Mexico City street art - the best murals & graffiti in different neighbourhoods

Mexico City is a fantastic city to visit for its culture, art and museums. Its different neighbourhoods are also full of high quality murals with many reflecting the country’s rich history and heritage. Matt from Buenos Aires Street Art visited CDMX last month and took these photos.

New mural by Sasha Crew (photo © BA Street Art)

Juarez

Juarez is well know for its zona rosa or gay friendly district of streets with bars and cafes, its Korean community and large student population.

Mural of Mexican artist & feminist icon Frida Kahlo on front of a bar in Juarez (photo © BA Street Art)

Murals with colour in gay-friendly Juarez (photo © BA Street Art)

Mercado Juarez by Cuauhtémoc metro station is a popular spot with locals. The market sells fresh fruit and vegetables and has some great cafes inside selling delicious sandwiches and smoothies.

Mural by Duek Glez close to Mercado Juarez along Avenida Chapuletec (photo © BA Street Art)

Close to Juarez market along Avenida Chapulepec are a number of impressive new murals (photo © BA Street Art)

Mural by Liquen on one of the entrances to Mercado Juarez (photo © BA Street Art)

The market itself is also decorated with murals by Liquen and one by Mexican muralist Sego entitled ‘Woman in Dialogue with Progress’.

Mural by Mexican muralist Sego called Mujer en Dialogo con el Progreso at Mercado Juarez (photo © BA Street Art)

Mural similar style to Czech painter Alpfonse Mucha (photo © BA Street Art)

A number of shutters and doors along the streets in Barrio Juarez are painted with artworks.

Doctores

Doctores is another great neighbourhood to check out street art with lots of murals located around the Museo del Juguete Antiguo México (MUJAM) and Hidalgo Market. The majority of these murals were sponsored and organised by Street Art MUJAM who hold an annual graffiti and street art festival to paint the nearby walls and buildings.

Stunning mural by Mexican artist Koka with a Mexican woman with an iguana and flowers (photo © BA Street Art)

Mural by Ecuadorian artist Alvaro Córdova in Doctores (photo © BA Street Art)

Hidalgo Market in Doctores (photo © BA Street Art)

Mural depicting Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera by Miss1guett & Duek Glez (photo © BA Street Art)

Mural at Hospital General de Mexico in Doctores (photo © BA Street Art)

Mural by Pablo Kalaka in front of MUJAM (photo © BA Street Art)

Wild cat mural by artist Revost at Hidalgo Market (photo © BA Street Art)

Museo del Juguete Antiguo México

The antique toy museum in Doctores and its courtyard are covered with murals – including works by international street artists like Roa. The murals on the front of the museum and across the road from it were also curated by MUJAM.

Mural by Belgian painter Roa (photo © BA Street Art)

Mural by Nitzan Mintz (above) & wooden animals by Dede Bandaid (photo © BA Street Art)

Miniature bus and sculpture decorated with stickers at Museo del Juguete Antiguo México (photo © BA Street Art)

Toy soldier and train sets among the toys on display (photo © BA Street Art)

City Centre

Was lucky enough to have Cynthia Arvide, friend, journalist and author of Mexico City street art book ‘Muros Somos’ take me on a private urban art tour around CDMX centre for a few hours.

Mural by Seher One (photo © BA Street Art)

Mexican street artist Seher One painted this giant mural entitled ‘México: Cultura y Sociedad que renace‘ in 2018 at Museo de las Culturas Populares by Plaza Tlaxcoaque. The mural project was part of an initiative called Lienzo Capital.

Mural featuring skeletons & birds near Plaza Tlaxcoaque (photo © BA Street Art)

Mural by Adry del Rio & Carlos Alberto GH at Hotel Fontán Reforma (photo © BA Street Art)

On Avenida Paseo de la Reforma are a number of large-scale murals including one by Adry de Rocio and Carlos Alberto GH on the facade of Hotel Fontán Reforma called ‘Tree of Life’. It features a catrina hugging flowers surrounded by butterflies, birds and animals.

‘Forever Young’ remembering graffiti artist Anibal who died (photo © BA Street Art)

Cynthia told me this mural off calle Regina in the historic city centre with the dedication ‘Anibal Forever Young’ was a tribute to a young graffiti artist who died.

Mural by Erica Il Cane on calle Regina (photo © BA Street Art)

A number of street art festivals have been held around the historic city centre since 2012. This mural by Italian artist Erica Il Cane was painted in 2015 for Manifesto MX and has held up well.

Mural by Smithe One & Demsky on calle 5 de Febrero (photo © BA Street Art)

Another mural that was painted a few years back in 2016 and has survived remarkably well was painted by Mexican street artist Smithe One together with Spain’s Demsky. It’s entitled ‘Astronomy rules’ and can be found on calle 5 de Febrero.

Mexico, with its rich history in muralismo mexicano, can boast a wide array of talented street artists. Cix Mugre is another artist who draws on indigenous influences and Mexico’s rich culture and history.

Colonia Roma

Colonia Roma is perhaps best known for its cafes and restaurants with the neighbourhood undergoing enormous gentrification in recent years. Hopefully, the architecture and the old buildings can be preserved with more new apartments and offices coming to the ‘barrio’.

One of the most impressive murals in Roma Norte is by Mexican muralist Farid Rueda on this office building. The artist has become well known internationally in recent years for his colourful animal murals in cities such as Miami, Madrid, Amsterdam and Bucharest. Surprisingly, being based in Playa del Carmen, he has very few murals in CDMX.

La Condesa

La Condesa is a leafy neighbourhood well known for its tree-lined streets. It has a European vibe with streets named after European capital cities like Amsterdam with fancy apartment buildings and bakeries.

Parque España is a public park that is popular with dog walkers and young professionals with several buildings around it decorated with murals.

Mexico City International Airport

Many murals can be seen around CDMX decorating tunnels, underpasses and the walls of highways. This mural by Mexican street artist Remix Uno was the first mural we saw in the city after arriving at Mexico City International Airport.