Gay Side of History through Plazas & Temples

Badge of Excellence

Mexico City, Mexico

3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Hear the hidden stories behind the historic attractions of Mexico City on a 3.5-hour LGBT+ tour. Your dynamic guide provides a wealth of knowledge on the city’s gay history dating all the way back to the Aztecs up until today. The laid-back tour takes you past Frida Kahlo's high school, the National Museum of Art, the Fifth Post Office, and much more.

Digital LGBT+ map of the Historic Center and extra resources
Get the personalized experience of a small group
Downloadable PDF copy of e-book RAINBOW MEXICO
Downloadable PDF copy of e-book RAINBOW MEXICO
Bottled water, Coffee and/or Tea included

What's Included

Local guide
Coffee and/or Tea
Bottled water
Digital LGBT+ map of the Historic Center and extra resources.
Downloadable PDF copy of e-book RAINBOW MEXICO: Bridging Forgotten Pasts and Vibrant Futures.

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

República de Argentina 15, Centro Histórico de la Cdad. de México, Centro, Cuauhtémoc, 06020 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
We meet outside Number 15, República de Argentina Street, curbside, right at the door marked with #15. It is the main door and it is not at the corner. It is at the heart of Mexico City's Historic Center.

End point

Antiguo Palacio de la Santa Inquisición
República de Brasil 33, Centro Histórico de la Cdad. de México, Centro, Cuauhtémoc, 06020 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
At the Historic Center's second largest plaza, Plaza de Santo Domingo. At the corner of República de Venezuela and República de Brasil streets.

Operating hours
.10:00 am

Itinerary

Librería Porrúa

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Museo del Templo Mayor (Pass By)

Catedral Metropolitana de la Ciudad de Mexico (Pass By)

Zocalo

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Palacio Nacional de Mexico (Pass By)

Centro Cultural Espana en Mexico

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Ex Old Customs (Pass By)

Plaza de Santo Domingo

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Antiguo Palacio de la Santa Inquisición (Pass By)

Santo Domingo (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Minimum age is 18 years
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
You will walk for 1 mile in 3 hours.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.6

based on 55 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Carlos is great!

April_H, Apr 2026

This tour provided us with the historical context of the city, as well as information about life here as a gay person. Carlos adapted the tour to us (we wound up having a private tour) and made it very unique and special. Lots of information in a 3-hour tour!

Ghosted by operator

Brock_G, Nov 2025

The operator cancelled the tour 1 hour before it was meant to start. We were already on our way to the tour and the last minute cancellation made it difficult to arrange something else for our day. The operator gave no reason for cancelling nor did they answer our calls or messages to confirm the cancellation was accurate. This is very poor business management and incredibly disrespectful to your customers.

Fantastic!!!! Sign up now!

Anne_J, Oct 2025

Had an amazing tour with Carlos, who is a walking encyclopedia of history and cultural knowledge. He's a great storyteller and I learned so much that I need to take a siesta to relax and try to process it all! I enjoyed learning about Mexico and the country, which Carlos clearly loves, and how it began and grew with respect to world events and gay influence - and much more. Note: I am ally (not LGBTQ+) and this is one of my favorite tours I have ever taken, and definitely one of the most educational! Just book it!

Excellent tour. Excellent guide.

Nancy_M, Nov 2024

This is an excellent walking tour and Carlos is a great guide. He's knowledgeable, entertaining, and engaging. He is serious about the subject and there's serious history here, but the tour is never dry. I've studied Mexican history and I've visited CDMX many times, but this tour brought me to places I'd never been and I learned a lot from an LGBTQ perspective. I will definitely take another of his tours on my next visit to Mexico. Highly recommended.

Best Tour of CDMX

Brian_S, Sep 2024

Carlos was very personable and knowledgeable. He inquired about our personal interests and incorporated them into the tour. We really enjoyed the tour and would highly recommend to anyone interested in learning more about LGBTQ+ history of the city and history of CDMX in general. This tour is a must do!

Amazing Historical Tour

Ralph_H, Jun 2024

This is an amazing historical tour, so much information about LGBTQ+ history in Mexico, and a lot of Mexican history. I highly recommend this tour to all LGBTQ+ travelers, as you won't find a more informative tour. 3.5 hours sounds long, but it went by so quickly. Carlos is knowledgeable and great at answering questions.

What you don’t learn in school

Rick_R, Apr 2024

Our tour guide, Carlos, provided one of the most interesting, insightful tours we’ve ever had. His ability to put modern LGBT life in the context of Mexican history was exactly what we’d hoped to find. If you’re hesitating to sign up, don’t! It was worth every peso.

A great historical introduction

Stephen_G, Nov 2023

Thank you! The guide was both very knowledgeable and entertaining at the same time. We learned a lot.

Two gay thumbs up!!

Will_T, Aug 2023

This tour was super fun. Carlos somehow made a history lesson into an engaging, often funny, entertaining experience. He was great to hang out with and we left with a great appreciation and connection to Mexico City.

Great intro to gay history in Mexico!

Jeffrey_B, Feb 2022

Wonderful tour of gay history in Mexico. Carlos was extremely knowledgeable. This was a great way to start our first trip to Mexico City. Definitely stop for a drink and appetizer after the tour at Balcon de Zocalo. Highly recommend this tour for the history lovers!

Insightful and personal

Benji_L, Feb 2022

An amazing tour experience with insights not found on any other tours while in Mexico. Although centered around gay stories, you’ll leave with singular historical understandings. Very recommended, especially compared to a regular point-and-walk tour.

Amazing tour & guide!

Frank_F, Nov 2021

We had a great time with Carlos. He is very knowledgeable with history and the different sites. I like his approach of sitting down and providing context to the sites we were about to see. Highly recommend!

The Best Tour We’ve Ever Taken

Jason_P, Nov 2021

Carlos is one of the most erudite and intelligent guides I’ve ever had on any tour ever in my life. The tour begins with coffee overlooking the ruins of the Templo Mayor. Carlos gives you a full historical background beginning with the population of the Americas and running up to the Spanish conquest of what we now know as The United States of Mexico. He includes a link to his detailed website complete with notes and details of the tour. From there your tour is a leisurely 1 mile of fascinating history through an LGBTQ lens, but encompassing so very much more. We were his only tour the day we met so he spent a little more time with us. We spent 4 hours discussing everything from the Aztecs to Isabella of Spain and the Inquisition to Benito Juarez, Porfirio Diaz (and his son) to the 1910 Revolution. Never once were we anything less than fully engaged and excited to see what was around the next corner. Don’t even THINK about not doing this tour.

Response from Host, Nov 2021

Thank you so very much for this wonderful review. Enjoyment was mutual as I sincerely appreciated your interest in local culture and history. Experience time grew due to your excellent questions which I enjoy answering. When you come back to Mexico, please contact me in advance if you want to take part 2 of the experience. Would love to host you again.