A large urban park of Parque México is recognised for its Art Deco architecture and décor as well as for being one of the larger green areas in the city. It was the first modern park created with an architectural design and differs from other major parks by being less rigid. The park hosts various cultural events, neighbourhood gatherings and is considered to be a fashionable place to meet people.
The park is located on Avenida México and Calle de Michoacán in Colonia Hipódromo, only two blocks from Avenida Insurgentes, one of the city’s main arteries. It is not only the centre of Colonia Hipódromo, but also the centre of the entire La Condesa section of the city.
The park contains a number of fountains, ponds, waterfalls and light posts that resemble trees. A large pond and a small lake are inhabited by ducks and swans. Many of the trees and other plants there are native to humid areas of the Mediterranean, such as Lebanese cypress, mimosas, or palms. There is also some more exotic flora, such as bamboo.
The best known feature of the park is the Lindbergh Open Air Theatre, which consists of five monumental pillars, topped with marquesinas and surrounded by a serpentine pergola. There is also a fountain with a sculpture of a woman with large jars, from which the water flows. The five pillars define the stage area, which also contains a four-section relief-mural.
The park was built in the 1920s at the former site of a horse race track within the hacienda that belonged to the Countess of Miravalle. When the site was partitioned and redeveloped into a housing area, environmental laws at the time did not permit housing on the former track. Therefore it was turned into the current park.
The park was created at the same time as Colonia Hipódromo in the 1920s. When the section of the old hacienda nearest to the track was being developed, it was decided to act on the idea of José Luis Cuevas and to turn the racetrack into a park, with the colonia centred on and built around it. This made some of the main streets of Colonia Hipódromo curved as they encircle the park. That feature is unique in Mexico City and distinguishes Hipodromo from the other colonias of La Condesa, Colonia Condesa and Colonia Hipódromo Condesa. Since it was established in the 1920s, the park has degraded over time. In 2008, renovation work was carried out on the park and other green areas in the La Condesa zone. In Parque México, renovation included a treatment plant, an irrigation system, rejuvenating the garden areas, better lighting and restoration work on the Lindbergh Theatre.
The site was the first modern park, created with an architectural design. It copies many of the elements of European gardens, such as ponds and walkways. The park was designed by architect Leonardo Noriega and engineer Javier Stávoli, who took advantage of the unusually large size of the site to divide it into sections for different activities.