Chapultepec Hill Travel Guide

As you approach the park from the Chapultepec Metro station you're confronted by Chapultepec Hill, crowned by Maximilian's very peaceful looking "castle". In front of it stands the strange, six-columned monument dedicated to the Niños Héroes , commemorating the cadets who attempted to defend the castle (then a military academy) against American invaders in 1847. According to the story, probably apocryphal, the last six flung themselves off the cliff wrapped in Mexican flags rather than surrender. The Castillo itself was built only in 1785 as a summer retreat for the Spanish viceroy - until then it had been the site of a hermitage established on the departure of the Aztec rulers. Its role as a military school followed Independence, but the present shape was dictated by Maximilian who remodelled it in the image of his Italian villa. Today it houses the National History Museum.

First, though, as you climb the hill, you pass the modern Museo de Caracol (Tues-Sun 9am-5pm; US$2, free on Sun) devoted to "the Mexican people's struggle for Liberty". It's full name is the Museo Galeria de la Lucha del Pueblo Mexicano por su Libertad but it's colloquially known as the Museo del Caracol for the snail-like spiralling route through the displays. These trace the history of the constant wars that have beset the country - from Independence, through the American and French interventions to the Revolution - and after the recent renovation they should be looking pretty good.

Spread over two floors of the castle, the Museo Nacional de Historia (Tues-Sun 9am-5pm; US$3, free on Sun) is a more traditional collection. The setting is very much part of the attraction, with many rooms retaining the opulent furnishings left behind by Maximilian and Carlota, or by later inhabitants with equally expensive tastes - notably Porfirio Díaz. Rivalling the decor is a small collection of carriages, including the fabulously pompous Cinderella-goes-to-the-ball state coaches favoured by Maximilian. A collection of furniture, glassware and medals leads on to the main attraction of the lower floor, a series of ornate rooms viewed from a black-and-white tiled terrace which affords great views over the park and city. Peer into Maximilian's office, games room and drawing room, all gilt and rich dark woods, then move on to Carlotta's bedroom and a gorgeous tiled bathroom.

The upper floor is arranged around a formal rooftop garden off which you can visit yet more sumptuous rooms and a magnificent Parisian stained-glass wall imported by Díaz and depicting five goddesses in a Greco-Roman setting. There are several murals here as well, including a number of works by Orozco and Siqueiros , but the ones by Juan O'Gorman most directly attract attention for their single-minded political message.