Mexico · Ciudad de México · Mexico City
San Rafael, Mexico City — Area Guide & Where to Stay
San Rafael keeps French-styled mansions of the Porfirio Díaz era and some of Luis Barragán's first buildings, inside the Cuauhtémoc borough.
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Where to stay in San Rafael
Each area has its own feel; here's who each one suits.
Mother's Monument is the marker most stays in San Rafael orient themselves by, with the Museo Experimental el Eco a few streets off and the Museo Casa de Carranza inside the same walk. This part of Cuauhtémoc keeps few rooms. Cuauhtémoc carries the bulk of the borough's rooms, so many visitors sleep elsewhere in it and come to San Rafael for the British Chapel, the Luis Barragán buildings and the 383 protected addresses.
Few places to stay in San Rafael — most visitors book in Cuauhtémoc nearby.
About San Rafael
What are the main landmarks in San Rafael?
Six names carry San Rafael in the record. Mother's Monument stands at the head of them, and the Museo Experimental el Eco sits a few streets from the mansion rows the colonia was founded on. Faith takes two forms here.
The British Chapel and Maná, Museo de la Biblia stand near the Museo Casa de Carranza and SimiCasa, four addresses that give the colonia more small institutions than its size suggests.
What is the history of San Rafael?
Established in the late 19th century, San Rafael was among the first formal neighbourhoods outside the old city centre, and it drew the wealth of the Porfirio Díaz era into large houses built with French influence. Many of those houses survive. A middle class arrived soon after, and a century of building and rebuilding layered further styles onto the same streets, including some of the first works by Luis Barragán. 383 buildings hold a historic classification.
Where is San Rafael?
San Rafael lies west of the historic city centre inside Cuauhtémoc, its blocks holding mansions from one era and rebuilt frontages from several others.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in San Rafael?
Cuauhtémoc: larger hotels a short trip from the Luis Barragán buildings.
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Updated September 2026