After independence from Spain was achieved, the Federal District was created in After years of demanding greater political autonomy, residents were given the right to directly elect the Head of Government and the representatives of the unicameral Legislative Assembly by popular vote in In recent years, the local government has passed a wave of liberal policies, such as abortion on request, a limited form of euthanasia, no-fault divorce and same-sex marriage.
The Catholic Church had great influence in the city, and religious orders like the Franciscans, Marists and Jesuits established convents and missions throughout Mexico. Political power remained in the hands of the Spaniards born in Spain, but by the 18th century, the Criollo class descendants of the Spanish who were born in the Americas had grown in number and social power. Hidalgo had begun attending meetings of educated criollos who were agitating for a large-scale uprising of mestizos and indigenous peasants.
Discontent with Spanish rule was spreading rapidly throughout the country. When rumors of military intervention by the Spanish began, the priest decided it was time to act. Parishioners who came to hear mass on Sunday, September 16, , instead heard a call to arms. Sparked by the energy of the grassroots rebellion, militant revolutionary armies quickly formed under the leadership of men like Guadalupe Victoria and Vicente Guerreroboth. The War of Independence lasted 11 years.
As Mexico City grew, it became one large urban area. In , the 44th Article of the Constitution of Mexico officially declared Mexico City and the Distrito Federal to be a single entity. Under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo , which ended the war in , Mexico was forced to cede a wide swath of its northern territory to the United States. Today, that territory makes up the U. Mexico was also forced to recognize the independence of Texas. When Britain and Spain withdrew their forces, the French took control of the country.
Today, Mexico City is the political, economic and social hub of Mexico and the largest metropolitan area in the Western Hemisphere. Labor unions for taxi drivers, telephone workers and electrical workers are very strong in Mexico City. Head up Reforma Avenue to the Angel of Independence , and you'll need to walk up steps that the city built over the years as the area around the monument sank. Government officials have estimated that the city is sinking at a rate of 10 centimeters 4 inches per year.
One of the world's richest men lives here. Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim topped Forbes Magazine's list of the world's richest men for four years. Microsoft founder Bill Gates reclaimed the No. Slim lives in Mexico City, and many of the companies he controls are based there, too. Even if you're just passing through the city, you're bound to come across his holdings. Talking on a Mexican cell phone?
Swinging by a department store? If you spend any time in Mexico City, you'll probably find a reason to stop at Sanborns, Slim's ubiquitous chain that contains restaurants, pharmacies and retail goods. Admiring beautiful buildings in the city's historic center? Slim helped finance a major facelift there in recent years. It's safer than some parts of the country. Many Mexicans used to fear traveling to their nation's capital, concerned about crime. Street assaults and kidnapping are still major worries for residents and visitors.
And in high-end neighborhoods, you might find a store selling bulletproof glass near a designer clothing boutique. But the city's homicide rate is on par with other major metropolises around the world. And with drug violence plaguing other parts of the country, Mexico City has actually earned a reputation as one of the safer places to go. It's not just tacos and tequila.
Don't expect to find much cheesy Tex-Mex fare here. The Mexico City culinary scene is muy caliente, with fancy restaurants in posh hotels and top chefs saying they come here for inspiration. Purchase Prints. Drone Journalism Resources.
Extreme wealth inequality in Mexico City's Santa Fe neighborhood. Mexico City is a bustling, enormous, modern city, one of the largest in the world.
Triple-decker highways and gigantic tunnels bore through the mountainous terrain. Everywhere there are signs of the Aztec empire which came before - in the street names, the festivals, the food, and the language. It is truly one of the most fascinating and enigmatic cities on earth. Mexico is also one of the most unequal countries in the world. Santa Fe. The western suburbs of Mexico City are representative of a diverse, heterogenous and deeply unequal society, cleaved by deep valleys and winding mountain roads.
It seems like every ridge top has a different and unique development on top of it, sometimes similar, and sometimes very different in their economic stratum. Much like Rio de Janeiro, the geography of the city has intrinsic character, sometimes a protector, sometimes an adversary.
My most recent visit was unique in that it took place within the last throes of the global pandemic of COVID, a pandemic which has exerted a devastating and unequal impact on lower income and BIPOC communities around the globe. To me, it's a telling reminder of how architecture and urban design play such a large role in our understanding of society, both in how it is created and how it is interpreted.
Santa Fe, looking towards the city center on a smoggy morning. At the beginning of the s, Pedregal de Santo Domingo was a relatively open, rocky area held in ownership by a relatively small number of "comuneros", given the land in to be held in communal land tenure. During this time Pedregal de Santo Domingo was considered the edge of the city.
This precipitated a rush of people to "invade" the land of Pedregal de Santo Domingo, one of the largest such land invasions in Latin American history. The area was not immediately conducive to an easy life - no water, rocky terrain, and police harassment - but within three years a government assessment showed that 68, people now lived in the area.
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