MEXICO CITY MEXICO CITY

 Mexico city is the capital city of Mexico. It is the most important economic, industrial and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city with 8,720,916 inhabitants in 2005  Population (2006)  City - 8,720,916  Density-5,741/km² (14,869.1/sq mi)  Metro- 19,231,829  Demonym-Defeño, Chilango, Capitalino

 Government TyPe-Republic  Head of Government of the Federal District- Marcelo Ebrard  Official languages-None at federal level,Spanish de facto

 History  There has been a capital here since before the arrival of the Spanish. Unfortunately, virtually all of the old Aztec city of Tenoctitlan was destroyed by the Spanish in their zeal to convert the Indians to Christianity and erasetheir past. One impressive remain, however, El Templo Mayor, still survives. This is what's left of the Great Temple of the Aztecs. The ruin sits off the northeast corner of the Zocalo, the city's massive main square. Everything about the Zocalo is big. Here rests the Metropolitan Cathedral, said to be the largest in the western hemisphere, and the National Palace, where hundreds of thousands of people gather every September 15 to celebrate Father Hidalgo's call for Independence. Inside the palace are several murals by the great Diego Rivera.

 In a city of 20 million, fresh air is obviously a scarcity. To get it, the best place to go is Chapultepec Park, a sprawling 550 acre park to the east of the city center. Inside the park is the city zoo and several more museums. Another prime reason to visit the city is that it is a perfect jumping off zone for some of Mexico's greatest attractions. Only an hour away is Teotihuacan, an enormous pre- Columbian city that dates back 500 years before Christ. An hour and a half away is the Cuernavaca, the equivalent of the Hamptons for Mexico City's wealthy. Cuernavaca is a romantic mountain city with bougainvillea covered walls, aqueducts, and near-perfect weather.  Aztec sculpture of Coatlicue

 El caballito de Tolsa  Santa Fé Financial District  The main library of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.National Autonomous University of Mexico  Aztec Stadium