Zoo and Museums

The Zoo houses some 2,000 birds and animals of several hundred species. The newest inhabitants are two giant pandas a gift of the People's Republic of China who were a year old in September, 1975, when they took up residence in their special air conditioned quarters. The zoo is closed on Mondays.

The Museum of Modern Art is the freeform building on your left as you enter the park by Pasco de la Reforma. It was built in 1964 and sits in sculpture filled gardens. Permanently displayed in Salon I are the works of Jose Maria Velasco, Mexico's talented and prolific 19th century landscape painter. In Salon 11 the artists of a later period, 1900 60, are represented including canvases by Orozco, Rivera, Tamayo, Siqueiros, Dr. Atl, and others. The works of contemporary painters, active since 1950, are on view in Salon 111. Special exhibits by artists of all nationalities are mounted from time to time. Open 11 A.M. to 7 P.M. daily, except Monday.

The National Museum of Anthropology, a miracle of architecture and museum planning, is easily identified by the 168 ton figure of Tlaloc, the rain god, standing at the entrance to a tunnel leading to the parking area. Pedro Ramirez Vazquez was the architect of this splendid structure, perhaps the most modern and functional museum in the world.

Off the spacious lobby, on the right, is the temporary exhibit hall with its ingenious mechanisms for lighting and display. At the rear of the lobby, opposite the ticket counters, is the Orientation Salon. Here, a light and sound spectacle presents the chronological sequence of Mexico's ancient cultures in capsule form in 23 minutes. The recorded lecture is in Spanish, but the display of pictures, bas reliefs, figurines, and scale models of pyramids and temples is easily understood without the commentary, and serves as a valuable introduction to the exhibits awaiting you inside the museum.

As you enter the door into the mammoth patio, remember that the museum's treasures occupy 100,000 square feet of floor space on two floors; a complete view of the interior entails a 3 mile hike. For your convenience, each salon on the ground floor opens onto the patio where stone benches enable you to rest. A stairway on the lefthand side of the patio leads down to a restaurant. There are several restrooms.

The patio's outstanding feature is a 5,300 squareyard "umbrella" on a sculptured bronze column. From it falls a refreshing cascade of water that is also a cooling device for the water that flows through the museum's mechanical systems.

Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 A.M. to 7 P.M.; Sunday and holidays, 10 A.M. to 6 P.M.; closed Monday. You may find it rewarding to devote more than one day to your exploration of this museum.

A roadway through the park begins directly opposite the Anthropology Museum and leads to the Hill of Chapultepec and the castle that crowns it. There the National Museum of History was installed in 1934.

Chapultepec Castle, begun in 1783, was originally intended to be a weekend resort for the Spanish viceroys. But the War for Independence intervened, and the castle was not completed until 1841 when it was designated as a military academy. It was the last bastion to fall to the invaders during the U.S. Mexican War of 1847. Then came Maximilian and Carlotta, who made the castle their private residence, adding many of the beautiful features it possesses today. Subsequent presidents of Mexico with the exception of Benito Juarezresided there until Lazar Cardenas decreed that the history museum should be installed in the castle.

The eastern portion of the building displays the rich furniture and furnishings left behind by Emperor Maximilian. Notice Carlotta's exquisite bathtub. In the museum proper, the history of Mexico is depicted in various salons. Aside from their fascinating exhibits, several salons are adorned with murals by O'Gorman, Reyes Meza, Gonzalez Camarena, and Siqueiros. Open daily 10 A.M. to 6 P.M.; closed Tuesday.

The Museum of Natural History, far out Constituyentes just before reaching Dolores Cemetery, is on the roadway on your right. Spectacularly modernistic in architecture, its exhibits are universal, not exclusively Mexican. Note especially the Rotunda of Illustrious Men (and women). Open 10 A.M. to 5 P.M., Tuesday through Saturday; 10 A.M. to 8 P.M., Sunday; closed Monday. The National Auditorium, west on Reforma (lefthand side) shortly before its intersection with the peripheral highway, is the scene of classical ballet performances, jazz concerts, and other cultural programs presented chiefly by troupes and bands from abroad. International sports events are also staged there. Check The News (English language daily) for details.

On Sundays and holidays Chapultepec Park is filled to overflowing with family groups. That is when vendors of balloons, soft drinks, candies, and tacos reap the richest harvest. But there are many things going on every day in the park, making a leisurely visit well worthwhile.

For those who shudder at the prospect of traversing so much ground on foot, first class buses operate out of a terminal at the rear of the Museum of Modern Art. After winding through the old section of the park, the buses emerge onto Constituyentes, enter the new section by its main entrance, work their way north to the Reforma, and then return to the terminal. There arc scheduled stops all along the route.