Constitution Plaza — known to locals as the Zócalo, or Plaza de la Constitución — is the vast main square at the heart of Mexico City’s historic centre and one of the largest public squares in the world. It has been the civic and ceremonial centre of the city since Aztec times, when it formed the core of Tenochtitlan.
The square is framed by the Metropolitan Cathedral, the largest cathedral in the Americas, and the National Palace, whose courtyards hold Diego Rivera’s sweeping murals on Mexican history. The excavated Templo Mayor, the Aztec great temple, sits just off one corner, and a giant Mexican flag is raised and lowered over the plaza each day.
Open around the clock as a public space, the Zócalo hosts festivals, concerts, protests and seasonal installations year-round. Visit in the morning for cooler air and clearer photos, then explore the museums, cafés and pedestrian streets of the surrounding Centro Histórico.
