Built from the rubble of violent conquest, Mexico City has endured both the torment of Pacific Rim fault lines and the explosive force of its own expansion. Now with a greater metropolitan area of 21 million, Mexico’s nearly 500-year-old capital is made of ancient stone and gleaming glass, Old World architecture and indigenous tradition. With its plazas and palm trees, its murals by Mexican masters and its contemporary street art, it is a beautiful city — and one that has been spared from much of the country’s drug war violence. In recent years, the Distrito Federal has been treated to the opening of one art institution after the next, from the Carlos Slim-funded Soumaya Museum, which moved into a $70 million building in 2011, to the new David Chipperfield-designed Jumex Museum, which focuses on contemporary work and opened last November.

FRIDAY

1. To the Market | 3 p.m.

Mercado de Medellín isn’t the dizzying spectacle of the larger, citywide markets, like the wonderful Mercado de Jamaica flower market or the Mercado de San Juan, where chefs shop. Instead, Medellín is a neighborhood institution that offers a glimpse of what is being lost with the proliferation of supermercados. Stalls specialize in spices, kitchen implements, fresh fruit juices, whole pig’s heads or sheets of chicharrón. For a market lunch, look for a large yellow banner. Since 1968, Los Canarios has been serving grilled meats, like sliced filet mignon (90 pesos, or $7 at 13 pesos to the dollar) a la tabla. Nearby, Ostionería La Morenita has shrimp empanadas (20 pesos) with a flaky crust and a dollop of mayonnaise.

2. Old World | 4:30 p.m.

Take a walk through Colonia Roma, a gorgeous old neighborhood of Art Deco and Porfirian (a distinctive mix of European architectural styles, popular during the presidency of Porfirio Díaz). In recent years, antique showrooms, sidewalk cafes and boutiques have opened along Álvaro Obregón — a boulevard with a tree-lined pedestrian walk along its spine — as well as nearby streets, like Calle Colima. Stop into Panadería Rosetta, a narrow bakery with white tile walls, well-made espresso drinks and croissants, vegan muffins and classic Mexican baked goods like pan de pulque and conchas. There’s also a selection of sandwiches, including one with house-made pâté.

3. Happy Hour | 6 p.m.

For beer drinkers, who may see Mexico as the land of beach-friendly lagers and little else, the newest outpost of El Depósito, a small chain of beer-bar-bottle shops, has an unusually wide selection. When atmosphere trumps innovation, Cabrera 7 has a full (if uninspired) bar and one of the area’s most attractive settings, complete with hanging plants, bright textiles and a balcony overlooking the fountains at Plaza Luis Cabrera, where artists sell their paintings, dogs wrestle and teenagers strut.