Chinatown

Why go

blocks on Dolores Street and consists of a number of restaurants and businesses that import goods. Mexico City’s Chinatown or “Barrio Chino” may be the smallest Chinatown in the world. According to the government of Mexico City, about 3,000 families in the city have Chinese heritage. In many parts of the older sections of the city, there are.

What to look for

• Notice how Chinatown relates to the surrounding streets and skyline.
• Look for surviving details that reveal the site's principal historical layer.

The full story

“cafes de chinos” (Chinese cafes), which are eateries that serve Chinese and Mexican food. However, Barrio Chino remains the symbolic home for many of these Chinese-Mexicans, who congregate there for camaraderie and to pass on their culture. The buildings here are no different from the rest of the city, but businesses here are either restaurants or importers. Most of the shops and restaurants here had abundant Chinese-style decorations and altars, but statues of the Virgin of Guadalupe and San Judas Tadeo (a popular saint in Mexico) can be seen as well. Chinese New Year in Mexico City The main Chinese-Mexican organization here is the Comunidad China de México, A. C., which sponsors festivals and cultural events to preserve and promote Chinese-Mexican culture. By far the largest festival sponsored is the annual Chinese New Year’s celebration, which has as cosponsors organizations such as the borough of Cuauhtemoc and Coca-Cola. It is generally held on the weekend closest to the actual date of new year’s and crowds squeeze into the two-block stretch.

Useful to know

• Allow enough time to see Chinatown and its immediate setting without rushing.
• Check current official access information before entering any managed interior.

Your next visit

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