Parque Hundido (Parque Luis G. Urbina)
Drop below street level on Avenida Insurgentes and the city noise dissolves into birdsong, rustling ash trees, and the soft crunch of gravel underfoot. Parque Hundido is Benito Juárez's green lung — a sunken urban forest with an open-air archaeology museum hiding inside it.
A Park Born from an Old Brickworks
<cite index="21-17,21-18,21-19">Once occupied by the Christmas Eve Brick Company (Compañía Ladrillera de la Nochebuena), when the company departed, the clay they'd been making into bricks could not be replaced — the result was something of a great sunken pit. Trees were planted and the lot became known as the Christmas Eve Forest after the former land tenant.</cite>
<cite index="2-6,2-7,2-8">Known as the 'sunken park' in Spanish, this 22-acre green space is exceedingly quiet, especially considering that it lies on busy Insurgentes Avenue. With jogging and walking paths that curve through the lush greenery, fountains, and statues, the park is a good place to escape the city and its stresses. When you descend into the park via the ramp or steps, the temperature always seems to drop about 10 degrees — an excellent antidote for a hot day.</cite>
An Open-Air Museum of Pre-Hispanic Civilisations
<cite index="26-7,26-8">The park displays over fifty replicas of pre-Hispanic sculptures arranged along six themed walkways representing different Mexican civilisations such as the Maya, Olmec, and Zapotec. Visitors encounter these artworks while strolling and can learn about the artistic traditions of these ancient cultures.</cite>
<cite index="21-15">The park is home to the largest floral clock in Mexico, and a children's play area.</cite> The 'audiorama' — a shaded listening area for 141 people — pipes out classical music and poetry readings, making it one of the city's strangest and most delightful micro-experiences.
Wildlife, Cyclists & Sunday Rituals
<cite index="17-10,17-11">The park is home to a large number of birds, squirrels, and lizards. There are also a large number of cats which are fed and kept inside the park.</cite> It's the kind of place where you can spend an hour just watching urban wildlife go about its business.
<cite index="21-3,21-4">The corner of Avenida de los Insurgentes and Porfirio Díaz Street bears a terrific equestrian statue of Vicente Guerrero, a hero of the War for Mexican Independence. This corner continues to serve as the Sunday meeting place of a number of bicyclists who've been gathering here every week for nearly 50 years.</cite>
Parque Hundido (Parque Luis G. Urbina) on video
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