Acuario Inbursa
Blvd. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 386, Amp Granada, Miguel Hidalgo, 11500 Ciudad de México, CDMX
5553954586
http://www.acuarioinbursa.com.mx/
The “New Polanco” area began experiencing renovation in the past two decades and saw some serious development with the building of the Antara shopping mall and the Plaza Carso multi-complex by billionaire Carlos Slim, which includes the Soumaya Museum, the Telcel Theatre, and the Jumex museum of modern art. In 2014 this part of the city saw the inauguration of the Acuario Inbursa (Inbursa Aquarium), the newest resident of the area. The Aquarium is located exactly in front of the Museo Soumaya as a matter of fact, and it’s considered the largest aquarium in Latin America.
The Aquarium Inbursa is not an open-air aquarium, it’s actually four floors underground, and an elevator takes you to the main entrance of the complex. The aquarium has a total area of about 3,600 square meters and houses about 5 thousand creatures divided into 230 species and 48 different exhibitions. Construction was heavily covered by the media and about 22 million liters of seawater were brought in from the Gulf of Mexico, hence the great expectation when it opened, which can still be seen even to this day in the generous waiting lines to get in, sometimes totaling some 30 minutes of waiting time. The total investment in the aquarium was $250 million pesos.
The tour of the aquarium starts at the bottom fourth flour with a display of a sunken ship; from there you and your family can watch up close sharks, turtles, piranhas, penguins, crocodiles, medusas, stingrays, and corals; as you go up the remaining floors of the complex. The aquarium is open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the cost of entry is $215 pesos, although infants under 3 years of age enter for free. The closest metro station is “San Joaquín” even though it can be a 20-minute walk to and fro the station.
The deterioration of Mexico’s marine ecosystems prompted the creation of the Aquarium Inbursa, which also heads another organization called CECONSE (Centro de Conservación), a project dedicated to the care and conservation of marine life. The CECONSE is also in charge of the diets and analysis of each of the species located inside the aquarium, as well as caring for the quarantine and the supervision of some of the most delicate species in the installation such as seahorses, sharks, and stingrays.
CECONSE’s main project the Inbursa Aquarium guarantees that newer generations of Mexicans (and visiting tourists) will develop a kinship with the beautiful sea creatures that they can now see up close with their very own eyes, and foster a culture of care and protection for these animals.
