Explore with us one of the most emblematic avenues and sites of interest in Mexico City , the Paseo de la Reforma, where we will find numerous attractions, beautiful architecture, a modern and elegant atmosphere, great historical value and if that were not enough , great opportunities for entertainment, learning or relaxation; so let’s get started!
What is the Paseo de la Reforma?
Paseo de la Reforma is the most famous avenue in Mexico City and without a doubt it is among the most beautiful and striking, since in it you can find monuments wherever you look, pieces of art by great artists, important buildings such as the Senate or the Stock Exchange, excellent hotels, restaurants, shops and other sites of great interest.
This avenue, inspired by the Champs Elysées in Paris, France, also has great historical significance, since in the time of Maximilian of Habsburg it was the main imperial road along which people traveled and the place where the most important events took place. Since then it has been a symbol of the capital’s society, representing the city before the whole world.
What are the monuments that can be found in Paseo de la Reforma?
You can find numerous monuments and sculptural works on Paseo de la Reforma or in its surrounding areas, but among the main ones is the Monument to the Heroes of Independence, or more popularly known as the Angel of Independence. This work, which is a symbol of historical significance for the Mexican people, was made from a project by Engineer Antonio Rivas Mercado, being built by Roberto Gayol in 1910. The 1957 earthquake knocked it down but it was rebuilt by the sculptor José Fernández Urbina .
You will be able to appreciate that the column on which the angel stands is very tall, being the tallest of its kind at 32 meters. In addition to the figure of the Winged Victory or Angel, in the lower part there are, at different levels, other statues that represent various themes, such as the 4 black bronze female figures, which symbolize Peace, War, Justice and the Law. On another level are the marble statues of José María Morelos, Vicente Guerrero, Francisco Javier Mina and Nicolás Bravo, along with two other female figures that symbolize the Homeland and History; and finally, on another level there is a statue representing Miguel Hidalgo, a central figure of the Independence of Mexico.
Another great work that you can see near the Paseo de la Reforma is the Monument to the Revolution, located in the Plaza de la República, popular for its size and the geometry of its construction. Initially it was not intended to be a Monument to the Revolution, but rather the site to house the Legislative Palace. It was not until 1932 that Engineer Alberto J. Pani proposed that the mechanical skeleton of the construction be used to erect the Monument to the Revolution. In 1933 the architect Carlos Obregón started the work and finished it in 1938.
The Monument to the Revolution has a height of 63 meters and has various sculptures on the top of the dome, which are all works by Engineer Oliverio G. Martínez, and represent Independence, reform laws, agrarian laws and labor laws.
As of 1946, the monument was granted the function of Pantheon of Illustrious Men and the remains of Francisco I. Madero, Venustiano Carranza, Francisco Villa, Plutarco Elías Calles and Lázaro Cárdenas rest there today.
Continuing along our tour of Paseo de la Reforma we will find another monument in one of the roundabouts on the avenue, and it is the famous Diana the Huntress Fountain, inaugurated in 1942, designed by the architect Vicente Mendiola and made by the sculptor Juan Francisco Olaguíbel. . The statue weighs more than a ton, is made entirely of bronze and is 3 meters tall. At first Olaguíbel called this work “La Flechadora de la Estrella del Norte”, but it was named by the people as La Diana Cazadora and has been known as such ever since.
This work has been the subject of controversy and certain incidents, since initially, people found the silhouette of the female figure too provocative, so the author had to resort to covering it with a bronze “loincloth”, the which he kept for 25 years. In 1967 it was requested that the work be shown as the author had done it, so the regent Alfonso Corona del Rosal decided to remove the loincloth from the sculpture. During the modification, the work suffered some damage, so it was decided to cast a new one without defects and the original piece was donated to the municipality of Ixmiquilpan, in the state of Hidalgo, where it has been located since 1970. In 1974 the new sculpture was moved due to works in Circuito Interior, and was forgotten for 18 years,
Undoubtedly these monuments are great attractions, ideal to go and take a few pictures.
What other attractions are on or near Paseo de la Reforma?
An activity that is very popular among visitors to Mexico City and that allows you to get to know all the attractions of Paseo de la Reforma and many more places, is the well-known bus tour.
This tour has recorded audio commentary that will tell you about all the places on it. It is done in a double-decker bus with an open top, from which you can get on and off as many times as you want in a 24-hour period. During the trip you will be able to appreciate the aforementioned monuments, in addition to the National Auditorium, the various museums of Chapultepec, the Roma, Condesa, Polanco neighborhoods, the Zona Rosa, the Zócalo, the Alameda Central, Plaza Carso and Santa Fe.
If you are still not satisfied with the bus tour, you can choose to do it on a Segway, a small 2-wheeled motorized vehicle, which allows you to closely explore all the features that make up Paseo de la Reforma without getting tired. This activity begins when you meet with your group and with the guide in Polanco, where before leaving you will receive the necessary training to use the Segway.
The first visits include the Museum of Anthropology and History and the Rufino Tamayo Museum, then passing by the side of Chapultepec Park and observing the spectacular Torre Mayor. The tour guide will tell fascinating stories throughout the tour, also going through the places where the Diana the Huntress, the Angel of Independence and the Monument to the Revolution are located, which we already talked about before.
Both walks are very good options to get to know Paseo de la Reforma, but going on to talk about the specific attractions that are found throughout the place, we will start by pointing out the Torre Mayor, the tallest building in Mexico City. The Torre Mayor is an office building, but if you want to visit it you can go up to the viewpoint on the upper floors, where you can enjoy a wonderful view of the city, as well as having the opportunity to find some of the temporary art exhibitions that they present there. .
The building is impressive in itself, since it has a height of 225 meters, 59 levels that include 4 parking basements, 27 passenger elevators and 2 service elevators, 2,000 parking spaces, and if that were not enough, it is a “intelligent building”.
Continuing along our route on Paseo de la Reforma, we find another building of great importance, it is the National Auditorium, recognized as the favorite center to show all kinds of shows and symbolic events. Within this venue, a large number of events are held, such as concerts, award ceremonies, dance shows, theater, among many others.
And what about museums?
The Paseo de la Reforma is frequented to a great extent by the important museums that are on the road itself or in its vicinity, and we will start by talking about the most transcendental, the National Museum of Anthropology and History, located in the northern area of Reforma, and considered the most famous museum in Mexico and the most relevant in terms of the history of Mesoamerican cultures.
You will notice that this museum is large, since it has almost one hundred thousand square meters. The project was executed by engineers, architects and scientists led by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez. Throughout its space, the museum has eleven archeology rooms, with numerous pieces, human remains, objects of veneration, scale representations, architectural works, Mesoamerican deities, objects of daily use, jewelry, clothing, indigenous houses, offerings and monolithic constructions, such as that of the god Tlaloc, the Aztec Calendar or Stone of the Sun, the sculpture of Coatlicue, and many more.
Close to the Museum of Anthropology is the renowned Rufino Tamayo Museum, where you can find more than 300 works of contemporary art, which were a donation from the artist Rufino Tamayo. Among these works you will appreciate the work of Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró and Tamayo himself. The project for this museum was developed by the architects Teodoro González de León and Abraham Zabludovsky.
Excellent museums without a doubt, so do not forget to visit them and enjoy their wonderful works of art and their great historical value.
This concludes this guide on Paseo de la Reforma, please leave us your opinion on what we have seen together, and if you think we missed something, add it to your comment, and continue the tour! 
