Mexico City

Popotla rings a bell (can't remember right now why)

Next to Tacuba and Popotla is Colonia Santo Tomás, which is known mainly as the site of the first campus "Santo Tomás" of IPN, the National Politechnical Institute, Mexico's second most important public university.





IPN has a bigger campus farther North in the city. And they are the arch-rivals of my Alma Mater, UNAM, in American Football. A donkey is their mascot:

The tour in Miguel Hidalgo is finished.

We will soon visit delegación Azcapotzalco, the Northwest tip of "official" Mexico City (the Federal District).

This is the map, again.



We have visited first Cuauhtémoc: (Centro Histórico, Roma, Condesa, Cuauhtémoc, San Rafael, Santa María la Ribera, Guerrero, Tepito, Lagunilla, La Merced); then Miguel Hidalgo (Chapultepec Park, Anzures, San Miguel Chapultepec, Daniel Garza, Cove, Observatorio, Lomas de Chapultepec, Polanco, Irrigación, Granada, Anáhuac, Tacuba, Popotla, Santo Tomás), west of Cuauhtémoc.
We'll go to Azcapotzalco, with the lightest color, top left of the map.

Is Azcapotzalco near the airport?

Not at all, c.i.
The airport is at the easternmost tip of Venustiano Carranza (see map).

Thanks; that's helpful. I'm beginning to get a feel for Mexico City's districts, and what each has to offer.

This is the thing about the city. It's different everywhere, like many different cities and towns put together (sometimes in a chaotic way).

I think most big metropolitan cities based on land (without the constriction of water) have experienced the same chaotic development as they grew.

This is an off the wall question (that's my way): are there many in Mexico named Carranza? A long time friend has that last name.

I continue appreciating this thread greatly, thank you for doing it.

The crazy thing about Mexico City is that it overcame the constriction of water.
The old Aztec city was built over a lake. Most of it has been dried out artificially. There are some streets that were channels less than a century ago. And several neighborhoods have been built where they shouldn't.

We'll get to that when we visit Iztapalapa and Xochimilco.

No not many. I don't think I personally know anyone with that last name. But it's not very uncommon.

Venustiano Carranza was the revolutionary chief behind the making of the current Constitution (he has head of the Constitutionalist Army), and became President from 1917 to 1920. He tried to impose an unpopular candidate to follow him, a revolt ensued, led by his former ally Alvaro Obregón, and he was ousted and then -as he tried to flee the country- assasinated.

I think I asked her once - all those years ago - and she tossed him off.

(Carry on)

@ all

Delegación Azcapotzalco.

Azcapotzalco was one of the cities of the Aztecs. It subsequently became a colonial town and was absorbed by the city.
Its center has about 13 different barrios, with narrow streets; plus several colonias, some are middle-class, some are working class, but the vast majority of the delegación is lower-middle class.

The statue of Tezozómoc, the Aztec emperor from Azcapotzalco, at the Azcapotzalco center:



Avenida Centenario, which crosses Azcapotzalco's center:



An art-noveau house at Avenida Azcapotzalco:

This is the parrish of Santa María Malinalco, one of the barrios in Azcapotzalco:



And this one is in another barrio, San Marcos Ixquitlán:



But most of the delegación looks like this:



or like this:

Azcapotzalco has traditionally been industrial.

In fact, there was an oil refinery in the middle of Azcapotzalco until the early 1990s-



There was a whole colonia for Pemex engineers inside it... and a Little League, la Liga Petrolera, the Oilers. I played there, and I remember the distinctive smell of the oil... and of the cigarrette factory right in front of the League fields.



(I am the fourth kid from the left, kneeling; my dad is the man with the cap)

Now the site of the refinery is a huge park. Parque Bicentenario. I have not visited it yet.

Some neighborhoods in Azcapotzalco:

Colonia Clavería (middle and upper-middle class):



Colonia Nueva Santa María (middle-class):



Colonia Pro-Hogar (lower middle and working class):



Colonia Industrial Vallejo (lower middle and working class):



Unidad Habitacional El Rosario (working class):

Parque Tezozómoc is right next to Unidad Habitacional El Rosario. It recreates old Anáhuac (Tenochtitlan and the other Náhuatl cities in the lake):









The idea behind the park is to recuperate public space and activities for the young, near a zone (U.H. El Rosario) that used to have a lot of gang activity.

Parque Tezozómoc is at the northwest end of Azcapotzalco. At the southwest end, we find "The Monument to the Race" (Monumento a la Raza).


In any other country the idea of a monument "to the race" would have sounded preposterous. Not in XXth Century Mexico, where the ideology was to be proud of the ancient roots and the creation of "a cosmic race": Mexicans as a melting pot.



Very few people actually look at the monument, since it's at a very complicated traffic place, and I think it's impossible to actually get to it.

In front of the monument, one of the biggest public hospitals. Hospital La Raza, which hosts two very important murals:

"For a Complete Social Security for Every Mexican", by Siqueiros:

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4116/4932392839_1f19ce7650_o.jpg

(press the link, if interested, the picture is way too big... but I think it's worth it)

Details

:



The first detail of the Siqueiros mural shows us a wounded worker as part of chain production; the second, a group of women who march holding in their hands the fruits of life and demand health.

"The People in Demand of Health", by Rivera:



Detail:



Rivera's mural depicts two serpents virtually moving towards the center, where life and death fight. In the center, an aztec goddess Tlazeolótl gives birth.
On one side, traditional medicine; on the other, modern medicine.

I well remember the Siquerieros but not so much the Riveras.

Also in Azcapotzalco we find the Mexico City Arena (Arena de la Ciudad de México), not to be confused with Arena México (the boxing "cathedral" at Colonia Doctores we saw on page 5 or 6):



This is at a basketball game, but it's used mostly for concerts: