Mexico City If you think Mexico City is just lots of tequila, mariachi, food and fun, think twice, as this city may leave you breathless with its wonderful secrets and astonishing facts. The following list of 20 facts that you may have not known about this ancient capital will certainly change your point of view about it: 1. Founded in 1325, Mexico City is the oldest city of the Americas. Its original name in the local indigenous language (nahuatl) was Tenochtitlan or Mexico-Tenochtitlan, and it was recognized and preserved by the Spanish Crown in the 16th century. Afterwards, the city’s inhabitants named it just Mexico. It was the capital of the Aztec Empire which had approximately 300 thousand people, a larger population than any European city at that time, when it was conquered by Spain. Subsequently, it was the capital city of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, the two Mexican Empires (in the 19th Century), the Mexican Republic and the current nation of Mexico. 2. Mexico City is the second most populated city of the world just after Tokyo; with more than 20 million people (some estimates place it closer to 26-27 million). Its population and economy are larger than those of more than a hundred countries in the world, and it has more or less the same amount of inhabitants than the entire region of Central America. 3. It is the 8th richest city of the world. Its estimated GDP in 2011 was US$411 billion. Its economic growth is one of the highest of the world and its economy is set to double by 2020, putting it in 7th place after Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Paris and London. More than 20% of the Mexican economy is concentrated here. Therefore, it is one of the main financial and cultural centers of not only the Americas, but the world. 4. The city is located 2.2 kilometers above sea level. Though some people who are not used to these high altitudes may experience difficulty breathing when first landing in Mexico City, this symptom normally only lasts for a few hours. 5. UNESCO has declared the Historic Center as a World Cultural Heritage, along with Xochimilco (a borough in the south of the city known for its canals and artificial islands), UNAM (Mexico’s largest public university) and Luis Barragan’s House and Studio (a prominent Mexican architect). http://www.mydestination.com/mexicocity/travel-articles/722874/20-facts-of-mexico-city