Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Slovenia mushroom foraging
Slovenia • 6 days, 5 nights
Forest to Table in Alpine Slovenia
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The exterior of STRAAT.
STRAAT
The front of the St. Charles’ Church
St. Charles’ Church
The miniature theatre’s 200-seat capacity is slowly being filled with tiny figurines of beloved film characters, from classic movie stars to Muppets. Statler and Waldorf are perched in their usual spot at the front-right balcony. There’s even an ongoing call for visitors and locals to add their own favorite characters to the growing crowd.
East Van Vodville Cinema
Gombe mountains seen from Lake Tanganyika.
Gombe National Park
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The rocky Revere Beach coast in Revere, Massachusetts, just outside Boston.
Which Places With Bad Raps Are Actually Worth Visiting?
about 21 hours ago
A dugong displays the telltale “smile.”
Saving the Sea Cows of Vanuatu
about 22 hours ago
The first photo of the “woolly devil” made a stir among botanists when Deb Manley uploaded it to iNaturalist in March 2024.
How the Woolly Devil, Member of a New Plant Genus, Was Discovered on a Hike in Big Bend
2 days ago
You don’t need to go to Turkey to see hundreds of hot air balloons rising.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Find the Most Unusual Festivals in the U.S.?
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Mexico Mexico City Plaza Santos Degollado

Plaza Santos Degollado

A grand entrance to one of the world's smallest Chinatowns.

Mexico City, Mexico

Added By
linkogecko
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Details of the paifang.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Details of the paifang.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
The other entrance to Chinatown   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
  pml33040 / Atlas Obscura User
  pml33040 / Atlas Obscura User
Animals on the paifang.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Lion-dog in the foreground, classical muse in the background.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Plaza Santos Degollado.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Dragons and other creatures.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Detail   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
Carved bird.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Dolores Street, in Mexico City’s Historic Center, is home to the city’s Chinatown. Consisting of a mere couple of blocks lined with Chinese-Mexican restaurants and imported curios shops, it has the distinction of being one of the world’s smallest Chinese ethnic enclaves. Nonetheless, the small park that marks its starting point does have a story to tell and sights to show.

This park was built during the historic period known as Porfiriato. Named after Porfirio Díaz, who was Mexico’s president from 1876 to 1911 and a noted Francophile, the period is distinguished by French-style architecture and culture, as well as rapid industrialization. This park was originally distinguished by Neoclassical marble statues and design. Shortly after its inauguration, it was named after Santos Degollado, a notable figure of the pre-Porfiriat0 Reform War.

By the early 21st century, the park was mostly derelict. In 2008, as part of a renovation process for the Historic Center, the park was remodeled and declared the starting point of the city’s Chinatown. To commemorate the occasion, a paifang (Chinese gate) known as Arco Chino was built onsite as a collaboration between Mexican and Chinese artists and architects. Featuring engravings on marble and granite brought over from China, the paifang is one of the most visually-striking features of this Chinatown. The plaza’s redesign also took feng shui into account.

Originally the arch would not be here, but at the entrance of the Callejón de Dolores (the authentic Chinatown). However, when the architects began to assemble, they noticed that it didn't fit, that's why they moved to the Degollado Square. The original Chinese lions remained at the entrance to the alley as a testimony. Currently a less aesthetic arch made of metal gives the entrance to the neighborhood.

While Dolores Street might not actually be the home to the more sizable Chinese-Mexican communities, it is one of the most representative symbols of its history. Many Chinese merchants sailed with the Manila Galleon (also known as La Nao de China) during the colonial New Spain period and settled along the Pacific Coast near Acapulco. During the 19th century, further migration saw communities popping up mostly in cities of Northern Mexico like Mexicali and Torreón. During the Mexican Revolution, many Chinese business owners were attacked and even killed due to the nationalistic ideologies of some Revolutionaries.

These incidents led to strained relations between the governments of both countries, although in the almost-100 years since, they have become normalized and even celebrated with collaborations like El Arco Chino.

Related Tags

Architecture Parks Diaspora Immigration

Know Before You Go

The nearest metro stations are Bellas Artes, Juárez, and San Juan de Letrán.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Flavors of Oaxaca: Markets, Mezcal & Home-Cooked Meals

A Culinary and Cultural Journey Through Oaxaca.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

linkogecko

Edited By

Mario Yair TS, Xavixavir, pml33040

  • Mario Yair TS
  • Xavixavir
  • pml33040

Published

October 3, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://sgpwe.izt.uam.mx/files/users/uami/mcheca/LECTURAS_CHINA/LECTURA_3.6C.pdf
  • https://expansion.mx/obras/2010/02/05/un-sobreviviente-del-porfiriato
Plaza Santos Degollado
3 Av Independencia
Mexico City, 06000
Mexico
19.433211, -99.143631
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Museo de Arte Popular

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Alexander Von Humboldt Monument

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

'El Vochol'

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico

Places 180
Stories 17

Nearby Places

Museo de Arte Popular

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Alexander Von Humboldt Monument

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

'El Vochol'

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico

Places 180
Stories 17

Related Stories and Lists

9 Places That Celebrate Mexico's International Connections

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • This house was transported piece-by-piece from the Huizhou region of China.

    Salem, Massachusetts

    Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese Home

    A rare 16-bedroom Qing Dynasty house re-erected on the campus of the Peabody Essex Museum. 

  • Statues lined up in Plaza de Oriente.

    Madrid, Spain

    Royal Palace of Madrid Statues

    After the queen of Spain had a dream where these statues fell and crushed her, they were removed from the palace and given new homes around Madrid.

  • The creek, slowly deepening the Big Ditch

    Silver City, New Mexico

    The Big Ditch

    This small canyon park was once the main street of Silver City—until a flood washed it away.

  • Palmenti in Pietragalla

    Pietragalla, Italy

    Parco Urbano dei Palmenti

    Though they look like Hobbit houses, these semi-underground stone structures were built for winemaking.

  • A sample platter of meats, with plenty of mustard.

    Glendale, Arizona

    A Touch of European Cafe

    This love letter to Poland serves bracing dill pickle soup and plump pierogis.

  • Chinese pond

    Aranjuez, Spain

    Estanque de los Chinescos (Chinese Pond)

    This 18th-century pond is one of the main attractions in the Jardín del Príncipe in Aranjuez.

  • Valladolid, Mexico

    Casa China

    A mysterious, abandoned Chinese building in Mexico pays homage to the area's East Asian immigrants.

  • Plaque outside La Vasconia bakery.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    'Huellas de la Octava' ('Footprints of the Eighth')

    A series of mosaics in Mexico City's Historic Center celebrate the Basque Country's "eighth province"—its diaspora.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.