Mexico's rich cultural heritage boasts a colourful artisan tradition, from vibrant Pre-Hispanic folk-art to the bold, brave works of the great muralists of the 20th century. A strong legacy of music and literature spans many centuries, styles and genres from hip-hop poets and graffiti maestros to Mexico's classic romantics. For details of what is happening across the capital, pick up Tiempo Libre (www.tiempolibre.com.mx), Mexico City's comprehensive listings guide, published Thursday. Monthly programme, Guía de Programación, is available free from the Bellas Artes bookshop and tourist offices while government website Conaculta (www.conaculta.gob.mx) provides an excellent detailed guide to a wide range of cultural events. Ticketmaster (tel: (55) 5325 9000; www.ticketmaster.com.mx) sells tickets for most major events in Mexico City and publishes the monthly entertainment guide, ¿Qué hacemos? ('What shall we do?').

Music: The Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México (OFCM) (Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra) has its own concert hall, the Sala Silvestre Revueltas, Periferico Sur 5141 (tel: (55) 5606 8191 or 6089; http://ofcm.df.gob.mx). The state-owned Auditorio Nacional, Paseo de la Reforma 50 (tel: (55) 5280 9250; www.auditorio.com.mx), is the biggest music and entertainment venue in Mexico City. Perhaps the most typical Mexican music is the mariachi, where roaming groups of trumpeters, violinists, guitarists and a singer peddle their tunes (see Live Music in Nightlife for venues).

Theatre: Mexico City offers plenty of theatres to choose from, although virtually every play is staged in the Spanish language. Alternatively, there are a number of Teatro-Bars, which offer a more informal environment and content for the non-Spanish speaker, as they stage lively variety shows and cabarets with singers, dancers, comedians, ventriloquists and magicians. La Planta de Luz, Plaza Loreto, in San Angel (tel: (55) 5616 4761), hosts stand up comedy, folklore shows and political satire from Monday to Thursday, complemented by La Bodega, Popocatépetl 25, in Condesa (tel: (55) 5511 7390), on Fridays and Saturdays. Avant-garde Teatro-Bar El Hábito, Madrid 13, in Coyoacán (tel: (55) 5659 6305), stages gay social and political satirical shows and enjoys a city-wide reputation as a hotbed for intellectuals, feminists and gay rights activists. After five years, it continues to attract Mexico's ground-breaking comedians who wow the crowds with smart and snappy topical humour. Alternatively, the Teatro La Blanquita, Avenida Lázaro Cárdenas Sur 16 (tel: (55) 5511 7390), offers a broad range of nightly performances, from cabaret to improvised comedy acts.

Dance: An important part of almost every Mexican fiesta is the traditional indigenous dances. The Palacio de Bellas Artes is home to the Ballet Folclórico de México, a bright and spectacular performance of Mexican music and dance from all over the country, which takes place every Wednesday and Sunday. The Auditorio National, Reforma, Chapultepec Park regularly hosts national and international dance artists, while Ollin Yoliztli, Tlalpan, Periferico is another venue for dance and classical music. From the end of February to April Mexico's National Dance Company performs its famed interpretation of Tschaikowsky´s Swan Lake outdoors on a small island in Chapultepec Park.

Film: American and other foreign films (with the exception of animations) are shown in their original language with Spanish subtitles. Cineteca Nacional, Avenida México, Coyoacán (tel: (55) 5688 3272; www.cinetecanacional.net), Cinemanía, Plaza Loreto in San Angel (tel: (55) 5616 4837), and Centro Cultural Universitario, Avenida Insurgentes Sur 3000 (tel: (55) 5665 0709), all screen classic and art house films. For art blockbusters, Cinemex Casa de Arte, Avenida Presidente Masaryk 393; www.cinepolis.com.mx is a modern multi-screen cinema in the Plaza Masaryk.

Cultural Events: The Zócalo is a centre of cultural activity with live music and theatre taking place regularly. The three-week Festival del Centro Histórico in March is a celebration of classical and popular music, dance, exhibitions and other cultural events, attracting performers from all over Mexico and events are staged in the plazas and theatres throughout the Centro Histórico. Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated on 2 November and is a day when the souls of the dead are believed to return to the earth. It is a fabulously colourful and cheerful celebration. Families build altars in their homes and lay garlands on the graves of their loved ones. Semana Santa over the Easter weekend sees more colourful celebrations all over the city with processions, mock crucifixions and the famous Passion Plays in the suburb of Itzapalapa.

Literary Notes: Pre-Hispanic poems and history have survived in the form of codices, colourful inscriptions painted on skin or bark paper, but the History of the Conquest of New Spain is considered to be the first work of Mexican literature. Written by Bernal Díaz del Castillo, one of Cortés' lieutenants, it is an eyewitness account of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.

Mexico boasts a number of internationally acclaimed writers including the late Octavio Paz, a Nobel Prize winner and essayist who wrote an in-depth examination of Mexican myths and the Mexican character, The Labyrinth of the Solitude (1950). Carlos Fuentes is Mexico's most famous writer - his book, Where the Air is Clear (1958), is set in Mexico City and follows the lives of a number of its inhabitants through the decades after the Mexican Revolution. Laura Esquivel is the author of a more contemporary hit, Como Agua para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate, 1990); the film based on the novel also became an international success. The Plumed Serpent (1926) by DH Lawrence is a disturbing novel looking back to the ancient Gods and attempts to revive the cult of Quetzalcoatl.