Balderas is an underground station on the Mexico City Metro. It is located in the Cuauhtémoc borough in the center of Mexico City. It is a transfer station along Lines 1 and 3. Between 2023 and 2024, the Line 1 station was closed for modernization work on the tunnel and the line's technical equipment.
Name and iconography The station receives its name from the nearby Balderas street, which in turn was named in honor of Lucas Balderas, a Mexican military officer that participated in the Mexican–American War and was killed at the Battle of Molino del Rey in 1847. It is said that his last words were "poor country of mine".
The station pictogram depicts the colonial-era cannon preserved on the nearby Plaza de La Ciudadela. The cannon is a reminder of the Ten Tragic Days, which was a period a little bit longer than 10 days in which a coup the democratically elected government of Francisco I. Madero took place. This chapter would end with the murder of President Madero and Vice-President José María Pino Suárez, as well as the rise to the presidency of Victoriano Huerta.
General information Near Metro Balderas are the La Ciudadela market, filled with Mexican handicrafts, the José Vasconcelos Central Library of Mexico City, and facilities of broadcaster Televisa. Next to the library lies a tianguis (street market) full of books, comics, collectibles, etc.
This station has an information desk and facilities for the disabled. It also displays a plaque unveiled on 19 September 2004, celebrating Mexican rock musician Rockdrigo González, killed exactly 19 years earlier in the 1985 Mexico City earthquake and composer of a song titled "Metro Balderas". In September 2011 a real-size bronze statue of Rockdrigo was also unveiled inside the station.
Although this station is totally underground, cellular phone signals (GSM and TDMA for several providers) are able to reach the platform. The station also has charging stations for mobile devices.
History Metro Balderas was opened on 4 September 1969, as part of the first stage of Line 1, going from Chapultepec to Zaragoza.
The station became the network's second transfer station, when the first stretch of Line 3, from Tlatelolco to Hospital General, was opened in November 1970.
Incidents On Friday, 18 September 2009 a mass shooting occurred on the platform. A man was tagging one of the station walls with a marker, therefore, he was confronted by a police officer. He reacted by taking out a gun and killing the officer and a construction worker who tried to disarm him, he also left five more wounded. The man later claimed that he committed the killings "in the name of God" and was sentenced to 151 years in prison.
The man who tried to disarm him was Esteban Cervantes Barrera.
On 29 December 2018, a woman gave birth to a child inside the station, at the Line 1 platforms, helped by personnel of the Mexican Red Cross.
Nearby Biblioteca de México, public library. Escuela Libre de Derecho, law school. Televisa Chapultepec headquarters. Parque Tolsá, park. Centro Escolar Revolución, elementary school.
Exits Line 1 North: Tolsá street and Balderas, Centro South: Avenida Niños Héroes and Avenida Chapultepec, Colonia Doctores
Line 3 East: Avenida Arcos de Belén, Colonia Doctores Southeast: Avenida Niños Héroes and Dr. Río de la Loza street, Colonia Doctores
Station layout GStreet LevelExit/EntranceB1Mezzanine for platform connectionFare control/Ticket windowsWestbound← toward Observatorio Eastbound toward Pantitlán →B2Northbound← toward Indios Verdes Southbound toward Universidad →
Ridership
Annual passenger ridership (Line 1) Year Ridership Average daily Rank % change Ref. 2025 5,792,816 15,870 84/195 2024 1,574,684 4,302 177/195 2023 9,030,215 24,740 30/195 2022 7,139,186 19,559 46/195 2021 3,532,268 9,677 87/195 2020 4,132,493 11,290 87/195 2019 7,825,656 21,440 81/195 2018 7,509,318 20,573 86/195 2017 7,797,786 21,363 78/195 2016 8,198,425 22,400 78/195
Annual passenger ridership (Line 3) Year Ridership Average daily Rank % change Ref. 2025 4,027,517 11,034 131/195 2024 6,056,327 16,547 73/195 2023 7,037,585 19,281 57/195 2022 6,050,356 16,576 63/195 2021 1,290,882 3,526 162/195 2020 1,539,347 4,205 164/195 2019 2,840,045 7,780 170/195 2018 2,839,394 7,779 169/195 2017 2,852,962 7,816 167/195 2016 2,937,959 8,027 167/195
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