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If you are a transit buff, or even if you have a spare 30-45 minutes and you happen to be passing by on the metro, I highly recommend a visit to the Mexico City Museum of the Metro (Museo del Metro de la Ciudad de Mexico) in the heart of Mexico City. Appropriately, it is located underground within the Mixcoac metro station, in the area overlooking the Linea 12.
The museum itself is free to enter, but you do need to shell out the MX$5 to get into the metro station where it is located.
Read on to learn more about the history of the Mexico City Metro and what to expect at the Mexico City Metro Museum.
History of the Mexico City Metro
The Mexico City Metro is a bustling rapid transit system that serves the metropolitan area of Mexico City, and is one of the largest and busiest metro systems in the world. The system has 12 lines, 195 stations, and over 4 million daily riders (out of a metro population of over 22 million).
Construction
Construction of the Mexico City Metro started in 1967, during the presidency of Gustavo Díaz Ordaz. The first station, Metro Insurgentes, opened in 1969 on Linea 1, which ran from Zaragoza to Chapultepec. The initial phase of the system included just six stations, but it quickly expanded over the following years. Linea 1 (pink) remains one of the busiest and most important lines in the system, connecting several major neighborhoods and landmarks in the city.
Over the years, the Mexico City Metro has grown to become a vital part of the city’s infrastructure, providing an affordable and efficient way for millions of people to travel around the city. The system has undergone several major expansions and renovations over the years, with new lines and stations being added to keep up with the growing demand for public transportation in the city.
Cost
The initial construction of the Mexico City Metro cost approximately 1.2 billion pesos (about $90 million USD at the time). The Mexican federal government funded the project as an important investment in the country’s infrastructure and economic development.
To help finance the construction of the metro, the government increased taxes on gasoline and cigarettes, instituted a new sales tax, and sought financial assistance from international organizations such as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.
Archeological Discoveries
During the construction of the Mexico City Metro, workers uncovered several important archaeological discoveries. This is not surprising, given that Mexico City is built on top of the ruins of the ancient Aztec city of Tenochtitlán.
In 1978, workers digging a tunnel for the Metro’s Linea 2 uncovered the remains of Templo Mayor, the main temple of the Aztec capital, which had been buried beneath the city for centuries. The discovery was a major archaeological breakthrough, providing valuable insights into the history and culture of the Aztecs.
Other archaeological finds during the construction of the Mexico City Metro have included pre-Columbian ceramics, obsidian blades, and other artifacts dating back to the time of the Aztecs. These discoveries have helped to shed light on the history and culture of the indigenous people who lived in the area before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.
The discovery of these archaeological sites has also presented a challenge for the construction of the metro, as workers have had to take great care to preserve and protect these important cultural treasures. In many cases, the construction of the metro has been modified or delayed in order to avoid damaging archaeological sites and allow time for further excavation.
Museum Exhibits
It is important to note that all exhibit descriptions are in Spanish. While there are enough items of visual interest to get something out of a free museum visit, it is a lot more interesting if you understand Spanish (or just fire up your google translate camera).
There are panels with a lot of history and background, especially on the building of the metro system. I certainly didn’t read all of it and still got a lot out of the quick visit.
About half of the exhibits at the Metro Museum cover the construction of the Metro and include a lot of really cool hand-drawn architectural drawings (a soon-to-be lost art, for sure!). There are also plenty of photographs of the construction process.
They also have some classic Metro car seats (that don’t actually seem to have changed much…)
A small section in the back corner displays artifacts—mostly pottery—found during construction and representing Mexico City’s culture over time.
It is really interesting to see the modern Metro map overlaid on a map of the original Tenochtitlán, way back when it was all a big lake. It makes you really appreciate the technological challenges of building underground on land that used to be a lake! In earthquake territory, no less.
The most delightful section tells the story of the typeface, logo, and station identification design. You have America designer Lance Wyman to thank for that.
You might have noticed that each metro station has a little symbol that represents the stop in some way, either relating to the name, a characteristic of the area, or an event that happened there. The symbols were implemented to help both locals who can’t read and tourists who can’t pronounce the sometimes-tricky names to easily find and recognize the stations. It is the only transit system that I know of with symbols (as well as names and colors) for each station.
I was surprised to see that the original design, typefaces, and colorways are still in use. I think it still looks fresh!
They have a fun exhibit towards the end that displays all the paper Metro ticket designs since the beginning of the Metro system. The designs evolved over the years, and they also created tickets for special occasions and commemorations.
I imagine that with the implementation of the Metrocard, tickets will eventually go away altogether. There’s something sad about that. But…progress, I suppose.
Cost
The museum is free, but as it is located within a Metro station, you do have to pay MX$5 to get into the Metro.
Hours
Tuesday – Sunday: 10am – 8pm
Getting There
Not surprisingly, the best way to get to the Metro Museum is on the Metro! The museum is located inside the Mixcoac Metro station (which is on Linea 7 and 12), in the Linea 12 section.
Pro tip: Do not follow Google maps to try to find this museum! It makes it look like it is above ground, in the location of some random stores. But it’s not.
Final Thoughts
For a transit-loving urban planner like myself, this museum was a delight! I always appreciate being able to learn more about what goes into the things we take for granted. The Mexico City Metro was a huge undertaking and a massive success. Just try to imagine this mega-city without it. The Mexico City Metro Museum will give you some insights into what made it all possible. And you’ll never look at those station symbols the same way again!
