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A Feminist City Guide to Mexico City

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Government Palace in Mexico City | © admknowdns/Pixabay
Government Palace in Mexico City | © admknowdns/Pixabay

Mexico City is a unique juxtaposition of modern advancements and ancient traditions. Aztec history and the threads of conservative Catholicism are woven into an increasingly progressive city that is rapidly becoming a mecca for the LGBTQ+ community, feminism, and entrepreneurs. Mexico City is many things—ancient, adaptable, pious, revolutionary—and yet Mexico, itself, remains a complicated culture for women to navigate.

Studies reveal Mexico to be one of the top 20 countries plagued by feminicide and sexual assault. Despite the culture’s historical reverence of motherhood and femininity—demonstrated in the religious iconography and sculptures that dot the city—Mexican women continue to fight against a large machismo society. From the gun-blazing Soldaderas in the Mexican Revolution to taking to the streets to support a woman’s right to choose, Mexico has always proven a country of resilient women who are constantly pushing for change while making their voices heard.

Today, Mexico City is emblematic of a growing female revolution. The country’s capital is one of the top 50 best cities for female entrepreneurs. “Mexico is one of the four countries in the world, and the only one in Latin America, where there are more female entrepreneurs than their male counterparts,” reveals a study by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). “In fact, three out of five small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) opening in Mexico are led by women.” Female entrepreneurs are growing in Mexico like never before, as is the rise of inclusivity in the country’s capital.

Today, Mexico’s metropolitan hub is home to female-run galleries (Kurimanzutto), art collectives (Art Club CDMX), restaurants (Rosetta), and shops worth visiting on your next visit. In this Feminist City Guide, contributing writer Adrien Behn spotlights woman-owned businesses and women’s historical impact on Mexico city.

Stock Up on Local Goods

San Angel Crafts Fair

 

Mercado San Angel | © ProtoplasmaKid/Wikimedia

Mercado San Angel | © ProtoplasmaKid/Wikimedia

The Saturday Craft Market in San Angel is one of the most vibrant craft markets in the city. This indoor/outdoor street fair has a plethora of women selling their own art, paintings, crafts, and snacks at this all day event. Visitors will see some of the iconic Mexican souvenirs like indigenous prints leather bags, hand embroidered shirts, and local Mexican artists selling their paintings and hand sewn books on these cobblestone streets. Be sure to bring cash and give yourself time. You can easily decorate your entire apartment with the art that you find here and it is affordable enough that it is worth the extra checked bag fee.

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Support Female Craftsmanship

Fabrica Social

Courtesy of Fábrica Social's Facebook Page

Courtesy of Fábrica Social's Facebook Page

Fabrica Social is focused on supporting female craftsmanship and creating fair trade markets. All of their unique, modern designs are sown by the hands of indigenous women. They collaborate with over 300 Mexican women designers and clothing makers from multiple regions of Mexico. Although there are several around the city, the real hidden gem is in Roma Norte. You must ring a bell for the owner to let you in and walk through a large open-air corridor into a tiny shop where all of the handmade dresses, sweaters, pants, and shoes are elegantly on display. Their collection is always changing, and their clothes are truly one of a kind.

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Pick up a Feminist Book

Under the Volcano Books

Courtesy of Under the Volcano Books

Courtesy of Under the Volcano Books

The best independent bookstore is Under the Volcano Books in Roma Norte. They only have books in English but also have a great selection of Mexican and Latin American books, in addition to a nice stock of queer and feminist writers. They hold weekly BYOB get-togethers hosts every Friday. Some badass female Mexican authors you should pick up are books by Elena Poniatowska, Ana Clavel, Valeria Luiselli, Elena Garro, or the OG feminist Juana Inés de la Cruz.

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Watch the Lady Luchadores

Arena México

Lucha Libre masks | © mamojo/Flickr

Lucha Libre masks | © mamojo/Flickr

Lucha Libre has been part of the cultural fabric of Mexico since the 1880s. While traditionally a man’s sport, more women are putting on glitter masks, colorful tights, and kicking ass in knee-high boots. Lucha Libre is as much as wrestling as it is a Shakespearean play- the storylines are just as dramatic, filled with family pride, rivals, and vendettas. Think GLO but with a telenovela plot line. Although it is slightly sexualized, these women are working to gain respect in this traditionally machismo ring. Where you can find luchadora’s throw down is Arena México.

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Participate in a Feminist Collective

Invasorix

Courtesy of invasorix.tumblr.com

Courtesy of invasorix.tumblr.com

Invasorix is a feminist/queer art collective that puts on shows, events, videos, performances and even tarot readings around the city. They do major callouts to all of our prized feminist influences and their own local feminists. Check out their events and help them smash the machismo culture one event at a time. Invasorix events take place around the city. Check their website for upcoming events.

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Walk in the Footsteps of a Legendary Woman

Museo Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo's Blue House in Mexico City | © Rod Waddington/Wikimedia

Frida Kahlo's Blue House in Mexico City | © Rod Waddington/Wikimedia

If you are an art lover, Frida’s house is a must. You can walk through the cold halls that once housed this revolutionary creative. This is where she was able to rest her broken body and aching heart, where she lived her whole life and later died. Her pain, her joys, and creative mind still harbor here.

You can walk through her kitchen and see the table that she probably shared sips of Mezcal with Trotsky as they talked about Communism. Then visitors will walk into her bedroom and stair up at the pinned butterflies framed above her bed that would lull her to sleep at night, wishing she could have the same grace and delicacy as them. It is a short tour and ends with her blue walled gardens filled with a medley of Mexican plants. There is also a room that has a collection of her iconic clothing she would drape over the body braces that encapsulated her most of her life.

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Learn About Mexico's Gertrude Stein

Museo Dolores Olmedo

Museo Dolores Olmedo | © Ymblanter/Wikimedia

Museo Dolores Olmedo | © Ymblanter/Wikimedia

In her time, Dolores Olmedo was the Gertrude Stein of Mexico City. She was a Mexican businesswoman, a musician, and was a huge patron to the arts. She turned her house, La Noria, into a museum in 1994, eight years before her death. It is located in Xochimilco in southern Mexico City, so it is a bit of a trek to get down there. However, visitors are welcomed with an incredible collection of art from all stages of Mexican history, from pre-Hispanic to colonial and contemporary collections. The rooms of this antiquated home are filled with numerous woodcuts, book illustrations, ceramics, paintings, and crafts. It hosts not only pieces by the acclimated couple Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, but also has work from the lesser-known Angelina Beloff, Diego’s first wife.

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Latin America's 2nd Women's Museum

Museo de la Mujer

Courtesy of Museo de la Mujer in Mexico City

Courtesy of Museo de la Mujer in Mexico City

The Women’s Museum is an attempt to make sure that women’s history is not forgotten and that their contributions to Mexican society should be recognized. It is the second Women’s Museum in Latin America. It is a small space that attempts to fill the history of an entire gender. It does highlight some of the individual women and events that took place before they got the right to vote, it still is limited in the full breadth of the female influence but remains a lovely attempt to honor women's impact.

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The Oldest Female-Owned Gallery

Kurimanzutto

Courtesy of Kurimanzutto's Facebook page

Courtesy of Kurimanzutto's Facebook page

Kurimanzutto was co-founded by Mónica Manzutto and is one of the oldest and most popular galleries in Mexico City. Originally, Manzutto, her husband, and 13 other artists never had a permanent space. Instead, they had pop-up galleries that would bounce around the city based on the environmental needs of the exhibit. Then in 2008, Kurimanzutto parked in La Condesa, and their space is as much of the exhibit as the art that they showcase. It is a sleek wooded and white stone building: a perfect example of contemporary Mexican architecture. This has been their permanent showroom ever since.

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A Female-Run Space for Artists

Art Club CDMX

Courtesy of Art Club CDMX Facebook Page

Courtesy of Art Club CDMX Facebook Page

Art Club CDMX is a female-run space but open to all artists. It is a space to work on personal projects in the company of other artists. They also host events for parents and kids, so this is a perfect way for kids to make their own souvenirs from CDMX. Their schedule varies week to week, so be sure to check their schedule in advance.

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Visit a Collective of Female Potters

ARTA Cerámica

Courtesy of ARTA Cerámica's Facebook Page

Courtesy of ARTA Cerámica's Facebook Page

ARTA Cerámica was found in 2005 and is made up of contemporary female potters. They have a nice selection of different workshops, and all the materials and burn is provided. They accept all levels of expertise. You can check out their calendar to see what they are offering when you visit the city.

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Honor the Virgin of Guadalupe

Basílica de Guadalupe

The Basílica Vieja de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe | © Paul Sullivan/Flickr

The Basílica Vieja de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe | © Paul Sullivan/Flickr

The more you walk around, the more you will begin to notice the shrines with female saints sprinkled around the city. You will find them in glass boxes and ornamented with colorful flowers, candles, or flags. The most worshiped is the Virgin of Guadalupe. While Lady Guadalupe is a classic figure in Mexican Catholic culture, Santa Muerte's popularity has also begun to rise. The full name, Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte, is Spanish for Our Lady of Holy Death. She is a saint created by the influence of both Catholicism and indigenous folk. She is a skeleton in a gown and gently leads her takers into the next life.

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Appreciate the Mothers of Mexico

Monumento a la Madre

Monumento a la Madre in Mexico City | © Laura Velázquez/Wikimedia

Monumento a la Madre in Mexico City | © Laura Velázquez/Wikimedia

In the Reforma neighborhood is the Garden Art Park, which hosts a stoic depiction of the cult of motherhood. There are three statues placed on a crescent wall that opens up to the rest of the park. The central statue is of an indigenous woman who is holding a baby. To her left is an indigenous woman holding an ear of corn—the Aztec symbol of fertility—and to the right is a man holding a book. The original plaque was written in 1951 and reads: “To the one who loved us even before she met us.” Forty years later a second plaque was added with the words: “Because motherhood was voluntary," an addition considered a blatant side-eye to the machismo culture prevalent in Mexico.

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Get your Chocolate Fix

Central Cacao

Courtesy of Central Cacao's Facebook Page

Courtesy of Central Cacao's Facebook Page

The Mayans called cacao “ food of the gods," and the husband + wife team at Central Cacao are upholding these beliefs. Central Cacao was created to highlight the phenomenal chocolate made around Mexico and focuses on fair trade chocolate. This quaint little shop has an expansive selection of bars all made from regional beans in the country. The Indomitas bar is created exclusively by women. The store is decorated with the beautifully carved molinillos, a special stick they use to make their signature frothy hot chocolate, and you can watch your server get an arm work out as they make a made-to-order cup of hot chocolate in front of you.

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Drinks to Dismantle the Patriarchy

Punto Gozadera

Courtesy of Punto Gozadera's Kickstarter

Courtesy of Punto Gozadera's Kickstarter

If you want to actively dismantle the patriarchy while grabbing a drink, then you should head over to Punto Gozadera. The founders of the bar have been friends since college and wanted to create a safe space where they could unite their passions around activism and art. Henceforth, Punto Gozadera was born, which literally translates to “the point of enjoyment” (#femalepleasure). It is a safe space for all gender or non-conforming identities to love their bodies and have a great night out. They host a rotation of talks, film screenings, workshops, and exhibitions to educate individuals about feminism, gay + trans rights, and becoming better allies.

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A Beautiful Female-Founded Restaurant

Rosetta

Courtesy of Rosetta's Facebook Page

Courtesy of Rosetta's Facebook Page

Chef Elena Reygadas transformed a Roma townhouse into one of the most delectable spots to eat: Rosetta. The bright green and gold interior design doesn’t distract from the stunning presentation and flavors of the dishes here. The menu is always changing and is inspired by seasonal flavors, which keeps each dish fresh and unique.

In 2014, Reygadas was awarded the Veuve Clicquot Prize for Latin America’s Best Woman Chef and made it onto “Fifty Best Restaurants in Latin America.” However, Rosetta is more than just a restaurant. Reygada's also has two bakeries, one kitty-corner to the restaurant and the other in the downtown. Both serve a delightful selection of fresh bread, pastries, and wonderful espresso drinks.

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The First Hotel to Welcome Solo Female Travelers

Hotel Genève

Hotel Geneve in Mexico City | © Horacio Fernandez/Wikimedia

Hotel Geneve in Mexico City | © Horacio Fernandez/Wikimedia

Hotel Genève is not only an elegant hotel but has a beautiful history as well. Although it is over 100 years old, Hotel Genève has always been tolerant of different kinds of travelers. It was one of the first hotels in Mexico City to allow solo-traveling women to stay in their establishment. It is not only a luxurious place to stay but is centrally placed, so visitors can conveniently explore more of the city.

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About Adrien Behn

Adrien Behn is the creator of Strangers Abroad Podcast: a series of conversations she had with strangers she met while backpacking throughout Latin America, overlapped with her personal stories about being a woman who travels alone. The conversations focus on the importance of travel and how it inspires self-growth and world progress. She is a travel writer, live storyteller, and forever solo-female traveler. She desires to hit every country before she dies (with modern medicine, she still has plenty of time).

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