Self-guided walking tour of Coyoacán in Mexico City - Mexico City Purple Travel Guide

Coyoacán feels like a small Mexican town within Mexico City. It is one of our preferred places and we provide you a detailed itinerary with the best things to see and we show lots of photos so you know what you can expect.

Coyoacán is a borough of Mexico City which was occupied by the Tepanec people who fought Aztec domination and therefore welcomed the Spanish conquistadores. The Spaniards made Coyoacán their headquarters during their conquest of the Aztec empire and, from 1521 and 1523, made it the first capital of New Spain.

The name Coyoacán comes from the Aztecs and means place of coyotes. Depictions of coyotes are prevalent throughout the city, e.g. on street signs.

It took until 1857 until Coyoacán became part of expanding Mexico City and it was not until the mid-20th century that the rural town became the urbanized center that it is today.
Nevertheless, the historic downtown area of Coyoacán has preserved much of its small-town Mexican charm and it has quickly become one of our favorite destinations to relax and people-watch within Mexico City.

Coyoacan is a good place to stroll through the streets.

We took the metro to the Coyoacán station and walked from there.

Here at Backpack and Snorkel Travel Guides, we typically promote self-guided walking tours.
But we realize that not everybody likes to walk by themselves in a foreign city. So, just in case that you rather go with ab guide: NO PROBLEM! Please see the free GuruWalk and paid Viator tours below.

Viveros de Coyoacán

If you start at the Coyoacan metro station, then Viveros de Coyoacán is a nice intermediate stop, otherwise you can skip this park.

Founded as a tree nursery in the early 20th century, this 96 acres (39 hectares) today is part forested park and part tree nursery. The tree nursery produces about 1 million tree seedlings per year which are used for reforestation projects in the Mexico City area.

There are about 2,500-3,000 visitors per day and many of them come here to exercise in the shades of the trees.
As it is popular to feed squirrels in the park, it is said that the squirrel population is too high (which causes tree damage) and that the squirrels are tame. Well, we did not try to feed them and maybe that’s probably why the squirrels stayed away from us.
The park has public restrooms.

Museo Frida Kahlo

The Frida Kahlo museum is also known as Blue House (La Casa Azul), because of its cobalt-blue wall paint. The building was Frida Kahlo's birthplace (July 6, 1907), childhood home and the house where she died on July 13, 1854. She also lived here with her husband Diego Rivera for some of years.

The house was built in 1904 and is about 8,600 sqft (800 square meters) large and has a 4,300 sqft (400 square meter) courtyard.
It was converted into a museum in 1958.
The building his decorated the way it was in the 1950s and it houses artwork from Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and some other artists. Exhibited are also other belongings including memorabilia, photographs, and pre-Hispanic artifacts.

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera helped Leon Trotsky and his wife obtain asylum in Mexico while he was under a death sentence from Stalin and housed them in this building from 1937-1939.

Interestingly, Frida Kahlo was barely known to the general public until the Neomexicanismo movement started promoting her work in the 1980s. She became so popular that Museo Frida Kahlo is now one of the most visited museums in Mexico City and the number one tourist magnet in Coyoacán with about 25,000 monthly visitors.
As such, it is important to buy a ticket on the museum’s website several days in advance of your visit, as there are no ticket sales on site. Tickets are sold by time slot, and you must show up at your designated entrance time.

Plaza Jardín Hidalgo

Plaza Jardín Hidalgo is the main plaza of Coyoacán. It is a beautiful plaza to relax and just watch people. In the past, the plaza was overrun by street vendors, but after the nearby Bazar Artesanal Mexicano was built in 2008, the number of vendors was limited by law.

The plaza itself has a central kiosk, a Coyoacan sign, a Hidalgo monument, beautifully manicured green spaces and is surrounded by beautiful older buildings.
We spend probably an hour just watching people in this park.

Bazar Artesanal Mexicano

Built in 2008, Bazar Artesanal Mexicano provided much-needed relief for people visiting nearby Plaza Jardín Hidalgo and Jardín Centenario which were overrun by street vendors.

The Bazar has lots of small vendor stands on two floors where you can buy anything from souvenirs to clothes.
Restrooms are on either floor of the building.

When you exit the two-story bazaar, make an immediate right and go into the separate store. This is a nice store and when you walk through it, you come right to the next destination: Jardín Centenario

Jardín Centenario

In the 16th century, this park used to be part of a large atrium that belonged to the Parroquia San Juan Bautista and was used as a cemetery for many years. From the enclosing structure, only the red painted Arcadas Atrial to the west are still standing.
In the center of the park is a fountain with two of the town’s namesake coyotes.

Jardín Centenario is smaller than its neighbor Plaza Jardín Hidalgo and it is much more forested, providing welcome shade during the hot summer months.

There are many restaurants directly south of the park, but our next destination lies to the east: Parroquia San Juan Bautista

Parroquia San Juan Bautista

Built by Dominican friars between 1520 and 1552, Parroquia San Juan Bautista is one of three oldest parish churches in Mexico City and a National Monument since 1934.

The church and adjacent cloisters were later transferred to the Franciscans.

Over the centuries, the buildings deteriorated, and parts had to be restored or completely rebuilt so that the only original pieces are the are the choir, main altar, and Rosario Chapel.

Look at the bell tower. You will see a tree growing out of it, which is ironic, because it was restored in 2005, because trees were growing out of it.

There are seven chapels inside the church and there is an ornate Baroque altarpiece in the Rosario Chapel that dates from the late 17th century.

This concludes your third full day in Mexico City.

Self-guided walking tours of Mexico City

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