Fulfilling your resolution to read more books this 2022 will be easier inside these peaceful and beautiful spaces. These are the most beautiful libraries in the CDMX.
1. Miguel Lerdo de Tejada Library
This is one of the best kept treasures of the Historic Center, as it is housed in the former Oratorio de San Felipe Neri, a beautiful baroque construction from the 18th century.
And although its façade is very striking, it is worth entering to contemplate the amazing murals that decorate the main hall of the library, painted by the Russian-Mexican painter Vlady.
Because it belongs to the Ministry of Finance, this library specializes in the safekeeping of titles on economics: it has more than 25,000 and many are more than 400 years old!
📍República del Salvador 49, Centro
2. Mexico City Library
Another beautiful library in the CDMX with a lot of history behind it, as the building where it is located was once a cigar factory, arsenal and fortress.
Today it has a gallery, a forum for stage presentations, as well as a children’s room and another for people with disabilities. It also houses the personal libraries of great figures of Mexican culture, such as Carlos Monsiváis.
📍Ciudadela 4, Downtown
3. Vasconcelos Library
Undoubtedly, this huge cultural complex is one of the favorite spots for Instagram lovers, as its impressive interior architecture and the fossils hanging from the ceiling give it a look like something out of a fantastic book.
It was inaugurated in 2006 and has more than 600 thousand books of all kinds of subjects. It also has a children’s area, an audiovisual section, green areas and an auditorium. You can spend a whole afternoon there.
📍Eje 1 Norte s/n, Buenavista
Other nice libraries in the CDMX: 4. Library of the Franz Mayer Museum
Another jewel of the Centro, “sheltered”, in turn, inside a treasure: the Franz Mayer Museum. Decorated entirely with classic furniture of fine wood, its library specializes in the conservation of bibliographic pieces from the 16th to the 19th centuries, especially those dedicated to art and design.
Two of its most precious collections are also surprising: a Conventual Fund, composed of more than 400 handwritten religious parchments, and the Cervantes Fund, which has 800 copies of Don Quixote de la Mancha in 19 languages.
📍Hidalgo Av. 45, Downtown
5. UNAM Central Library
No list of the most beautiful libraries in Mexico City would be complete without the Central Library of Ciudad Universitaria, a precinct that, for its artistic, architectural and cultural value, was named a World Heritage Site along with the central complex of Ciudad Universitaria.
Its exterior mural, created by Juan O’Gorman with thousands of colored stones, takes a journey through the history of Mexico. Currently, its collection consists of more than one million books!
📍Circuito Interior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria
6. National Library of Mexico
Finally, you can’t miss this other impressive library, which is also located in “UNAM territory”, specifically inside the Centro Cultural Universitario.
Inside you will find valuable books that are part of the National Library’s collection as well as newspapers and magazines that are part of the National Newspaper Library.
One of its most impressive spaces is the Sala Mexicana, a space of great architectural beauty where publications from 1554 to 1821 are kept.
📍Centro Cultural Universitario s/n, Ciudad Universitaria
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