Zócalo

Every Spanish colonial city in North America was laid out according to a textbook plan, with a plaza at the center surrounded by a church, government buildings, and military headquarters. Because Mexico City was the capital of New Spain, its zócalo is one of the grandest, graced on all sides by stately 17th-century buildings.

Zócalo actually means 'pedestal' or 'plinth'. A grand monument to Mexico's independence was planned and the pedestal built, but the project was never completed. Nevertheless, the pedestal became a landmark for visitors, and soon everyone was calling the square the zócalo, even after the pedestal was removed. (Its official name, which you will rarely hear, is Plaza de la Constitución.) It covers almost 4 hectares (10 acres) and is bounded on the north by Cinco de Mayo, on the east by Piño Suárez, on the south by 16 de Septiembre, and on the west by Nacional Monte de Piedad.

The Zocalo brings together the rhythmic beating of drums, the ankle-rattles of the native dancers and the glowing incense of modern day medicine men. A point of reference, of protest, of ritual and of national celebration, by night it offers an imposing spectacle which culminates in the tumultuous popular festivities on the 15th of September (eve of Mexico's Independence Day).

Occupying the entire east side of the zócalo is the majestic red tezontle-stone Palacio Nacional, seat of the Mexican national government, and on the northern border is the Catedral Metropolitana.