Destination Information - Mexico City, Mexico

Built on the ancient city of Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire, Mexico City is a noisy, brash, exuberant, and quite unique city. There are few places in the world like Mexico City that demonstrate such extremes of ancient history and ultra-modernity, of devastating poverty and over-the-top flashy wealth, of glitzy nightlife and seedy lowlife.

This is a place that is constantly changing and evolving, and it seems that every corner you turn you'll come across some new structure in progress, whether it's an office block or a metro station. Despite this, Mexico City fiercely guards and preserves its history and has not allowed the march of progress to get in the way of retaining its sense of identity. As one of the biggest cities in the world, Mexico's capital is hectic and sprawling; there is also plenty of beauty to be discovered if you know where to look for it.

Such beauty can be found in Mexico City's cultural riches, which come in the form of some of the best museums and historical attractions in the world. An absolute must-see is the National Anthropology Museum, a trove of pre-Hispanic treasures that beats pretty much any other collection in the world. From intricately inlaid jade masks and enormous stone carvings to recreations of Mayan and Aztec structures, you don't have to be a historian to appreciate the jewels of some of the most fascinating and enigmatic cultures ever to have existed.

Away from the museums, Mexico City is a great place to simply wander and soak up the atmosphere. Stroll through the Zócalo, the enormous central square, where locals regularly congregate for political rallies, or amble through the tree-lined streets of the pretty suburb of Coyoacán where the pace of life is altogether less hurried.

In the evenings, sample some real Mexican food - quite different to what's on offer abroad; knock back a few tequilas with the locals to the strains of a mariachi band; or dance the night away in a salsa club. You'll never be stuck for something to do in the vibrant Mexican capital.