Mariposario Chapultepec (Chapultepec Butterfly Garden)

The Chapultepec Butterfly Garden houses thousands of butterflies that fly freely through the space, much to the delight of visitors. A trip to this part of the zoo consists of two parts: a building displaying butterfly specimens and the actual insectarium.

While inside the butterfly garden, you’ll see an incubator full of cocoons. So many insects hatch here that every hour, the zoo holds a special event where each visitor can release a butterfly. A Nahuas legend says that if you make a wish on a butterfly on its first flight, your wish will come true.

The best thing about this place is that the butterflies are so used to humans that it is possible to get within inches of them to admire their details—though you should not touch them. The insects will flutter above people with total impunity.

Types of butterflies you can expect to see include monarch butterflies, owl butterflies, the Julia butterfly (the species known to quench their thirst with turtle tears), and Andean blues.