Downtown

After visiting the Franz Mayer Museum I walked around the Historic Center of Mexico City a bit. 

Next door to the museum is the colonial church of San Juan de Dios with its distinctive concave façade.  The church was built in 1727 by the religious order of Juaninos.  The structure is sinking at an angle into the soft soil, and is currently closed for repairs and restoration.

  

Just across the street is the pleasant "Alameda Central", a park which dates back to the colonial era.

Beyond the "Alameda" are two of the city's most iconic landmarks... the white marble Palace of Fine Arts and the Latin American Tower, which was at one time the tallest skyscraper in Latin America.

From the Latin American Tower pedestrianized Madero Street cuts through the heart of the "Centro Histórico" and leads to the city's main plaza, the "Zócalo'.

The replica of "el Templo Mayor", the main Aztec temple, still stands on the plaza.  As mentioned before, it was built for the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the fall of the Aztecs to the Spanish this month.

Around one side of the "Zócalo" there were vendors selling their handicrafts.  According to their sign they were member of the union of artisans of the Mazahua people of Mexico City.  The Mazahua are an indigenous tribe that numbers over 100,000.  They live primarily in the neighboring State of Mexico (yes, within the country of Mexico there is a state called Mexico), however there is a sizeable community living in Mexico City.  

Embroidered face masks have become a popular item.

The "Zócalo" has long been a site for protests against government injustices, but now protestors permanently encamp here, setting up tents and hanging banners.