# Zócalo/Tenochtitlan metro station

Zócalo/Tenochtitlan metro station is a station of the Mexico City Metro in the historic center of the city, in the Cuauhtémoc borough. It is an underground station with two side platforms, serving Line 2 (the Blue Line) between Allende and Pino Suárez metro stations.
Zócalo/Tenochtitlan metro station is located at the heart of the city's downtown, within the vicinity of the National Palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the archaeological remains of Tenochtitlan's main temple, Templo Mayor, among other landmarks. The station's pictogram features the coat of arms of Mexico and it receives its name from the Plaza de la Constitución, commonly known as Zócalo, which is Mexico City's main square situated above the station.
The station opened on 14 September 1970 as Zócalo metro station, providing westward service toward Tacuba and eastward service toward Tasqueña. It was renamed in August 2021 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Fall of Tenochtitlan. The station facilities offer partial accessibility to people with disabilities as there is an elevator.
Inside the station, there is an Internet café, an information desk, a cultural display, a mural titled Cenefas conmemorativas del Bicentenario by Juan Carlos Garcés Botello and Jesús Cristóbal Flores Carmona, and a passageway connecting to Pino Suárez station, which features a free mini-cinema and several bookstores. In 2019, the station had an average daily ridership of 71,613 passengers, ranking it the tenth busiest station in the network and the third busiest of the line. Due to its location, the station may be closed depending on the events in the area.

## Location and layout

Zócalo/Tenochtitlan is an underground metro station in the colonia ("neighborhood") of Centro, otherwise known as the historic center of Mexico City. It is situated in the Cuauhtémoc borough and serves multiple notable landmarks, including Constitution Square (which is locally known as "Zócalo"), the National Palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the archaeological remains of Tenochtitlan's main temple, Templo Mayor.
There are six exits. The first exit is located to the east, next to the National Palace and the next one is on the opposite side, serving the Zócalo. The third and fourth exits are on Avenida Pino Suárez, on the south side of the square. One is on Calle Corregidora (near the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation building) on the southeast, while the other is near the corner of Calle Venustiano Carranza. The remaining two exits serve the northern part of the square: one is next to the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the other is near the National Palace, close to the corner of Calle Moneda.
The facilities are partially accessible to people with disabilities as there is an elevator. Within the system, the station lies between Allende and Pino Suárez metro stations. The bicycle sharing system, Ecobici, services the area.
Inside the station, there is also an information desk and multiple murals titled Cenefas conmemorativas del Bicentenario (2010), created by Juan Carlos Garcés Botello and Jesús Cristóbal Flores Carmona. The station also features a cultural display managed by the National Institute of Anthropology and History, which illustrates the history of the Zócalo with a scale model.
The station has a corridor that connects to Pino Suárez station via an underground passageway on the south side, called Pasaje Zócalo–Pino Suárez. 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 Salvador, but the plan was canceled due to the proximity of the existing stations.

## History and construction

Line 2 of the Mexico City Metro was built by Ingeniería de Sistemas de Transportes Metropolitano, Electrometro and Cometro, the latter being a subsidiary of Empresas ICA. Its first section, where Zócalo station is located, was inaugurated on 14 September 1970, running from Tasqueña to Tacuba metro station. The tunnel between Zócalo and Allende spans 602 meters (1,975 ft) in length, while the section between Zócalo and Pino Suárez measures 745 meters (2,444 ft).
In 1983, there were plans for the Zócalo station to be an interchange station connecting Line 2 with the proposed Line 8, which was intended to run from Indios Verdes to Pantitlán station. However, the project was canceled due to inadequate planning and concerns about potential damage to historical buildings. The line was subsequently modified to run from Garibaldi to Constitución de 1917 metro stations, following a route beneath Avenida Eje Central.
Since 2009, there is a free Internet café, the first of its kind within 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 represents the coat of arms of Mexico, which depicts an eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus devouring a snake. The station is named after the Zócalo, the main square of Mexico City.
The term zócalo originally means "base" in architecture. In the era of Antonio López de Santa Anna, there were plans to erect a monument dedicated to the Mexican War of Independence at the square. An 8 m (26 ft) long and 30 cm (12 in) high pedestal was constructed in 1843, but the project was canceled due to the Mexican–American War. The pedestal was eventually buried and remained uncovered until 2017. As a result, "zócalo" came to be used as a synonym for "square" or "plaza" in Mexican Spanish, and its usage eventually spread throughout the country.
In August 2020, system authorities updated the station’s signage to "Zócalo/Tenochtitlan" and announced that the change would be formalized in a civic ceremony. The station was officially renamed on 13 August 2021 in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Fall of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire. The formal ceremony took place on 19 August, during which Avenida Puente de Alvarado and the nearby Metrobús station, both previously named after the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado, were also renamed to Calzada México-Tenochtitlan and México-Tenochtitlan station, respectively.

### Incidents

On 29 March 1998, a drunk passenger began shooting 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. It has been closed for national security concerns, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, for live events at the Zócalo, and during protests in the area. The station closed 358 times between 2019 and 31 July 2024—most of the tenure of Andrés Manuel López Obrador as president, with 162 closures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. These frequent closures impacted local businesses significantly.
The station has also been vandalized multiple times by demonstrators.

### Ridership

According to data provided by authorities, before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public transport, commuters averaged per year between 70,200 and 72,900 daily entrances between 2014 and 2019; the station had a ridership of 26,138,960 passengers in 2019, marking an increase of 108,763 passengers compared to 2018. In 2019 specifically, Zócalo metro station ranked tenth busiest out of the system's 195 stations and was the line's third busiest.
Annual passenger ridership :
| Year | Ridership | Average daily | Rank | % change |
| 2023 | 15,940,778 | 43,673 | 10/195 | +15.71% |
| 2022 | 13,776,200 | 37,743 | 12/195 | +115.58% |
| 2021 | 6,390,406 | 17,507 | 31/195 | −10.73% |
| 2020 | 7,158,490 | 19,558 | 30/195 | −72.61% |
| 2019 | 26,138,960 | 71,613 | 10/195 | −1.07% |
| 2018 | 26,421,132 | 72,386 | 10/195 | +3.01% |
| 2017 | 25,648,342 | 70,269 | 10/195 | −3.86% |
| 2016 | 26,678,428 | 72,891 | 10/195 | +1.71% |
| 2015 | 26,229,616 | 71,861 | 10/195 | −0.66% |
| 2014 | 26,402,602 | 72,355 | 9/195 | +4.59% |
| Historical annual passenger ridership ||||||
| 2009 | 28,747,677 | 78,760 | 6/175 | — |