Nowhere captures the architectural splendor and variety of Mexico City quite like Condesa and Roma. Located on either side of Avenida Insurgentes, these neighborhoods were some of the hardest hit with recent earthquake damage, though they continue to transform into the city’s hottest energetic enclaves. On this three-hour architecture tour, we'll survey Condesa and Roma districts with an expert as we encounter Mexico’s most celebrated Art Deco, Art Nouveau, and Modernist buildings and stroll charming green parks, galleries, and even former indigenous settlements. 

We’ll begin with our expert guide by heading towards Condesa, one of the first parts of Mexico City’s expansion in the early twentieth century and known for its nationalistic Art Deco buildings, built at a time when Mexico was fighting for an identity on the global stage. We’ll see impressive examples of Francisco J. Serrano’s and Ernesto Buenrostro’s structures were built during the 1930s and ’40s along with the outdoor theatre named in Charles Lindbergh’s honor for his 1927 visit. We’ll have a chance to view an early Barragan home and compare it with his more notable work. Our guide will discuss the area’s growth during the height of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema as well as the shock effect of recent earthquakes.

We’ll leave swanky Condesa behind as we continue to its grittier hipster cousin, Roma. Originally renowned for its French Art Noveau architecture, it only recently has been rediscovered as a destination worth exploring thanks not only to the Oscars but also to a host of creative, entrepreneurial minds which gave rise to its unique character. We will visit gourmet Roma Market for a beverage and break to discuss the politics, economics, and lifestyle trends that are making Mexico City the attractive metropolis that we see today. Our expert will then show some must-see spots along Alvaro Obregon and time permitting, we may make it to the oldest part of the neighborhood La Romita, a town-within-the-city that during the colonial era was an indigenous settlement complete with a 16th-century church. Here is an excellent place to take in street art and make our conclusion about the nature of gentrification and sustainable growth in the city as a whole as it enjoys its blossoming cultural rebirth.

Want to learn more about Mexico City’s artistic legacy? Try our Frida Kahlo Tour.

Where does this walk end?  This walk typically ends in the Roma neighborhood. Your expert can point you in the right direction of your next destination.

I’m not an architectural enthusiast. Will I enjoy this tour?  We think so! Although the focus is on architecture, we use buildings as a way to explain the social, political, and economic trends facing the city in general, so it’s a great tour to give you an overall impression of what Mexico City is today and might be tomorrow.