Edificio de Correos
Calle de Tacuba 1, Centro Histórico de la Cdad. de México, Centro, Cuauhtémoc, 06000 Ciudad de México, CDMX
55 5512 0091
They say Mexico City is known as the City of Palaces, mainly because there’s just a lot of them, especially in the downtown historic center. One of its most beautiful is the Palacio de Correos (“Postal Palace”) also called “Correo Mayor”, as in the most prominent postal building in the country. It’s one of the most beautiful interiors one can appreciate in Mexico City, filled with iron and stone finishes everywhere you turn around to look, you can only imagine how attractive it’s for architecture enthusiasts as the Postal Palace is a syncretism of different architecture movements, some call it art nouveau, others neo-plateresque; also Spanish renaissance revival, gothic, and rococo, have also been mentioned; apart from the fact that it includes minor components of other entirely different styles such as art-deco and baroque. Its interior is truly something difficult to describe and can only be fully appreciated in person.
Construction was started in 1902 as the postal service in the country was in full swing and needed a brand new hub in the capital to handle the 130 million postal pieces per year that it was receiving. Then-president Porfirio Díaz again recruited Italian architect Adamo Boari and engineer Gonzalo Garita to take care of the construction, they were the same team in charge of constructing the Palacio de Bellas Artes structure which is located literally just across the street (Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas). This new great structure was finally inaugurated in 1907 amidst a lot of pomp and circumstance and President Díaz dropped a couple of letters into the receiving bin to officially inaugurate the service. The structure has remained a functioning post office ever since, providing uninterrupted service since 1907.
The palace is a visual treat for sure, but it also has some history to teach. There’s a museum that displays tools of the postal trade and some historical documents. While the second floor is dedicated entirely to Postal Culture, an erstwhile important part of daily life that has seen a rapid decline since the advent of the internet. There’s also an interactive room and an introduction to philately (the collection and study of postal stamps), while its library contains 8,500 volumes and 240 historical documents from 1580 to 1900. Access is free and it’s open till 7:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
