Mexico · Ciudad de México · Mexico City
Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Cuauhtémoc is the central borough of Mexico City, holding the historic core around the Templo Mayor.
About Cuauhtémoc
Where to stay in Cuauhtémoc
The right area depends on your trip — here's what each neighbourhood is best for.
Cuauhtémoc holds most of the city's beds. As the central borough of Mexico City, it wraps the old core near the National Palace along with the wide avenue leading out to the Angel of Independence, so guests can walk to the main sights from almost any block. Pick the part that fits.
Near the Templo Mayor you are in the historic heart; further along toward the Monument to Cuauhtémoc the streets open into the newer avenues that visitors use to reach the museums.
About Cuauhtémoc
What are the main landmarks in Cuauhtémoc?
The old capital sits here. Within Cuauhtémoc stand the Templo Mayor and the National Palace at the very heart of Mexico City, with the Angel of Independence rising over the avenue and the Palace of Iturbide holding its ground among the older streets. Museums cluster thickly.
The Museo Nacional de Arte, the Franz Mayer Museum, the Museum of Memory and Tolerance, and the Museo Universitario del Chopo each draw visitors, while the Hemicycle to Juárez and the Monument to Cuauhtémoc mark the public squares of the borough.
What is the history of Cuauhtémoc?
The borough took its shape in 1970. Cuauhtémoc was drawn around the historic centre of Mexico City, taking in the ground of the old Aztec capital where the Templo Mayor once stood at the heart of Tenochtitlan, and it carries the name of Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec ruler whose name is rendered as the Descending Eagle. The past runs deep.
Older monuments such as the Palace of Iturbide and the Academy of San Carlos survived the centuries, and Tlatelolco lies within the same borough, tying the modern district back to the city that grew over the Aztec lakebed.
Where is Cuauhtémoc?
Cuauhtémoc lies at the centre of Mexico City. It covers roughly 32 km² of the old lakebed, wrapping the historic core around the Templo Mayor and reaching out along the wide avenues toward the Angel of Independence. The borough sits among the inner delegations of Mexico City, and Tlatelolco falls within its northern part.
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Updated July 2026