Plaza de las Tres Culturas, Mexico City, Mexico

Visit duration: 1 hour Editorial visit time estimate

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

About Plaza de las Tres Culturas

The Plaza de las Tres Culturas (Square of the Three Cultures) is the main square of the Tlatelolco neighbourhood of Mexico City. Its name recognises the three periods of Mexican history reflected in the buildings around it: pre-Columbian, Spanish colonial and the independent nation. The square was designed by the Mexican architect and urbanist Mario Pani and completed in 1966. It is also the place remembered for the 1968 student demonstrations and the Tlatelolco massacre.

Checked 2026-11-10 · Source

What's inside

The square contains the archaeological site of the city-state of Tlatelolco. It is flanked by the College of Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco, built in 1536 and the oldest European school of higher learning in the Americas, and by a huge housing complex from 1964. The former Foreign Ministry headquarters on the southern edge now houses Memorial 68, a museum opened by UNAM in October 2007 in memory of the 1968 student movement and the massacre. A large stone memorial on the south side was erected on 2 October 1993, the 25th anniversary.

Checked 2026-11-10 · Source

Common questions

Why is it called the Square of the Three Cultures?

Its buildings reflect three periods of Mexican history: pre-Columbian, Spanish colonial and the independent nation.

What is Memorial 68?

A memorial museum opened by UNAM in October 2007 in the former Foreign Ministry building on the square.

Where it is

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Nearby

Within 16 min on foot

1 hr 30 min
3 min walk
Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco
- Must see
- Museum
45 min
14 min walk
Mercado 36 Tepito
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- Market
45 min
16 min walk
plaza Garibaldi
- Must see
- Historic site