Zócalo/Tenochtitlan metro station[b] is a station of the Mexico City Metro in the historic center of the city, in the Cuauhtémoc borough. It is an underground station with two side platforms, served by Line 2 (the Blue Line). It lies between Allende and Pino Suárez metro stations. The station's pictogram features the coat of arms of Mexico and it receives its name from the Plaza de la Constitución, commonly known as Zócalo, Mexico City's main square located above the station. The station was opened on 14 September 1970, on the first day of the service Tasqueña–Tacuba.
The station facilities are partially accessible for people with disabilities as there is an elevator; there is an Internet café, an information desk, a cultural display, a mural titled Cenefas conmemorativas del Bicentenario, and a passageway that connects with Pino Suárez station, where there is a free mini-cinema and various bookstores. In 2019, the station had an average daily ridership of 71,613 passengers, making it the tenth busiest station in the network and the third busiest of the line. The station was formerly named Zócalo metro station until August 2021, when it was renamed to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Fall of Tenochtitlan.
Zócalo/Tenochtitlan is a metro station in the colonia (Mexican Spanish for "neighborhood") of Centro, otherwise known as the historic center of Mexico City. It is in the Cuauhtémoc borough and serves multiple landmarks, including Constitution Square (which is locally known as "Zócalo"), the National Palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the archaeological remains of Tenochtitlan's main temple, Templo Mayor.[2] Within the system, the station lies between Allende and Pino Suárez metro stations.[3]
There are six exits. The first one is next to National Palace to the east, the second entrance is on the opposite side, serving Constitution Square; the third and fourth are on Pino Suárez Avenue, on the south side of the square but one is on Corregidora Street (next to the building of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation) on the southeast, while the other one is near the corner of Venustiano Carranza Street. The remaining exits serve the northern part of the square: one is next to the Metropolitan Cathedral, while the other is next to the National Palace near the corner of Moneda Street.[3] The area is serviced by the Ecobici system.[4]
Since 2009, there is a free Internet café, the first to be opened by the system.[5] There is also an information desk and multiple murals titled Cenefas conmemorativas del Bicentenario (2010), by Juan Carlos Garcés Botello and Jesús Cristóbal Flores Carmona.[3][6] There is also a cultural display managed by the National Institute of Anthropology and History, where the history of Constitution Square is illustrated with a scale model.[7] The station has a corridor that connects with Pino Suárez station through an underground passageway on the south side, called Pasaje Zócalo–Pino Suárez. It was opened in 1997 and there are 42 bookstores and a free library and mini-cinema.[8][9] Originally it was a passageway created to add another station named Salvador, but it was canceled due to the proximity of both stations.[10]
Line 2 of the Mexico City Metro was built by Ingeniería de Sistemas de Transportes Metropolitano, Electrometro and Cometro, the latter a subsidiary of Empresas ICA.[11] Zócalo metro station was built underground;[11] the Zócalo–Allende tunnel is 602 meters (1,975 ft) long, while the Zócalo–Pino Suárez stretch measures 745 meters (2,444 ft).[12]