Mexico City is one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban centres in the Americas and one of the most layered — built on the ruins of Tenochtitlán, expanded through the colonial period, transformed by the Porfiriato, devastated by the 1985 earthquake and now a megacity of 22 million where Aztec temples emerge between colonial churches and Porfiriato palaces. The Palacio de Lecumberri — inaugurated by Porfirio Díaz in 1900 as the most modern prison in Latin America, the "Black Palace" where Pancho Villa, Juan Gabriel and David Alfaro Siqueiros were held, closed in 1976 and now housing the Archivo General de la Nación — is the most historically extraordinary derelict-to-repurposed building in Mexico. Discover the 5 best abandoned places in Mexico City, selected from our Mexico Urbex Map — 500+ verified GPS locations.
Why Mexico City Has an Exceptional Derelict Heritage
CDMX's abandonment reflects the specific trajectory of a capital whose every economic cycle left physical residue — Aztec foundations under the Zócalo, colonial convents in progressive dereliction, Porfiriato mansions emptied by the Revolution and 1985 earthquake-damaged buildings still unrepaired in peripheral colonias. Few cities on earth layer historical abandonment as densely.
1. Unidad Habitacional Tlatelolco Derelict Tower – Mexico City — 1968 Massacre Site, 1985 Earthquake Damage, Soviet-Style Towers Partially Abandoned, Aztec Ruins Adjacent (Known Location)
The Unidad Nonoalco-Tlatelolco housing complex — site of the 1968 student massacre and severely damaged in the 1985 earthquake — retains partially abandoned residential towers surrounding the Plaza de las Tres Culturas. Several units and service buildings remain derelict decades after the quake. The layering of Aztec ruins, colonial church and Soviet-style housing abandonment in one space is unique on Earth.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Abandoned Places in Mexico →
2. Plaza de las Tres Culturas – Tlatelolco, Mexico City — Aztec Ruins, Colonial Church & 1960s Housing, 1968 Massacre Site, UNESCO Memory of the World (Known Location)
The Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Tlatelolco — where the Aztec Tlatelolco market complex, the 16th-century Santiago Tlatelolco church and the 1960s Nonoalco-Tlatelolco housing complex coexist in a single space — was the site of the October 2, 1968 Tlatelolco massacre, when the Mexican Army killed an unknown number of student protesters (estimates range from 30 to 300). The Unidad Habitacional Nonoalco-Tlatelolco housing towers, several damaged in the 1985 earthquake and partially demolished, hold sections in various states of dereliction surrounding the archaeological zone. The layering of three eras of abandonment — Aztec, colonial and 20th-century — creates a heritage site of unusual density.
🔗 Sources: Wikipedia – Tlatelolco, Mexico City | Atlas Obscura – Plaza de las Tres Culturas
3. Derelict Porfiriato Mansion – Colonia Roma or Juárez, Mexico City — 1900–1920 Eclectic Residential, Earthquake Damage, Art Nouveau Facade, Vegetation-Consumed Courtyard
The Colonias Roma and Juárez — developed by the Porfiriato-era elite as Mexico City's first residential expansion beyond the Centro Histórico — contain numerous eclectic and Art Nouveau mansions from the 1900–1920 period whose original owners fled during the Revolution and whose subsequent history of rental subdivision, institutional occupation and inheritance dispute has produced a specific form of colonia histórica dereliction. Several of these mansions retain extraordinary Art Nouveau facade detail while their interior courtyards have returned to vegetation. The 1985 earthquake added structural damage to several buildings that has never been repaired. All GPS coordinates in our Mexico Urbex Map.
4. Post-1985 Earthquake Derelict Block – Eastern Colonias, Mexico City — September 19 1985 Structural Damage, Never Demolished, Vegetation-Consumed, Urban Memory (Our Map Only)
The September 19, 1985 Mexico City earthquake (magnitude 8.1) killed between 5,000 and 10,000 people and destroyed thousands of buildings across the city. In several eastern colonias — Tepito, Morelos, Doctores — structurally damaged buildings that were neither demolished nor repaired have persisted for four decades: vegetation consuming the exposed structural slabs, the street-level commercial units still partially fitted out behind collapsed facades and the specific Mexico City earthquake-damage aesthetic of pre-cast concrete construction that folded but did not completely fall. GPS in our Mexico Urbex Map. GPS in our Mexico Urbex Map.
5. Colonial Convent in Dereliction – Centro Histórico Periphery, Mexico City — 17th-Century Religious Complex, Secularised After Reforma Laws 1859, Partially Occupied, Roofless Cloisters (Hidden on Our Map)
Mexico City's Centro Histórico contains the highest density of colonial religious architecture in the Americas — but the Reforma Laws of 1859 that nationalised church property left dozens of colonial convents in institutional limbo between state ownership and active use. Several peripheral colonial convents in the Centro Histórico and its immediately adjacent colonias (Tepito, La Merced, Guerrero) exist in states of partial dereliction: roofless cloisters visible over surrounding walls, baroque stone portals intact, interior accessible through partially collapsed sections. Find them on our Mexico Urbex Map. Mapped exclusively in our Mexico Urbex Map.
❓ FAQ
What is the most famous abandoned place in Mexico City?
The Palacio de Lecumberri — "El Palacio Negro" — inaugurated by Porfirio Díaz in 1900, closed in 1976 after 76 years as Mexico's most feared prison. Now the Archivo General de la Nación, open Monday–Friday 9am–5pm, free entry. Eduardo Molina #113.
Are there abandoned buildings from the 1985 earthquake in Mexico City?
Yes — structurally damaged buildings that were never fully demolished persist in eastern colonias such as Tepito and Doctores. Document from street level only; four-decade-old earthquake damage is unpredictable.
Is Mexico City good for urbex?
Extremely — Aztec ruins, colonial convents, Porfiriato prisons and 1985 earthquake dereliction all coexist in a single megacity. The Colonia Roma and Juárez Porfiriato residential belt alone holds dozens of derelict Art Nouveau facades.
Safety Tips
- 1985 earthquake buildings: four-decade-old structural earthquake damage is unpredictable — document from street level only; never enter compromised buildings
- Eastern colonias: Tepito and La Merced require neighbourhood awareness — always visit in daylight in groups and check current local conditions
- Colonial convents: partially collapsed sections may have loose masonry — assess before approaching any roofless structure
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and share your location
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