The other day a friend of my wife happened to be in Mexico, so we went to meet up with her for lunch in a part of Mexico City that foreign visitors are typically most interested in visiting: Coyoacán. It's a district in the southern part of the city, whose history goes way back to prehispanic times, back when most of today's city was still a lake, and the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán was an island in the middle of this lake, barely bigger than today's city center. In those times Coyoacán was already a small town on the southern shore of the lake, situated perfectly for the conquering Spaniards to establish their base there.
Come Visit Coyoacán!
... or if you can't, at least take a look at some posts about it. For example this one, published only recently by @travelshots. Is it all a coincidence??? Well, maybe not, but we did not plan it either, that's for sure. Though we do tend to post about similar things around the same time. I'm thinking Tolantongo...
My point is, Coyoacán has always been considered a pleasant place, full of culture, lots of greenery, traditional architecture, etc. This is the main reason tourists come in droves, who in turn give incentive for the street vendors, cafés, and artisan merchants to come. In the past century Coyoacán was also a favorite location among the intellectuals, artists, musicians, as well as foreigners... going back (at least) to the aforementioned Spanish conquistador.
A Fancy Event Venue in a Lush Surroundings
So coming back to the place we went to have lunch, it was a beautiful combination of ancient artisanal buildings and a shaded park-like garden, covered in a thick layer of green vegetation. The food was not even the main attraction, and indeed it turned out to be just "all right". Pricier than usual, but not excessive. However, we could not leave the premises without taking numerous pictures of the many photogenic nooks and crannies everywhere.
Among the dense growth of plants, there are various arches, bridges, terraces, even a water pool, all of which are adorned with statues and figurines that look like they could have been looted from the Museum of Anthropology (whose display, admittedly, doesn't make them look any better than that garden). However, their direct exposure to visitors' hands suggests that these artifacts are replicas or imitations. Not that I mind! I generally think glass cases take away a lot from material culture, anyway...
Did Hernán Cortés Actually Live Here?
If you ask the staff, they are likely to nod and assure it with "of course" and "most certainly", but if you ask about the buildings, they will reply that most of them are from the 70's (I mean the 1970's). Also, the alleged residency of Cortés happened to be in the center of Coyoacán, in a building known today as the Old Town Hall. As for the restaurant, its website informs us that it may have been Cortés' horse stables. Yeah, if you think about it, it would have been very unlikely for the conquistador to decorate his home with efigies and statuettes from a culture that he was about to conquer.
The uncertain history of the place notwithstanding, it's still worth to take a look at this restaurant. Maybe not for a whole lunch, but sitting down for a coffee or a beer is most certainly recommendable, along with a stroll through the premises. The lush garden, the style of the buildings, and the plenty decorative pieces all around offer a pleasant setting, especially to those folks who have still not gotten used to "oh, so Mexican!" appearances everywhere, and are still easily impressed by these things. There is even a gift shop, for those who want to take a piece or the other home with them. The Hacienda de Cortés is located on Fernández Leal close to the Plaza de la Conchita park.
