metro station is a station on the Mexico City Metro in the historic center of the city, in the borough. It is an underground station with two side platforms, serving Line 2 (Blue Line) between and stations.

metro station is located in the heart of downtown Mexico City, near the National Palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the archaeological remains of Tenochtitlan's main temple, the , among other landmarks. The station's pictogram features the coat of arms of Mexico and its name derives from the , commonly known as , which is Mexico City's main square situated above the station.

The station opened on 14 September 1970 as , providing westbound service toward and eastbound service toward . It was renamed in August 2021 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the fall of Tenochtitlan. The facilities offer partial accessibility to people with disabilities including an elevator.

Inside the station are an Internet café, an information desk, a cultural display, a mural titled by Juan Carlos Garcés Botello and Jesús Cristóbal Flores Carmona, and a passageway connecting to station, which has a free mini-cinema and several bookstores. In 2025, the station had an average daily ridership of 36,611 passenger entries, ranking it the 14th busiest station in the network. Due to its location, the station may be closed depending on events in the area.

Location and layout

is an underground metro station on Line 2 in the (neighborhood) of , also known as the historic center of Mexico City. It is located in the borough and serves several notable landmarks, including (which is locally known as ""), the National Palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the archaeological remains of Tenochtitlan's main temple, the .

The station has six exits. The first is located to the east, next to the National Palace, while the second is on the opposite side, serving the . The third and fourth exits are on , on the south side of the square: one on (near the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation building) to the southeast, and the other near the corner of . The remaining two exits serve the northern part of the square, with one next to the Metropolitan Cathedral and the other near the National Palace, close to the corner of .

The facilities are partially accessible to people with disabilities, including an elevator. Within the system, the station lies between and metro stations. The Ecobici bicycle-sharing system serves the area.

Landmarks Inside the station are an information desk and multiple murals titled , painted by Juan Carlos Garcés Botello and Jesús Cristóbal Flores Carmona for the commemoration of the outbreak of the Mexican War of Independence and the Mexican Revolution. The station also features a cultural display managed by the National Institute of Anthropology and History, which illustrates the history of the through a scale model.

The station has a corridor connecting it to station via an underground passageway on the south side, known as . Opened in 1997, it includes 42 bookstores, a free library, and a mini-cinema. Originally, it was intended to serve as a connection to a proposed station named , but the plan was canceled due to the proximity of existing stations.

History and construction Line 2 of the Mexico City Metro was built by , and , the latter being a subsidiary of . Its first section, which includes Zócalo station, was inaugurated on 14 September 1970, running from to . The tunnel between and is long, while the section between and measures .

In 1983, plans were made for the station to serve as an interchange between Line 2 with the proposed Line 8, which was intended to run from to station. However, the project was canceled due to inadequate planning and concerns about potential damage to historic buildings. The line was subsequently rerouted to operate from to stations, following a route beneath .

Since 2009, the station has offered a free Internet café, the first of its kind in the metro system. In December 2019, the turnstiles on the southern side were replaced with motion-sensor speed gates to prevent fare evasion.

Name and pictogram The pictogram depicts the coat of arms of Mexico, showing an eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus devouring a snake. The station is named after the , Mexico City's main square.

The term originally referred to an architectural base or plinth. During the era of Antonio López de Santa Anna, plans were made to erect a monument to the Mexican War of Independence in the square. In 1843, an long and high pedestal was constructed, but the project was abandoned due to the Mexican–American War. As a result, "" came to be used as a synonym for "square" or "plaza" in Mexican Spanish, and its usage eventually spread throughout the country. The pedestal was eventually buried and remained uncovered until 2017.

In August 2020, system authorities updated the station’s signage to "" and announced that the change would be formalized in a civic ceremony. The station was officially renamed on 13 August 2021 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the fall of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire. The formal ceremony took place on 19 August, during which and the nearby Metrobús station, both previously named after the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado, were also renamed to and station, respectively.

Incidents On 29 March 1998, a drunk passenger opened fire at users, injuring a security guard who attempted to intervene. Due to its central location, Zócalo/Tenochtitlan station is frequently closed by authorities for various reasons, including national security concerns, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, for live events at the , and during protests in the area. The station closed 358 times between 2019 and 31 July 2024—covering most of the presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador—with 162 closures attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. These frequent closures significantly impacted local businesses. The station has also been vandalized multiple times by demonstrators.

Ridership

According to official data, before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the station recorded between 70,269 and 72,900 average daily entries from 2016 to 2019. In 2025, it recorded 13,363,036 passenger entries, ranking 14th among the system's 195 stations.

Year Ridership Average daily Rank % change Ref. 2025 13,363,036 36,611 14/195 2024 14,048,881 38,384 11/195 2023 15,940,778 43,673 10/195 2022 13,776,200 37,743 12/195 2021 6,390,406 17,507 31/195 2020 7,158,490 19,558 30/195 2019 26,138,960 71,613 10/195 2018 26,421,132 72,386 10/195 2017 25,648,342 70,269 10/195 2016 26,678,428 72,891 10/195

Notes

References

External links

Pasaje Zócalo–Pino Suárez Official Website