An Art Knower's Guide To Mexico City

Nine art and architecture-related recommendations to visit in CDMX.

I’ve spent the last week microdosing brutalist architecture in CDMX. Primarily to abscond from my responsibilities at home, but more just to larp as a boots-on-the-ground journalist and provide elite cultural recommendations for my Substack audience.

I’m currently writing this from Biblioteca Vasconcelos. Yes, the brutalist masterpiece from Alberto Kalach. If only American libraries were like this, then I could finally complete my arc as a performative male. Imagine, if instead of working from coffee shops in Brooklyn, I could poke the keys on my laptop from a taxpayer-funded public library. I’d be unstoppable.

Honestly, I’m probably going to leave this place in a few minutes because there’s no air conditioning and I can feel the beads of sweat dripping down my temple. But first, I wanted to punch out this guide (paywalled, obviously) on the art and architecture of the city for the next time you find yourself on Aztec soil.

Biblioteca Vasconcelos

I’m genuinely astounded at the fact that this building exists as civic infrastructure. Not only is it the most beautifully designed building I’ve ever been in, but it is also so unorthodox in its design that I can’t fathom how this got approved by the government.

The geometric layout of the shelves is suspended in a way that actually makes you feel like you’re in the final scene of Interstellar when Matthew McCoughnahey is spiraling from the 16th dimension (or whatever is actually happening there). There are plenty of spaces to read and work from. Would be an unmatched spot to build from if the WiFi actually worked (unfortunate).

The exterior of the building is a brutalist masterclass as well. It exudes a monolith-like aura, which the movement of the city revolves around.

Behind the paywall, you’ll find five more elite art and architecture recommendations, along with three honorable mentions, for you to explore when you visit Mexico City.

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