Módulo Pista de Canotaje Virgilio Uribe (Cuemanco)

What this is. An official tourist information module at the Virgilio Uribe canoeing course, at Cuemanco in Xochimilco — free, staffed and selling nothing. Maps, transport routes and verified hours and prices.

What the venue is. A rowing and canoeing course built for the 1968 Olympic Games and still in use for national and international competition, training and recreational rowing. It sits on the edge of the Xochimilco protected area, which is why the setting is water, reeds and birds rather than a stadium.

What is next to it. The Cuemanco embarcadero, the landing that opens onto the quiet part of the canals — chinampas still under cultivation, herons and egrets, and none of the loudspeakers of the busier landings. And the Cuemanco plant and flower market, the largest in the city, at its most spectacular in the two weeks before Día de Muertos when the cempasúchil comes in.

Practical notes. Periférico Sur and Canal de Cuemanco, Xochimilco. No Metro: Tren Ligero to Xochimilco and a taxi, or drive. Morning is the moment for both the water and the birds.