Módulo Teatro de la Ciudad de México

What this is. An official tourist information module at the Teatro de la Ciudad Esperanza Iris, in the historic centre — free, staffed and selling nothing. Printed maps, public transport advice and verified opening hours.

The theatre itself. Opened in 1918, built by and named after the actress and impresario Esperanza Iris, who financed it herself at a time when almost no woman in Mexico owned a theatre. It was modelled on the great European houses — horseshoe auditorium, boxes, a painted ceiling — and after a long decline it was restored and is now one of the city's principal stages for dance, concerts and touring companies.

Where it puts you. Donceles street, two blocks north of Madero, in the thick of the centre: the Templo Mayor, the cathedral and the Palacio de Bellas Artes are all within ten minutes on foot, and Donceles itself is the street of second-hand bookshops.

Practical notes. Donceles #36, Centro. Metro Allende and Bellas Artes, line 2. Ask the module for the current programme — the theatre's season is published a few weeks ahead and tickets are inexpensive.