You know you are in the heart of Mexico City when you find yourself standing in Reforma, the city’s most emblematic avenue. It was designed by Ferdinand von Rosenzweig in 186o with a European style inspired on Champs-Élysées in Paris. Its construction was ordered by the then Emperor of Mexico, Maximiliano I because he wanted an avenue that would link to his castle, Castillo de Chapultepec.
The avenue measures 14.7 kilometers in length and along it are many of Mexico’s most famous buildings and monuments can be found here.
Of the many monuments that adorn this lush avenue, the most famous one is the world renowned Angel de La Independencia (Angel of Independence), a column with a statue of an angel on top built in honor of Mexico’s independence and its heroes, who, in fact, a buried underneath it.
Another monument found is the Monument to the Revolution, a dome supported by four arches that was meant to be the parliament building but its construction was suspended during the Mexican Revolution and never finished. Many key figures of the Mexican Revolution such as Francisco I. Madero are buried underneath it.
Other smaller monuments include the Diana the Huntress Fountain, depicting a Roman Goddess Diana, who was the goddess of hunt, the moon and birth. Other monuments in honor of figures such as Christopher Colombus, Cuauhtémoc, Simón Bolívar and more can also be found here.
The newest monument found here is Estela de Luz (Pillar of Light), a building constructed in the year 2011 to honor 200 of Mexico’s independence from Spain. However, this particular monument created controversy due to the exaggerated amount of money the government stated to have spent on its construction and for many Mexicans, it represents corruption.
Torre Mayor, another famous Mexican skyscraper, is also situated here. It is the tallest building in Mexico and the second tallest in Latin America after Ocean Two building in Panama.
Parque de Chapultepec‘s entrance is located here, a famous park featuring a lake, a botanical garden, a zoo, the Chapultepec Castle, and many more activities to entertain its visitors.
The amount of museums found along Reforma don’t fall behind the amount of monuments and buildings. Among the favorites are Tamayo Museum, dedicated to contemporary art and Museo Nacional de Antropología, dedicated to anthropology.
Along the avenue, you can find a wide selection of restaurants, bars and cafés – most of them are upscale and quite fancy.
On Sundays, the avenue closes for cars for people to come there and ride their bikes peacefully with their families. Bike rentals are available all over Mexico City with a similar system to the one in London, meaning you can get your bike at one point and drop it off at another one.