Venue

The conference venue will be at the main campus of the UNAM (National University of Mexico).

It is a huge campus, served by two Metro and two Metrobus stations. To travel inside the campus you can take one of the campus buses (free). Click here for the maps of the campus and the internal bus routes.

The “Unidad de Posgrado” (Postgraduate Center) is in the Southernmost part of the campus. It is an almost circular building and its auditorium lies almost at the centre. Look at the Accommodation section for maps on how to get there.

Travel

By plane

The main entrance point to Mexico City is Benito Juárez Airport. Immigration points seem specially crowded after arrival of foreign flights, although they work faster than you would expect.

From the airport you can take either a cab (please, use only pre-paid cabs for your own safety) or the Metro (underground train). This last option can be overcrowded and it is only advisable if you are not bringing heavy luggage, as most stations do not have a lift and scalators are not suitable for luggage.

Moving around in Mexico City

The best way to travel is either by Metro or Metrobus (rapid transit bus). Here you have maps of them (Spanish only, sorry): Metro. Metrobus. A single fare ticket costs $5 pesos (roughly thirty cents of a US dollar), but you will have to buy a card for use at the entrance turnstiles. The card costs $8 pesos (roughly fifty cents of a US dollar). Cards must be bought at ticket offices at the entrance of every Metro station.

Cabs are abundant but you are best advised not to take them in the streets, but to call them from “Sitios”. One such service is Taximex (tel. 9171 8888; they claim to have English speaking operators). You can also ask for a cab at the front desk of your hotel.

Uber and Cabify operate in Mexico City through the usual applications.

Be aware that aside from hotel and museum staff, few people speak other languages than Spanish.

History and touristic information

Mexico City is one of the five biggest cities in the world. While Mexico City proper has 8-9 million inhabitants, its metropolitan area has a total population of 22 million.

The city sits in the middle of a valley at an altitude of 2,240m so you may experience some minor breathing problems in the first couple of days after your arrival.

You can find a series of guides and maps for the visitor in the website of the Tourist Office.

For your convenience, you can also download the guides and maps from here:

Brief guide.

Essential guide.

Roma Condesa map.

Coyoacán San Ángel map.

Chapultepec and Reforma street.

Old town map.

Wiki Voyage has a very good entry about Mexico City.