The Making of Mexico City: A Centro Historico Walking Tour

Mexico City rose from an island empire on a now-vanished lake, its ancient temples are buried beneath colonial palaces and Art Deco towers. On this walking tour, you'll find out how Tenochtitlan became today's sprawling metropolis. You'll learn how each major era of Mexico City residents envisioned their city -- the Mexica, the Colonialists, the post-independence criollos, and today's modern resident.

The tour starts at Pastelería Ideal, a bakery housed in the last remnant of a Franciscan convent that once covered these blocks. From there, you'll meander through Plaza Manuel Tolsá, home to the National Museum of Art and the Palacio de Minería, before reaching the ornate Palacio de Correos, Mexico City's still-functioning post office. You'll continue along Avenida Madero, passing the Torre Latinoamericana and the Bellas Artes palace, into the heart of the historic center.

Along the way, you'll hear about the Iturbide Palace's Baroque façade and see the Zócalo, once the ceremonial heart of the Mexica city-state and now home to the Metropolitan Cathedral and Palacio Nacional. In Plaza de Santo Domingo, you'll learn how the Inquisition once operated from its buildings, before viewing Diego Rivera's murals at the SEP headquarters. The tour ends at the Templo Mayor, the Mexica's main temple, rediscovered by electrical workers in 1978.

On this 60-minute tour, you'll have a chance to:

• Explore Casa de los Azulejos, a colonial mansion covered in Talavera tiles with an early Orozco mural inside
• Step inside the Church of San Francisco, the last surviving piece of the original Franciscan convent complex
• Sample tacos de canasta, steamed street tacos sold from baskets along Avenida Madero
• Browse the free Museo Estanquillo, filled with writer Carlos Monsiváis's quirky personal collection
• Learn how La Profesa church hosted the debate over Juan Diego's sainthood, the visionary behind the Virgin of Guadalupe
• Spot filming locations from the James Bond movie Spectre
• Sip hot chocolate at El Cardenal, a historic café famous for its concha bread with clotted cream

By the time you reach the Templo Mayor, you'll understand how Mexico City grew from a Mexica island city into the capital it is today.