Federal District buildings, Administrative buildings on Zócalo Square, Mexico City, Mexico.

The Federal District buildings are two structures on the south side of the Zócalo, separated by Avenida 20 de Noviembre. The older west building has a grey-brown stone facade with talavera tile murals of coats of arms above its ground floor, rows of rectangular windows, arched openings at the top and a dark balustrade roofline with small pinnacles. The east building, built between 1941 and 1948, mirrors its symmetry.

The ayuntamiento moved here after a first town hall was built between 1526 and 1532, with the first recorded council meeting in 1526. That building burned in the 1692 famine uprising; reconstruction ran from 1720 to 1724. The eastern Edificio de Gobierno replaced the colonial Portal de las Flores, demolished in 1935, and was built between 1941 and 1948.

The name Avenida 20 de Noviembre recalls the date the Mexican Revolution began in 1910. The older building's front facade carries talavera tile murals with the coats of arms of Coyoacán, the founding of Mexico City, Christopher Columbus, Hernán Cortés, Mexico City as authorized by Charles V and Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz. The entry hall to the Salon de Cabildos holds a gallery of portraits of all 62 Spanish viceroys.

The two buildings face the south side of the Zócalo, split by Avenida 20 de Noviembre; the older town hall is the western one, next to the National Palace. The Salon de Cabildos on the right patio of the old building was restored and opened for public viewing. Expect security checks at entrances, and note that the district council moved to the neighbouring building in 1948 before returning in 1997.

The older west building's front facade carries talavera tile murals with the coats of arms of Coyoacán, the founding of Mexico City, Christopher Columbus, Hernán Cortés, Mexico City as authorized by Charles V and Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz. In places, foundations of the original 16th-century building are still visible.