Chapultepec: Everything You Need to Know to Visit It
21 March, 2019
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13 May, 2019Every street and avenue in Mexico City has a story to tell, and Paseo de la Reforma is no exception, especially if we take into account that it is a road that has witnessed different historical stages that marked the country.
Reforma is one of the main avenues in the capital and due to its length, which exceeds 12 kilometers, it is also considered one of the largest; it is full of monuments, parks and other attractions that are worth knowing.
Before talking specifically about these attractions, we are going to delve a little into the history of this emblematic road, which like other areas of Mexico City, had a European influence from the moment its construction was planned.
Maximilian of Habsburg, the Emperor of Mexico, ordered the construction of the Paseo de la Reforma, influenced by his wife, Carlota Amalia of Belgium, who - according to legend - complained to her husband about his absence from Chapultepec Castle because the poor condition of the road prevented her from reaching it.
The emperors lived in the castle and the paths to get to this building were very different from the way they are today. Reforma was a dirt road guarded by many trees and bushes, around them there was nothing, only large green areas.
For this reason, Maximilian decided that it was time to build the Paseo de la Emperatriz, the name given to this road, whose straight line shape was to connect Chapultepec Castle with the Glorieta del Caballito.
The engineer Luis Bolland Kuhmackl, the architects Carl Gangolf, Ramón Rodríguez, as well as Santiago Rebull, Miguel Noroña and Felipe Sojo, artists from the Academy of San Carlos, were the men in charge of designing and giving life to the Paseo de la Reforma.
As we mentioned at the beginning, this road had European influence since the emperor ordered its construction, as he asked for it to have many trees, a wide median (like the Álvaro Obregón avenue) and also be decorated with fountains and sculptures.
The work began and after a while, the first section of the avenue was finished, which was called Paseo de la Emperatriz, where only people from the imperial court could walk.
However, the construction of Paseo de la Reforma was suspended during the presidency of Benito Juárez (between 1858 and 1872) and it also changed its name, since at that time it was known as Paseo Degollado.
After Juárez's death, the new president Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada ordered that the work to finish the road be resumed. However, it was Porfirio Díaz who influenced this avenue to adopt the appearance it has today, full of trees, sculptures, monuments and old mansions, some of which are preserved to this day.
Chapultepec, a tourist symbol of Reforma
Changes and a long history are some of the characteristics of Paseo de la Reforma, an avenue along which you can find various tourist attractions, the most popular of them all being, without a doubt, Chapultepec.
The history of the “Chapulín Hill” is just as interesting as that of Reforma. In 1325, Chapultepec was classified as a sacred place and several years later, in 1530, Emperor Charles V ordered it to become property of Mexico City.
Thus, the first viceroys who lived in Mexico visited Chapultepec to take short walks and hunt animals. For this reason, Viceroy Luis de Velasco ordered a pleasure palace to be built on the slopes of this hill, but it was destroyed in 1784 due to an explosion.
But the viceroys were not happy with that, so in 1785 Bernardo de Gálvez ordered the construction of another palace, this time on the top of the hill, and that is how Chapultepec Castle was born.
This complex went through different historical stages, for example, it served as the headquarters of the military college until it was bombed by the United States in 1847, it was the imperial home of Maximilian and Carlota, and also the presidential home of several leaders, including Porfirio Díaz.
The function that the Castle had as a presidential residence ended in 1939, when it was declared that it would be the headquarters of the National Museum of History, a cultural space that was inaugurated on September 27, 1944.
In this Museum, as its name indicates, different stages that marked the history of Mexico are shown, from the conquest of the Spanish, the creation of New Spain, the War of Independence and the arrival of the 20th century, with inventions such as television.
Monuments in Mexico City
In addition to Chapultepec, Paseo de la Reforma has other places worth seeing, which beautify this road and also remain as witnesses of the events that marked the history of our country.
Although different monuments can be seen throughout the Mexican capital, those located along Reforma have a special charm that many people want to capture with their cell phone cameras.
The Angel of Independence
The Monument to Independence is a brilliant representation of the Winged Victory, which is located on Paseo de la Reforma, in a roundabout between the streets of Río Tiber and Florencia.
The construction of the entire monument began in 1902, when Porfirio Díaz laid the first stone of the structure that supports the Angel. As part of this symbolic act, the president placed a chest inside the structure, in which there was an act of independence and coins from that time.
The entire work is due to three important men: Antonio Rivas Mercado, the architect; Enrique Alciati, the sculptor; Roberto Gayol, the engineer.
Together with their entire team, these men began the work, but in 1906 a problem arose; one of the sides of the structure was beginning to sink, so they had to demolish everything and start over.
Finally, the work to build this monument ended in 1910, precisely the year in which the centennial of Mexican independence was commemorated.
The sculpture of the Winged Victory was made of bronze and taking into account from the floor to the tip of the Angel, the monument measures 94.66 meters in total.
There is a fact that not many people know, and that is that on July 28, 1957, an earthquake damaged this symbol of Paseo de la Reforma, so a new sculpture had to be built and the Angel of Independence was reinaugurated on September 16, 1958, with an image that endures to this day.
Without a doubt, it is one of the most representative symbols of all of Mexico City, which impresses national and foreign tourists with its beauty and history.
Diana the Huntress
Another very important monument that beautifies Reforma is Diana the Huntress, which is actually called The Arrowmaker of the Northern Stars, a little-known but very interesting fact.
This emblematic fountain is located between Mississippi and Sevilla streets, it was designed by the architect Vicente Mendiola Quezada, while the sculpture of the goddess was made by the sculptor Juan Fernando Olaguíbel.
The work to bring this monument to life began in 1938, until October 10, 1942, when the Fountain of Diana the Huntress was inaugurated by the president at that time, Manuel Ávila Camacho.
This fountain was built with the aim of beautifying Mexico City, by order of Javier Rojo Gómez, who was regent of the then Federal District. To do so, a woman was chosen to represent Diana, a Roman goddess of hunting.
The chosen one was Helvia Martínez Verdayes, a 16-year-old model who was immortalized as Diana the Huntress, which initially caused controversy because it showed the naked body of a woman; however, it is currently a symbol of the capital's culture.
Monument to Cuauhtémoc
A little further north, but also on Reforma, is the Monument to Cuauhtémoc, which was built thanks to Vicente Riva Palacio, who wanted to somehow honor the last Mexica emperor that our country had before the Spanish conquest.
It all began in 1877, when Riva Palacio called on sculptors and architects to choose the winning work from the many that participated in a public competition.
The architect Francisco H. Jiménez was the winner, as his work brought together elements of pre-Hispanic architecture. Thus, the first stone of the monument was placed on May 5, 1878, and it took nine years to finish building it.
This important symbol, located at the intersection of Paseo de la Reforma and Insurgentes Avenue, has a sculpture of the Emperor Cuauhtémoc at the top of its structure, which is guarded by eight bronze leopards that give an imposing image to this capital monument.
Insurgentes, a famous and popular road intersection
The active life of Mexico City can be seen reflected in one of the most famous road intersections it has, it is Insurgentes and Reforma, which is located right in the center of the capital.
Insurgentes Avenue is the busiest and largest road in the Mexican capital. Along it there are corporate areas, residential areas and some more that are dedicated to commercial activities.
The area that includes the intersection that we already mentioned is easy to recognize because a few steps away is the Monument to the Mother and nearby there is also the Monument to Cuauhtémoc and another one dedicated to Christopher Columbus.
However, that is not all that characterizes this intersection. There are also restaurants, parks and some museums that are worth visiting, for example, the Chocolate Museum.
This open-air gallery is filled with color every Sunday, it is an excellent opportunity for people to buy works of art directly from their creators, in a totally familiar and safe environment.
And at the intersection of Reforma and Insurgentes we cannot fail to mention the new headquarters of the Senate of the Republic, which was inaugurated on April 13, 2011. It is a group of light-colored buildings, which contrast with the greenery of the trees in Reforma.
In addition, in the fences of this enclosure, photographic exhibitions are regularly held that show the life of Mexico, and if that were not enough, there is a small park with benches so that people can take a moment to rest after walking around Reforma.
Thus, for everything that gives life to Paseo de la Reforma, we can say that it is a road that is worth walking all the way through, to be surprised by each of its charms and to remember a little of its history.
Also, near this avenue, you will find some of the trendiest neighborhoods in the city, such as Roma and Condesa. In these charming places, you will find the best accommodation in Mexico City, from boutique hotels to hotels with a terrace and their own restaurant, such as Stanza, a place that combines the best of practicality and comfort.
Another attraction near Insurgentes and Paseo de la Reforma is the Jardín del Arte, a space that has been exhibiting the works of different artists, such as sculptors, painters, engravers and photographers, in the open air since January 23, 1955.
