Luis Barragán, the only Pritzker Prize-winning architect to hail from Mexico, built this home and studio for himself in 1948 and was its sole inhabitant until he died in 1988. The home’s surreptitious facade offers little hint to what one will encounter once inside: an abundant collection of books, art, and religious ornaments dear to Barragán, as well as a lush garden and colorful rooftop perfect for solitary meditation. Visits are available by appointment only, and they sell out quickly, so plan ahead!

Located next to Casa Estudio Luis Barragán, Archivo Diseño y Arquitectura is a space dedicated to the research and exhibition of design. The modernist residence was purchased in 2010 by Mexican architect Fernando Romero, who initially intended to use it as an office but soon decided to open Archivo instead. You can preview its current exhibitions here.

The San Miguel Chapultepec neighborhood is home to Kurimanzutto, one of Mexico City’s leading contemporary art galleries. Completed in 2008 by architect Alberto Kalach, the restored warehouse brings light into the space by opening up two courtyards on each end of the gallery.

A short walk away from Museo Tamayo stands the Museo de Antropología, Mexico’s largest and most-visited museum. One of Mexico’s greatest modernist architects, Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, designed the monumental building, along with Jorge Campuzano and Rafael Mijares Alcérreca. A series of exhibition halls surround a wide courtyard and tell the stories of Mexico’s pre-Hispanic civilizations through objects that have been recovered by anthropologists throughout history.

Paseo de la Reforma is one of Mexico City’s most important avenues, and was modelled after Paris’s Champs Elysées. Some of Mexico’s tallest towers, including Torre Mayor, Torre Bancomer, and Torre Reforma, can be found along this street, as well as statues like El Ángel, where it is common for locals to shut down the street and celebrate national events like a victorious World Cup match or a Mexican film director’s Oscar win.

Museo Jumex, designed by English architect David Chipperfield, is one of Latin America’s leading contemporary art museums. Its three unique gallery spaces—each located on a different floor—allow for the museum’s ever-changing program to include a wide variety of exhibition types. A public square outside the entrance often hosts temporary large-scale installations, or serves as a stage for performances.

The southern part of Mexico City is home to Coyoacán, one of the city’s most emblematic neighborhoods. Its historic center, called Villa Coyoacán, is made up of cobblestone streets, colorful buildings, and small plazas surrounded by shops and restaurants. Unlike other, more gentrified neighborhoods, Coyoacán has a notably bohemian vibe.

Espacio Escultórico, a monumental work of land art built in 1979 and the brainchild of six Mexican artists, is one of the National Autonomous University of Mexico’s (UNAM) most emblematic sites to visit, and stands as a testament to the strong geometric abstraction movement in 20th-century Mexico. The site features six large-scale sculptures that establish a dialogue with their natural surroundings. Recent pushes to develop the area around Espacio Escultório—and potentially interrupt the views from within the work—have been met with fierce resistance.

Designed in the 1950s by architects Mario Pani and Enrique del Moral and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007, Ciudad Universitaria is the main campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Though visitors can wander freely for hours exploring its many patios and gardens, one structure stands out as C.U.’s most iconic: the Central Library, a rectangular building covered in the world’s largest mural, created by Juan O’Gorman.

In 1931, Diego Rivera—Mexican muralist and husband to Frida Kahlo, arguably Mexco’s most famous artist—commissioned architect Juan O’Gorman to design this home and studio for the couple. Two separate homes—one for each artist—are united by a bridge, a metaphor for the couple’s love. The building’s design was deeply influenced by the work of Le Corbusier, and is one of Latin America’s first built examples of Functionalist architecture. Today, the buildings house a museum dedicated to preserving and exhibiting Kahlo’s and Rivera’s work and personal art collections.

Celebrated architect Félix Candela is best known for his thin-shell structures and masterful use of the hyperbolic paraboloid in his buildings. Though the restaurant Los Manantiales has certainly seen better days, it’s still worth a visit, especially on Sunday afternoons when locals go to eat, drink, and dance to live music.

After enjoying a meal at Los Manantiales, stop by the Xochimilco lake and rent a traditional boat, called a trajinera, that will take you through the canals for an hourly rate of 500 Mexican pesos (about $26). Xochimilco is a popular, family-friendly destination for locals and tourists alike. You can bring your own food and drinks, or purchase them from passing boats. Be sure to rent a speaker from your guide so you can enjoy your own playlist while aboard!

Located next to Casa Pedregal, Tetetlán functions as a space that seeks to promote personal and social development through arts and culture. César Cervantes purchased Casa Pedregal in 2013 and commissioned architect Jorge Covarrubias to design a cultural center adjacent to the home. The space offers a restaurant, library, exercise studio, and gallery, as well as a fair-trade market on Saturday mornings.

Mexican muralist Diego Rivera designed and built this museum in 1941 to display his private collection of Pre-Hispanic figurines, as well as some of his own work. For its location, Rivera chose El Pedregal, a neighborhood in the south of the city characterized by its petrified lava grounds, which, at the time, was an infinite source of inspiration for some of Mexico’s leading architects, designers, and artists, among them Luis Barragán, Max Cetto, and Dr. Atl. The building was conceived as a habitable work of art, and with it Rivera sought to link the Pre-Columbine aesthetic to Mexico’s modern art movement.

On Sunday mornings, sellers of antiques and vintage goods gather in the Morelos neighborhood for the Lagunilla market, or tianguis. Due to its immense variety of unique furniture, art, homeware, and more, a stop by Lagunilla is a must for any design enthusiast staying in Mexico City.

The National Museum of Art (MUNAL), designed in the early 20th century by Italian architect Silvio Contri, is located in Mexico City’s historic center. Its permanent collection is comprised of Mexican and international art ranging from the 16th century to the first half of the 20th century. The eclectic building is the former Palace of Communications.

The Buenavista neighborhood is home to the Vasconcelos Library, a massive structure of concrete, glass, and steel that is unlike anything else in the city. Artist Gabriel Orozco’s sculpture of a whale skeleton hangs from the ceiling at the center of the library, which harbors over 600,000 books, magazines, and newspapers. Though any architecture enthusiast will marvel at the building, designed by Alberto Kalach and Juan Palomar, the botanic garden that surrounds it is equally impressive and should not be missed.

Architect Javier Senosiain’s organic masterpiece Nido de Quetzalcoatl is without a doubt one of Mexico City’s most unique attractions. The project is made up of 10 residences, surrounded by a garden filled with surreal, colorful structures in the shapes of different animals, including a shark, snake, and snail. One of the homes is available to rent, and houses up to eight people. You can also schedule a visit here.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patron saint of Mexico, and legend has it, she appeared to Saint Juan Diego on the Hill of Tepeyac in 1531, and cast her image upon a cloak he was carrying so he could prove that he had seen her. Today, the cloak is displayed inside the new Basílica de Guadalupe, which was designed by architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and opened to the public in 1976. The building is one of the most impressive works of modernist architecture in the country and is visited by millions of people every year.