quite often, and in fact its sitting on the back seat of my car right now. Even my sister who have no interest in cities, I found her checking it out when she was visiting one day.

Thanks for putting together the best photos from these different photograhpers, it was really quite a treat.

[Chelsea Spy]

wow - great thread - wonderful pictures of an awesome city

[Top Of The Park]

amazingly modern city considering

[Mario_Giovannetti]

Originally Posted by Westsidelife

Very intriguing city.

Yes, it is very intriguing even for those of us who live here.

Originally Posted by ChrisLA

Wow! Just wow.

One of the best photos threads put together on this entire forum. Thats saying alot since I've been on this forum a very long time.

I've always wanted to visit Mexico City. Just recenly at Borders Books here in LA, they had a clerance on the book Above Mexico City for 4.99. I could believe it because usually they go for like $45. I hurried up and purchased this for they all vanished for good. I've been looking at it quite often, and in fact is sitting on the back seat of my car right now. Even my sister who have no interest in cities, I found checking it out when she came over one day.

Thanks for putting together the best photos from these different photograhpers, it was really quite a treat.

Thanks ChrisLA, I appreciate the nice compliments. We certainly have some very good photographers in the Mexico forum. Their pictures are really great!

Originally Posted by Chelsea Spy

wow - great thread - wonderful pictures of an awesome city

Thanks! Mexico City is one of the most under-rated cities in the world. We often hear a lot about Buenos Aires and Rio when it comes to Latin America, and although both of those cities are beautiful without a doubt, people often forget about Mexico City. Instead when they think of Mexico, they think of coastal towns like Cancun, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta or border towns like Tijuana and Juarez.

[ChrisLA]

Originally Posted by Mario_Giovannetti

Thanks ChrisLA, I appreciate the nice compliments. We certainly have some very good photographers in the Mexico forum. Their pictures are really great!

Yes they are very talented. I had to edit and fix some of the typos I had in the text so it reads a little better. Forgive me I was at work last night, and very very tired. With that I had made a few mistakes.

Also can you suggest any good movies that really show off Mexico City. If they are a Mexican film, of course they need to have english sub-titles in order for me to understand. I know shame on me, my dad speaks Spanish, but none of my brothers and sisters do. I'm only half Mexican American as my dad was born in New Mexico.

[Austin55]

Torre Latinoamericanais amazing,Ive always loved it. very good collection of pictures. No matter how much I see it it still seems very forign to me.

[Fusey]

Great shots!

[Marino33]

What a city! Very impressive.

[ColDayMan]

I wish there was more vacation/interaction between the United States and Mexico (aside from the "resort" areas).

[SirNewYork]

This looks more like Tokyo than Latin America. Incredible image.

[KVNBKLYN]

Fantastic thread! I haven't been to DF in many years and this thread is making me think I might need to go there again soon.

[latennisguy]

People always ask why I love Mexico City so much, and this is why! I've only been once and fell in love with the city. Thanks for bringing great memories!

[dido13]

I liked to watch some of mi photos in this thread, I'm proud of it!

[Mario_Giovannetti]

Originally Posted by ChrisLA

Also can you suggest any good movies that really show off Mexico City. If they are a Mexican film, of course they need to have english sub-titles in order for me to understand.

Here are some Hollywood movies filmed in MC:

Total Recall
Arnold Schwarzenegger
This is supposed to be a city of the future in Mars

Romeo and Juliet
Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes
The movie is supposed to take place in Verona, Italy but it was filmed in MC

Man on Fire
Denzel Washinton and Dakota Fanning

Vantage Point
Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver
It's supposed to be Salamanca, Spain but they filmed it in MC

The Matador
Pierce Brosnan

License to Kill
Timothy Dalton

[10101000]

Oh my, this is awesome! Great photos!

[Crawford]

Great review of Mexico City! As a part-time chilango, I always wonder why this city is comparatively little-known.

DF is the biggest, richest city in Latin America. It's the most important Spanish-speaking city on earth.

[Surrealplaces]

Nice pictures, thanks for the tour!

[skyline]

Very nice collection! What a monster city!