Alternatively, head to Teatro Insurgentes, a functioning theatre in the suburb of Benito Juarez, whose facade features an extraordinary 46m-long mosaic depicting the arts through historical figures.

BBC: Three days with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in Mexico City

The juntas celebrated Cinco de Mayo with monthly parades, speeches, dances, banquets and bull fights as a morale builder for Lincoln and Mexican President Benito Juarez, who, despite the Cinco de Mayo victory, was subsequently engaged in a three-year struggle against foreign occupation until 1867.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS