From Chapultepec to Nuevo Polanco: Axolotls, Siqueiros, Soumaya and Jumex

Meet the axolotl

Why it's here. The axolotl lives in the wild only in the canals of Xochimilco, and it's critically endangered. Anfibium, in the old elephant house of the Chapultepec Zoo, is a museum and conservation center devoted to it and to more than thirty other species, from frogs and salamanders to turtles and crayfish.

Don't miss.

• The axolotl pond, and the wetland built to recreate the lake of Xochimilco.
• The laboratories, where you can watch the conservation work through the glass.

Plan for about 45 minutes.

Nearby. The rest of the Chapultepec Zoo is all around you, and our Chapultepec Forest route covers the big museums of the park.

Next: walk about 600 m north, crossing Paseo de la Reforma, to the Sala de Arte Público Siqueiros.

The muralist's house

Why it's here. David Alfaro Siqueiros, one of the three great Mexican muralists, bought this house in Polanco in 1959 and opened it to the public in 1969. He refused to call it a museum, which he found too static, and named it a "public art room". Weeks before his death, he donated it to the people of Mexico. It keeps his archive: tens of thousands of documents and more than ten thousand photographs of his life.

Don't miss.

• Whatever exhibition is on: the museum invites contemporary artists to work in dialogue with Siqueiros.
• The building itself, with the traces of the working studio it once was.

Plan for about 45 minutes.

Next: head north through the streets of Polanco to Nuevo Polanco, about 2.5 km on foot, or take a ride.

Behind the silver facade

Why it's here. The Soumaya, designed by Fernando Romero and covered in thousands of hexagonal aluminum tiles, is one of the city's best-known buildings. Inside, six floors hold the collection of Carlos Slim's foundation, from colonial coins and pre-Hispanic pieces to European Old Masters and modern art.

Don't miss.

• The top floor, devoted to Rodin and his circle, including Camille Claudel: one of the largest collections of Rodin casts outside France.
• The European Old Masters and the painters of New Spain.
• The ramp that connects the floors, part of the building's design.

Plan for two hours or more.

Next: Museo Jumex is just across the plaza, a few steps away.

Contemporary art next door

Why it's here. Museo Jumex, designed by David Chipperfield, shows the Jumex Collection, one of the most important private collections of contemporary art in Latin America, along with exhibitions by Mexican and international artists. Its sawtooth roof and pale stone make it the quiet counterpart to the Soumaya across the plaza.

Don't miss.

• Whatever exhibitions are on.
• The top floor, where the roof lets in natural light.

Plan for about an hour and a half.

To end the day. Nuevo Polanco has plenty of places to eat, many of them within a few minutes of the plaza.