A day like today, but in 1989
23 January, 2019
Everything You Need to Know About Paseo de la Reforma
29 March, 2019Mexico City residents have everything they need to have fun, from parks, lodging, museums and plazas, to a forest that offers a large number of activities. We are referring to Chapultepec Forest, an area full of trees and green areas where entire families can find museums, fountains to take a souvenir photo and a Castle that protects part of Mexico's history.
In addition, Chapultepec has another attraction that is quite fun for children and adults: the Fair. This amusement park is not only full of mechanical games, but also of history... and a very interesting one.
Chapultepec Fair
The Chapultepec Fair is an amusement park with more than 50 mechanical rides, so that all members of the family can have a great time and, above all, experience many emotions.
This fun place was inaugurated on October 24, 1964 with the name “Los Juegos Mecánicos de Chapultepec”, in the second section of the forest, in front of Los Pinos, the official house where several presidents lived, but which currently functions as a museum.
Well, the Fair will be 55 years old next October, a long time in which it has undergone various renovations and improvements so that visitors find modern and, above all, very safe facilities.
In fact, the Fair served as a guide to delimit the second section of Chapultepec Park, which has two artificial lakes and also houses the Museum of Natural History, another of the main attractions of this great forest.
An interesting fact about the Chapultepec Fair is that since its inauguration, it belonged to the government of Mexico City; however, it was put up for sale in 1992 and was acquired by the Chapultepec Business Group, then it changed its name to La Feria de Chapultepec Mágico, which was reopened in 1993.
This amusement park can accommodate almost 15 thousand people in its facilities. According to data released by the newspaper El Universal, the fair receives 1.5 million visitors a year, mainly families consisting of father, mother and their children.
Specifically for the little ones, the Chapultepec Fair has games that are safe and entertaining, such as the Hot Air Balloons, the Fire Truck, and the classic two-story musical Carousel.
For teenagers and adults, one of the main attractions of the Fair is the Roller Coaster, a mechanical game made of wood and a metal structure that was built in six months, but due to wear and tear, was reopened in 1987, with new brakes and completely renovated trains.
In addition, this amusement park hosts a Sesame Street show on weekends, and depending on the season of the year, other shows are held, such as “The Zombie Invasion” and the “Snow Zone.”
Chapultepec Forest, a variety of attractions
In addition to the Fair, Chapultepec Forest houses other attractions on its 678 hectares that visitors really enjoy. Some have an architecture and design that cannot be missed, for example, the Altar a la Patria, a work by architect Enrique Aragón Echegaray that was built in honor of the child heroes.
To exercise and at the same time have fun, there are the boats in the first and second sections of the Forest, some for two, four and even five people. And in addition to the boats, you can also rent kayaks, either for one or two people.
But that's not all, visitors can also visit the Botanical Garden that has a great variety of plants; there is the Casa del Lago “Juan José Arreola”, a cultural center where workshops, concerts and plays are offered; the National Museum of Anthropology or the Papalote Children's Museum for the little ones.
The museums are one of the most important attractions in Chapultepec Park. We already mentioned the Papalote and Anthropology museums, as well as the Modern Art and Caracol museums.
There is another very attractive museum for tourists and it is located inside Chapultepec Castle, a historic building that not only houses its own history, but also that of some episodes that marked the course of Mexico.
Chapultepec Castle Museum
Once the presidents of Mexico established that Los Pinos would be their new residence, the castle was declared on February 3, 1939 as the new National Museum of History, Chapultepec Castle.
The inauguration of the facility took place on September 27, 1944, as a place where people can find “a vision of the history of Mexico, from the Conquest and formation of New Spain to the dawn of the 20th century,” according to the INAH.
The museum is divided into eight spaces, in which the most important and determining moments in the history of our country are shown:
- Two Isolated Continents: gives a view of Europe and America, the conquest that the Europeans made over different territories of the world and the civilizations that existed in American lands.
- The Kingdom of New Spain: a review of the three centuries that shaped the foundations of what is currently Mexico, as well as the mixture of ethnicities, languages and traditions.
- Viceroys: addresses one of the forms of government that Mexico had after the conquest of Hernán Cortés. Here the viceroys are shown as the representation of the Spanish monarch in Mexican lands.
- Malachites: gives a wide sample of the decorative objects that goldsmiths and artists made over several centuries.
- The War of Independence: a vision of the events that marked this period in the history of Mexico, which allowed our territory to be separated from Spain, is offered.
- The young nation: the new governments it had, as well as its main decisions in independent Mexico, are captured in this space.
- Towards modernity: an overview of the influence that Porfirio Díaz had on the history of Mexico is offered.
- 20th century: this space is dedicated to the appearance of technology, which was captured in inventions such as television.
El Castillo de Chapultepec se construyó entre 1785 y 1787 en la cima del cerro del chapulín, para que sirviera como casa de descanso para el virrey Bernardo de Gálvez.
Al Castillo se le han dado diferentes usos desde su creación, como sede del Colegio Militar vivió una invasión estadounidense en septiembre de 1847, episodio donde fallecieron los “Niños Héroes”.
Esta famosa construcción sirvió como residencia imperial para Maximiliano y Carlota de Habsburgo, los emperadores que gobernaron en nuestro país de 1864 a 1867, año en que él fue fusilado.
El Castillo fue la residencia presidencial para varios mandatarios de México, entre ellos, Porfirio Díaz y Venustiano Carranza; hasta que Lázaro Cárdenas estableció Los Pinos como la nueva casa presidencial.
Hotels near Chapultepec are surrounded by the city atmosphere that combines with the nature that distinguishes this forest, something that undoubtedly gives them a plus for all tourists looking for good accommodation.
For this reason, at Stanza we are concerned with providing quality service, which we achieve through a combination of comfort and personalized attention. Thanks to this, travelers have chosen us as one of the best lodging options in the Roma-Condesa area.
