Some Some 700 years ago, a wandering tribe of Aztecs arrived at a steep mountain valley and discovered an island in the middle of a crystalline lake that stretched out before their eyes. They drained the swampy waters, creating floating gardens and canals, and gave their new home the name Tenochtitlán.

Then the Spanish arrived in 1519 and the rest is pretty much history; little is left to remind us of this glorious Mexican Venice. But Mexico City has somehow retained the passion, ingenuity, intensity and warmth of its ancestors.

This is a city of countless cities. Nearly 22 million people flow across the patchwork streets - some live in ramshackle slums with little access to water and nutrition; others in cosmopolitan colonias (neighbourhoods) made up of majestic stone mansions and hip cafés as well as verdant park squares.

Each area offers its visitors something special: in the chaotic centre, sweeping colonial palaces have been built atop indigenous temples, and silversmiths bustle for space alongside butchers and wedding-dress makers. Look closely and you will find some of the buildings are tilted - it turns out the dried-out bed of a lake isn't the best foundation for construction, and Mexico City is now sinking.

Down south lies the capital's intellectual heart. Names like Mathias Goeritz, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera are on everybody's lips, and highways give way to lazy cobbled streets, bohemian cafés and sluggish canals. The oasis here reminds you that the metropolis has one foot in the future and another rooted firmly in the past.

Mexico City, or DF (Distrito Federal) as the locals call it, is unexpectedly lush. Jacaranda trees line the avenues, and their flowers bathe the streets in a carpet of bright purple blooms throughout the spring. There are also palm trees with trunks so robust that you'll wonder if they outlived the Aztecs themselves.

Young entrepreneurs are taking the reins in the design and art scene, and the city pulsates with exhibitions, film screenings, innovative architecture and fashionable new labels. There are more museums here than in any other city in the world, and Mexico City is home to the largest university in Latin America.The sheer number of protests that take place along the main boulevard Reforma could give the French a run for their money.

Gastronomical choices abound - on any given day you can choose between market stalls which source the freshest produce from all over the country, taco joints, gourmet bistros, traditional cantinas, artisanal mezcal bars and inventive takes on the local cuisine.

The Mexican people display an unrivalled hospitality. They will throw open their doors and treat you with such courtesy that you'll end up wondering how you'll ever go home. Nothing means "no" here, which doesn't exactly mean yes either - but it's certainly a start.