Districts

Alcaldías, not delegaciones. Mexico City is divided into 16 alcaldías, or boroughs. Until 2018 they were called delegaciones and were arms of the central government; under the local constitution they became boroughs with elected authorities. A lot of signage and a lot of people still use the old word, so it is worth knowing both.

Which boroughs matter to a visitor. Practically the whole tourist circuit fits into four: Cuauhtémoc — historic centre, Roma, Condesa, Juárez, Zona Rosa — Miguel Hidalgo — Chapultepec, Polanco, the great museums — Coyoacán and Álvaro Obregón, with San Ángel. To those add Xochimilco for the canals, Gustavo A. Madero for the Basilica and Tlalpan for its historic centre and the Ajusco.

What these pages are for. Each borough has its administrative seat, where residents handle paperwork — civil registry, benefits, licences — and where cultural and sporting activities are organised. Office hours are Monday to Friday; they do not open at weekends.

A practical detail that prevents trouble. Colonia names repeat across boroughs: there is more than one Guadalupe, more than one Santa María, more than one Centro. When you give an address to a taxi driver or type it into an app, always include the borough and the postcode, or you will end up on the other side of the city.