The Archivo del Cabildo is located in the Northwest corner of the Cathedral de la Ciudad de México. Finding the Zocalo or the Cathedral should be very easy, and finding the Archive is also easy but I will stress that you should not ask the average person if they can help you find the Cabildo Archive– they will have no clue. Instead, find the Cathedral and then proceed to the Northwest corner or ask someone that works for the Cathedral to direct you towards the archive.
In the Cabildo Archive you will find documents and records that pertain to the building and upkeep of the Cathedral beginning in the sixteenth century.
Consultation Hours:
4PM to 8PM, Tue-Fri (Yes, PM)
10AM-2PM, Saturdays (Yes, they are open on Saturday)
How to arrive:
Here is a big helpful tip, if you get lost, ask for the Zocalo, the Plaza de la Constitucion, or la Catedral de Mexico. I would not ask for the the Cabildo Archive until you are in the Cathedral.
There are four main ways to get to the Cabildo Archive:
- Metro: Get to the blue line and get off on the Zocalo stop.
- Metrobus: Get to the linea 4 and get off on Republica de Argentina and walk south on Republica de Brazil to the Zocalo.
- Ecobici, there is an ecobici station on the Northwest end of the Cathedral.
- Taxi or UBER: like always this will be the most expensive option. Ask for the Zocalo or the Catedral.
Consultation/ Image Reproduction
- Transcribing
- You can either type your transcriptions on a laptop, or write them down on paper.
- Photography and Reproduction
- You can take digital pictures of images for at no cost, as long as you do not photograph an entire volume.
What You Need to Register:
- Letter of Introduction (typically from your adviser)
What You Need to Consult Documents:
- Your archival research kit. A mask and gloves will be required in this archive, nitrile or cotton will do.
Where to eat:
- Café La Pagoda on 5 de Mayo and Calle de Filomino Mata
- This place is inexpensive, clean, and has great food
- El Tlaquepaque
Fun Fact:
- The opening scenes of James Bond Spectre (2015) were filmed in CDMX and one of the main parts includes a series of shots in the Zocalo were you can see the Palace and the Cathedral.
