The claim
The cantina that brought mariachi to Plaza Garibaldi, founded in the mid-1920s by Juan Indalecio Hernández from Cocula, Jalisco, who invited Jaliscan musicians to play. Bands still serenade tables until the early hours, and the Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán is among the groups that played here. Frida Kahlo and Chavela Vargas were among its visitors.
What the records show
The salon and Spanish Wikipedia give 1925, founded by Juan Indalecio Hernández of Cocula, Jalisco; English Wikipedia's Plaza Garibaldi article gives 1923. Hiring of mariachi Cirilo Marmolejo by 1927 is widely recorded. Mexico City's own visitor service, read on 17 September 2026, is the first publisher here that is neither the house nor an encyclopaedia, and it settles less than it confirms: it credits the cantina with a century of history without naming a year, so the two dates still stand unreconciled and the grade stays C. What the city does supply is the present, in detail. It records the house at Plaza Garibaldi 12 in the Colonia Centro, open from two in the afternoon until two in the morning from Sunday to Wednesday and until three from Thursday to Saturday, serving blanco and reposado tequilas, mezcals, cold beer and the ponche de granada it calls the house drink — so a visitor is served across the counter and the question of drink without a meal does not arise. It also describes the room: dozens of painted murals over walls and ceiling honouring Lola Beltrán, José Alfredo Jiménez and Pedro Infante, wooden tables and equipal chairs through several halls, and no stage or amplification at all. The music is acoustic and hired by the table — mariachi, norteño trios and son jarocho groups walk in from the plaza, set up at the foot of a table and play what is asked for. No description or survey of the building itself has been found, which is why no building date is shown.
What to look for inside
- Home of mariachi in Mexico City since the 1920s
- Visited by Frida Kahlo and Chavela Vargas
- Open until 2-3am
Visiting
Salón Tenampa is in Mexico City, Mexico, at Plaza Garibaldi 12, Centro, Ciudad de México. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.
Sources
- tenampa.com.mx/
- es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sal%C3%B3n_Tenampa
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaza_Garibaldi
- mexicocity.cdmx.gob.mx/venues/salon-tenampa/?lang=en
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Sept 2026
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