The terrace
Views down Reforma.
Own work — CC BY-SA 4.0 · ProtoplasmaKid — CC BY 4.0 · Jbribeiro1 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · José Luiz — CC BY-SA 4.0 · José Luiz — CC BY-SA 4.0 · José Luiz — CC BY-SA 4.0
A palace on a hilltop in Chapultepec Park, 2,325 metres up, and with one other building in the city, one of only two royal palaces in North America actually lived in by monarchs. The hill's Nahuatl name means «hill of the grasshopper», and it was a sacred place for the Aztecs. It was built under Spanish rule as a summer house for the viceroy, then became a military academy, then the palace of Emperor Maximilian and Empress Carlota in the 1860s, then the residence of Mexico's presidents. Since 1939 it has been the National Museum of History. You climb a sloping road through the trees to reach rooms of the imperial palace with their furniture and chandeliers, the rooftop garden and the long terrace overlooking Paseo de la Reforma and the city's skyscrapers. The museum also holds huge murals by Mexican painters telling the country's history, and stained-glass windows. The climb takes about 15 minutes, with a small road train for a token fare. The castle is closed on Mondays and entry ends an hour before closing, so arrive early.
Views down Reforma.
19th-century grandeur.
Mexico's story in paint.
Chapultepec Hill, first section of Chapultepec Park
Yes, both are in Chapultepec Park, about 20 minutes' walk apart. Start with the castle in the morning, then the museum, and avoid Mondays when both are closed.
