Capital Comments
By Jim Johnston, Feb 9, 2007

When jacarandas bloom in Mexico City

Like cherry blossom time in Japan, jacaranda season in Mexico is a great time to visit. Springtime in Mexico City begins with thousands of jacaranda trees blooming like soft purple clouds above the streets and parks. Floating clusters of trumpet-shaped flowers adorn the city with their exquisite color, a blue-lavender reminiscent of violets, lilacs, orchids, and the sky, a color at once peaceful and intense. The trees are all over town, but here are some suggestions for enjoying the best of the jacarandas along with some of Mexico City’s most interesting tourist attractions.

Not far from the Zócalo, Mexico City’s vast main plaza, is the Secretaría de Educación Pública (Argentina 28 near Venezuela), where jacaranda-filled courtyards are decorated with murals by renowned Mexican artist Diego Rivera, painted here between 1923 and 1928. There is too much to see in one visit, so I recommend beginning upstairs on the third floor, where Rivera’s later work exhibits greater control of design and color. The murals are an allegory of the Mexican Revolution, with scenes of triumphant workers and decadent capitalists united by a long scroll painted with lyrics of revolutionary songs. These are my favorite Rivera murals in the city—full of movement, opinion, and colors you want to sink your teeth into. Rivera used his wife, Frida Kahlo, as a model for an armed revolutionary in the panel “The Arsenal” near the top of the stairs. Murals on the first floor depict traditions and festivals of the Mexican people. Passing beyond the back patio, you enter a colonial building (the former Customs House
), where murals by David Alfaro Siqueiros, Rivera’s famed contemporary, enliven the large stairwell with their bold imagery and energetic technique. 

Eight blocks west of the Zócalo is the Alameda, an oasis of green in the city center, a perfect place to relax under an umbrella of jacarandas, get your shoes shined and watch the world go by. Surrounding the park are some of Mexico City’s best sights. The Palacio de Bellas Artes, looking like a giant wedding cake at the end of the park, is the principal venue for opera, concerts and ballet. The museum upstairs has murals by Rivera, Tamayo and Siqueiros, among others, and there is a Museo de Arquitectura (separate admission ticket) on the top floor, well worth visiting for the up-close view of the dome over the lobby. 

Attending a performance at Bellas Artes is the only way to see the magnificent Aztec-Deco interior of the theater, with its Tiffany stained-glass stage “curtain.” Events are listed on the wall in the front lobby, where you will also find ticket booths (taquillas). The Ballet Folklórico presents colorful dance performances every Sunday and Wednesday; the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional has concerts on Friday nights at 8pm and Sundays at noon, with tickets for as little as 80 pesos.

Directly across from Bellas Artes you will see a Sears store, whose eighth-floor café is perfect for viewing the jacarandas in the Alameda below—and the coffee is good, too.

On the north side of the Alameda, on Avenida Hidalgo, is the Museo Franz Mayer, with a fine collection of colonial art housed in a lovingly restored 16th-century building. Be sure to visit the museum’s tranquil cloistered garden to best enjoy the elegant colonial architecture here. 

South of the Alameda, behind the high-rise Sheraton Hotel, is the Museo de Arte Popular (Revillagigedo and Independencia, www.map.org.mx). A top-notch collection of Mexican handicrafts is beautifully displayed here in a renovated Art Deco building. All proceeds from the store go to the artisans. 

The most dramatic display of jacarandas is found in Colonia Condesa. Take a taxi to Avenida Michoacán in Parque Mexico, where you will see a statue of a buxom nude holding two jugs spouting water. This marks the middle of the park, where you can also find a taxi sitio for your return trip. Ambling through this cool, shady neighborhood park is a pleasure, especially on weekends when you might encounter a used book sale, art classes for the kids, or an impromptu tango session near the duck pond. The park is a large oval, its perimeter defined by Avenida México and by a larger concentric oval, Avenida Amsterdam. Walking along these streets will give you a good feel for the mix of nature and architecture that characterizes this colonia—and you can’t get lost in this otherwise complicated neighborhood, as the oval shape returns you to your starting point. 

On Avenida Michoacán, about five blocks from Parque México (walking in the direction of the traffic), is the commercial center of Condesa, with lots of places to shop, eat, or sit and watch hip, young “chilangos” looking great and having fun. At Café La Gloria (Vicente Suarez at Amatlán), you can admire the work of established Mexico City artists on display while dining on bistro-style food. Artefacto (Amatlán 94) sells home accessories that mix traditional materials with sleek design. El Milagrito (Mazatlán 152) features whimsical gift items with images of Mexico’s twin goddesses, the Virgin of Guadalupe and Frida Kahlo. You can cool off with a gelato at Neve-Gelato (on the corner of Michoacán and Cuernavaca).

The nearby Condesa DF Hotel (at the corner of Veracruz and Parque España) is a fashionable hot spot, with a spectacular display of jacarandas, best enjoyed from the rooftop. Take the elevator to the top floor, where a wood-planked terrace, complete with hot tub, seems to float on waves of jacaranda trees lining Avenida Veracruz. 

Perhaps the best place to view the jacarandas is from the air. If you are arriving by plane, be sure to get a window seat. 


If you think of Mexico City as a big ugly metropolis, visit during jacaranda season. You might just change your mind. 



Where to stay
Two moderate-priced options:

In the Centro: Hotel Gillow (Isabel la Católica 17 at the corner of Cinco de Mayo, tel. 5512-2078). Doubles around US$50 (www.hotelgillow.com).

In Colonia Condesa: Hotel Roosevelt (Insurgentes Sur 287, corner of Yucatán, tel. 5208-6813). Doubles around US$50; inside rooms are quieter (www.hotelroosevelt.com.mx). 



Where to eat:

Centro: La Terraza del Zócalo (#13 on the west side of the Zócalo—(M)take the elevator to the sixth floor). Mexican food with a comtemporary flair, and one of the best views in town. Open from noon till 8pm on weekdays and till 3am on Fridays and Saturdays (around US$30 for two without drinks).

Colonia Condesa–Mosaico (Michoacán 10 between Insurgentes and Amsterdam, Colonia Condesa) is famous for its well-prepared bistro food and great people watching (around US$40 for two without drinks).