One of the Federal District of Mexico City’s 16 boroughs, Miguel Hidalgo is situated west of its historic centre. It remains one of the city’s most visited areas, with a scattering of noteworthy sights that include Chapultepec Park and the Museo Nacional de Antropología.
Chapultepec Park sprawls over 687 hectares in the heart of Miguel Hidalgo and is dominated by the 18th century Castle of Chapultepec. It was here that the Battle of Chapultepec was fought in September 1847 between the U.S. and Mexican forces, before serving as the official residence of Mexico’s heads of state during the 19th and 20th centuries. Today it houses the National History Museum which delves into Mexico’s Hispanic and pre-Hispanic history, while a monument at the foot of the hill pays tribute to the “Niños Héroes”, six military cadets who died in heroic circumstances defending the castle. Chapultepec Park is also home to numerous pre-Hispanic ruins, including the Baths of Moctezuma, as well as leafy walking trails, the Chapultepec Zoo and the outstanding Museo Nacional de Antropologia along the Paseo de la Reforma. It houses an impressive collection set across 25 exhibit halls, with Aztec, Maya, Toltec and Olmec artefacts that include an Aztec calendar stone called the Stone of the Sun and the world-renowned Xochipilli statue. To the south lies the historic area of Tacubaya which exhibits some impressive country mansions dating to the late 19th century, together with one of Mexico City’s first skyscrapers, the Art Deco-styled Edificio Ermita. Tacuba is situated to the north of Chapultepec Park and home to the elegant San Gabriel Parish, together with the remains of a Montezuma cypress tree. Hernán Cortés was said to have wept here during La Noche Triste in 1520 when he fought his way out of Tenochtitlan following the death of the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II.
Miguel Hidalgo is well served by both subway trains and buses, with stations scattered throughout the district. The Chapultepec Station is the main access point for the park, from where it’s just a short walk to the castle and museums.
Miguel Hidalgo was created in 1970 by merging the historic settlements of Tacuba, Chapultepec and Tacubaya which once lay on the western shores of Lake Texcoco. It was named after the instigator of the Mexican War of Independence, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.