Tourism in Mexico

México is a land of contrasts. From the vibrant colors woven into our textiles to the stunning hues of its landscape.
From mountain ranges that run right down to the ocean's edge to lush tropical jungles and high snow capped
volcanoes.

The original people of México had advanced knowledge of science, mathematics, astronomy and medicine. That past
still permeates this land. It can be found in the traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation.
It lives on the arts and music. And in the peculiar philosophy about life and death that make the Mexican people so
unique and so charming.

So whether one comes to explore the archaeological treasures, wander through the colonial cities, or simply relax on
the beautiful beaches, rest assured, one will take home memories and some of the magic of México as well.

México has a wealth of natural and cultural resources due to the diverse climatic conditions and to a historic tradition
of more than 3,000 years. This makes the country an ideal destination for international tourists.

The Tourism Industry in Mexico

In 1994, 7.2 million foreign tourists visited Mexico. This number increases to 17.1 million if one counts the foreign
visitors that crossed the border zone. Approximately 20 million tourists visited México in 1995. Of these, 80% come
from the United States.

In March, 2004, international travel to Mexico generated more than US$1 billion in revenues in the one month,
according to statistics released by Mexico's Tourism Secretariat.

This US$1.05 billion figure pushed the country's first-quarter international tourism revenues to US$2.94 billion,
representing a 14 percent increase over first-quarter 2003 figures, Mexico's Tourism Secretariat reported. In January
2004 the figure was US$914 million, and in February 2004 US$972 million.

Mexico's Tourism Secretariat figures revealed that more than 5.2 million international tourists visited Mexico during
the first quarter of 2004, 14.6 percent more than during the same period last year.

According to Mexico's Tourism Secretariat, an additional 2.1 million tourists arrived on cruise ships during the first
quarter of 2004, up 0.2 percent from the same period in 2003; they spent 127 million dollars during the period, up 5.3
percent from the first three months of 2003.

Also breaking records was the average spending of international tourists while in Mexico, which Mexico's Tourism
Secretariat reported at an all-time high of US$724 in the first quarter of 2004, up from US$690 during the same
period in 2003.

According to Banco de Mexico, the tourism industry's trade balance during the first three months of 2004 posted a
US$1.373 billion surplus, up 18 percent from the same period in 2003.

Tourism is the third most important economic activity in Mexico, representing 8.3 percent of the nation's Gross
Domestic Product (GDP). The country currently ranks 8th in the number of international visitors and 10th in
international tourism revenues, according to the World Tourism Organization (WTO).

Tourism Options in Mexico

México offers a great variety of options for the international tourist. These can be grouped into five main areas:
Mayan World, Beaches and Recreational Centres, Archaeology and Prehispanic cultures, Colonial Cities and
Architecture and Natural Riches Eco Tourism & Adventure. These groups are not exclusive and some travel options
can combine two or more themes.
A considerable number of airlines offer services to México City and Guadalajara, and national airlines join most of the
cities in the interior of the country. In addition, various cruiselines visit Mexican ports.

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If you are wondering why anyone would want to visit Mexico City . . . Here are
the top 3 reasons.
1 : The greater Mexico City area has a population topping 20 million people . .
. This makes Mexico City one of the greatest metropolises in the world. It's not
just the size or population . . . Mexico City is truly one of the greatest cities in
the world complete with anything you might expect to find in New York, Paris
or Tokyo (but with a distinct Mexican flavor) and is a must see for that reason
alone.

2 : Mexico City is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the western

hemisphere. The history here doesn't just begin when Mexico City was formed
as a municipality by the Spaniards in 1524, but when the dry lake bed was
originally settled by the Aztecs in 1325. Yet the visible history of the area goes
back another 2000 years with the ruins of Teotihuacan.

3 : The entire history of Mexico is here for you to see before your eyes. Old
Aztec ruins which were built over keep being unearthed in the heart of the
city . . . Teotihuacan, just 30 miles north of Mexico City is a 2000 year old
capital city that once rivaled the Roman empire, and the scale of the pyramids
here are rivaled only by the great pyramid of Cheops in Egypt . . . And lest we
forget, the National Anthropological Museum here has rooms divided by dates
and civilization (Mayan, Aztec, Toltec, Olmec, etc.) and that is another MUST
SEE which will take you a full day all by itself.

What I have listed above are the three main reasons to visit Mexico City . . .
but not all Mexico City has to offer. For a larger list of what Mexico City has to
see and do, see the Mexico City attractions page . . . yet even that is just the
tip of the iceberg.

Mexico City is so big, it is hard for a first time visitor making reservations
online to know where these hotels are . . . So if you are new to Mexico City, let
me suggest that you stay in either "Centro Historico or Zona Rosa". Both of
these are popular with tourists and are near the heart of the city and the
Zocalo. That being said, if you are debating between two hotels and don't
know which one to choose, pick the one that has the closest subway (Metro)
entrance.

We have a printable map of the Metro on the map page and highly suggest
that you use it. The Metro is clean and safe . . . and for around 20 cents
(USD) you can travel from one side of Mexico City to the other in less time
than it would take a taxi to get you there. Also note that there is a subway
entrance at the airport and bus terminals. -- First timers may be afraid to get
lost, but if you do . . . police are easy to spot in the subway and just point to
where you want to be on the map (it really is that easy).
Mexico City (Spanish: Ciudad de México) is the capital and largest city in Mexico as well as the largest
city in the Americas and the world's third largest metropolitan area by population, after Seoul and Tokyo.
Mexico City is also the Federal District (Distrito Federal), the seat of the federal government.[3] It is a
federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to
the federation as a whole. Mexico City is the most important political, cultural, and financial center in the
country.

As an "alpha" global city[4] Mexico City is one of the most important financial centers in North
America[5] which is located in theValley of Mexico, a large valley in the high plateaus at the center of
Mexico, at an altitude of 2,240 metres (7,350 ft). The city consists of sixteen boroughs.

The 2009 estimated population for the city proper was around 8.84 million people,[2] and has a land area
of 1,485 square kilometres (573 sq mi).[6] According to the most recent definition agreed upon by the
federal and state governments, the Mexico City metropolitan area population is 21.2 million people,
[2]
making it the largest metropolitan area in the Americas and the third largest agglomeration in the world.
[7]

Mexico City has a gross domestic product (GDP) of $390 billion USD in 2008, making Mexico City
the eighth richest city in the world.[8] The city was responsible for generating 21% of Mexico's Gross
Domestic Product and the metropolitan area accounted for 34% of total national GDP.[9] As of 2008, the
city proper, as opposed to the metropolitan area, had a nominal income per capita of $25,258 USD, on
par with the GDP per capita of Portugal, and significantly above nations such as the Czech Republic.[10]

The city was originally built on an island of Lake Texcoco by the Aztecs in 1325 as Tenochtitlan, which
was almost completely destroyed in the siege of 1521, and subsequently redesigned and rebuilt in
accordance with the Spanish urban standards. In 1524, the municipality of Mexico City was established,
known as México Tenochtitlán,[11] and as of 1585 it was officially known as La Ciudad de México (Mexico
City).[11] Mexico City served as the political, administrative and financial centre of a major part of
the Spanish colonial empire.[12] After independence from Spain was achieved, the Federal District was
created in 1824.

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 1997. Ever since, the left-wing Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) has controlled both of
them.[13] In recent years, the local government has passed a wave of liberalpolicies, such as abortion on
request to any woman up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy.

History
The city now known as Mexico City was founded by the amerindians Mexica, also called the Aztecs, in
1325. The old Mexica city is now referred to as Tenochtitlan. The Mexica were one of the last of
the Nahuatl-speaking peoples who migrated to this part of the Valley of Mexico after the fall of
the Toltec Empire. Their presence was resisted by the peoples who were already in the valley, but the
Mexica were able to establish a city on a small island on the western side of Lake Texcoco. The Mexica
themselves had a story about how their city was founded, after being led to the island by their principal
god, Huitzilopochtli. According to the story, the god indicated their new home with a sign, an eagle
perched on a nopal cactus with a snake in its beak. Between 1325 and 1521, Tenochtitlan grew in size
and strength, eventually dominating the other city-states around Lake Texcoco, and in the Valley of
Mexico. When the Spaniards arrived, the Aztec Empire reached much of Mesoamerica, touching both the
Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.

[edit]Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlán

After landing in Veracruz, Hernán Cortés heard about the great city and the long-standing rivalries and
grievances against it. Although Cortés came to Mexico with a very small army, he was able to persuade
many of the other native peoples to help him destroy Tenochtitlan.[14] Cortés first saw Tenochtitlán on 8
November 1519.[15] Upon viewing it for the first time, Cortés and his men were stunned by its beauty and
size. The Spaniards marched along the causeway leading into the city from Iztapalapa. Although
Montezuma came out from the center of Tenochtitlán to greet them and exchange gifts, the camaraderie
did not last long.[16] Cortés put Montezuma under house arrest, hoping to rule through him.[17] Tensions
increased until, on the night of June 30, 1520 – during a struggle commonly known as "La Noche Triste" –
the Aztec revolted against the Spanish intrusion and managed to capture or drive out the Europeans and
their Tlaxcalan allies.[18] Cortés regrouped at Tlaxcala. The Aztecs thought the Spaniards were
permanently gone. They elected a new king, Cuitláhuac, but he died after a few months due to smallpox;
the next king was Cuauhtémoc.[19] Cortés decided to lay siege to Tenochtitlán in May 1521. For three
months, the city suffered from the lack of food and water as well as the spread of smallpox brought by the
Europeans.[14] Cortés and his allies landed their forces in the south of the island and fought their way
through the city, street by street, and house by house.[20] Finally, Cuauhtémoc had to surrender in August
1521.[14]

[edit]City's rebuilding as Mexico City

Mexico City in 1628

The Spaniards practically razed Tenochtitlán. Cortés first settled in Coyoacán, but decided to rebuild the
Aztec site to erase all traces of the old order.[15] Cortés did not establish an independent, conquered
territory under his own personal rule, but remained loyal to the Spanish crown. The first viceroy of the new
domain arrived in Mexico City fourteen years later. By that time, the city had again become a city-state,
having power that extended far beyond the city's established borders.[21] Although the Spanish preserved
Tenochtitlán's basic layout, they builtCatholic churches over the old Aztec temples and claimed the
imperial palaces for themselves.[21] Tenochtitlán was renamed "Mexico", its alternative form name, as the
Spanish found this easier to say.[15]

[edit]Growth of the colonial city

Torre Latinoamericana, Latin America's first skyscraper

The city grew as the population did, coming up against the lake's waters. The 16th century saw a
proliferation of churches, many of which can still be seen today in the historic center.[21] Economically,
Mexico City prospered as a result of trade. Unlike Brazil or Peru, Mexico had easy contact with both the
Atlantic and Pacific worlds. Although the Spanish crown tried to completely regulate all commerce in the
city, it had only partial success.[22] One way the Spanish tried to completely rule was religion, but even
here success was not complete. Native practices survived incorporated in the indigenous’ practice
of Roman Catholicism. Perhaps the most famous example of this is the cult of the Virgin of Guadalupe,
which originated with the vision at Tepeyac Hill to the north of the city's borders in 1531; some scholars
suggest that this vision was particularly effective owing to the existence of a pre-Conquest Aztec cult
of Tonantzin, a mother goddess.[22]
The Ángel de la Independenciawas built to celebrate Mexico's independence centennial

The concept of nobility flourished in New Spain in a way not seen in other parts of the Americas.
Spaniards encountered a society in which the concept of nobility mirrored that of their own. Spaniards
respected the indigenous order of nobility and added to it. In the ensuing centuries, a noble title in
Mexico did not mean one exercised greatpolitical power as one's power was limited even if the
accumulation of wealth was not.[23] The concept of nobility in Mexico was not political but rather a very
conservative Spanish social one, based on proving the worthiness of the family. Most of these families
proved their worth by making fortunes in New Spain outside of the city itself, then spending the revenues
in the capital, building churches, supporting charities and building extravagant palatial homes. The craze
to build the most opulent home possible reached its height in the last half of the 18th century. Many of
these homes can still be seen today, leading to Mexico City's nickname of "The city of palaces" given
by Alexander Von Humboldt.[15][21][23]

Independence for Mexico was declared by Agustín de Iturbide in 1821 after he and his army marched into
the city. While Iturbide's regime tried to keep as much of the old order as possible, he soon had to
abdicate and Mexico was declared a republic in 1824, with Mexico City as its capital.[24] Unrest followed
for the next several decades, as different factions fought for control of Mexico.[25] The Mexican Federal
District was established by the new government and by the signing of their new constitution, where the
concept of a federal district was adapted from the American constitution.[26] Before this designation,
Mexico City had served as the seat of government for both the State of Mexico and the nation as a
whole. Texcoco and then Tolucabecame the capital of the state of Mexico.[27] During the Mexican-
American War, American forces marched toward Mexico City itself after capturingVeracruz.[28] The
invasion culminated with the storming of Chapultepec Castle in the city itself.[29] The treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo was signed in what is now the far north of the city.[30] Events such as the Reform War left the city
relatively untouched and it continued to grow, especially during the rule of President Porfirio Díaz. During
this time, the city developed modern infrastructure, such as roads, schools, transportation, and
communication systems. However, the regime concentrated resources and wealth into the city while the
rest languished in poverty. This eventually led to the Mexican Revolution.[25] The most significant episode
of this period for the city was the La decena trágica ("The Ten Tragic Days"), a coup
against President Francisco I. Madero and his vice president, José María Pino Suárez. Victoriano Huerta,
chief general of the Federal Army saw a chance to take power, forcing Madero and Pino Suarez to sign
resignations. The two were murdered later while on their way to prison.[31]

[edit]20th century to present

The tallest building in Latin America, the Torre Mayor was completed in Mexico City in 2003.

Common 1880s-1920s style Mexican architecture can be found throughout the City
Paseo de la Reforma and Polanco district

The history of the rest of the 20th century to the present focuses on the phenomenal growth of the city
and its environmental and political consequences. In 1900, the population of Mexico City was about
500,000.[32]The city began to grow rapidly westward in the early part of the 20th century.[21] and then
began to grow upwards in the 1950s, with the Torre Latinoamericana as the first skyscraper.[14] The 1968
Olympic Gamesbrought about the construction of large sporting facilities.[21] In 1969, the Metro
system was inaugurated.[14]Explosive growth in the population of the city started from the 1960s, with the
population overflowing the boundaries of the Federal District into the neighboring state of Mexico,
especially to the north, northwest and northeast. Between 1960 and 1980 the city's population more than
doubled to 8,831,079.[21] In 1980, half of all the industrial jobs in Mexico were located in Mexico City.
Under relentless growth, the Mexico City government could barely keep up with services. Villagers from
the countryside who continued to pour into the city to escape poverty only compounded the city's
problems. With no housing available, they took over lands surrounding the city, creating
huge shantytowns that extended for many miles.[25] This caused serious air and water pollution problems,
as well as a sinking city due to overextraction of groundwater.[33] Air and water pollution has been
contained and improved in some several areas due to government programs, the renovation of vehicles
and the modernization of the public transport.

The autocratic government that ruled Mexico City since the Revolution was tolerated, mostly because of
the continued economic expansion since World War II. This was the case even though this government
could not handle the population and pollution problems adequately. Nevertheless, discontent and protests
began in the 1960s leading to the massacre of an unknown number of protesting students in Tlatelolco.[25]

However, the last straw may have been the 1985 Mexico City earthquake. On Thursday, 19 September
1985, at 7:19 am local time, Mexico City was struck by an earthquake of magnitude 8.1[34] on the Richter
scale. While this earthquake was not as deadly or destructive as many similar events in Asia and other
parts of Latin America[35] it proved to be a disaster politically for the one-party government. The
government was paralyzed by its own bureaucracy and corruption, forcing ordinary citizens to not only
create and direct their own rescue efforts but efforts to reconstruct much of the housing that was lost as
well.[36] This discontent eventually led to Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, a member of the Party of the Democratic
Revolution, becoming the first elected mayor of Mexico City in 1997. Cárdenas promised a
more democratic government, and his party claimed some victories against crime, pollution, and other
major problems. He resigned in 1999 to run for the presidency.

Geography

Popocatépetl volcano seen from the city

Mexico City is located in the Valley of Mexico, sometimes called the Basin of Mexico. This valley is
located in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt located in the high plateaus of south-central Mexico.[37][38] It
has a minimum altitude of 2,200 meters (7,217 feet) above sea level and surrounded by mountains and
volcanoes that reach elevations of over 5,000 meters.[39] This valley has no natural drainage outlet for the
waters that flow from the mountainsides, making the city vulnerable to flooding. It was artificially opened
through the use of canals and tunnels starting in the 17th century.[37][39] The city primarily rests on what
was Lake Texcoco.[37] Seismic activity is frequent here.[40] This lake was drained starting from the 17th
century and while none of its waters remain, the city rests on its heavily saturated clay. This soft base is
collapsing due to the over-extraction of groundwater and since the beginning of the 20th century, the city
has sunk as much as nine meters in some areas. This sinking is causing problems with runoff and
wastewater management, leading to flooding problems, especially during the rainy season.[39][40] The
entire lakebed is now paved over and most of the city's remaining forested areas lie in the southern
boroughs of Milpa Alta,Tlalpan and Xochimilco.[40]

Geophysical maps of the Federal District

 Topography Hydrology Climate patterns

[edit]Climate

Mexico City has a subtropical highland climate (Köppen climate classification Cwb), due to its tropical
location and high elevation. The lower region of the valley receives less rainfall than the upper regions of
the south; the lower boroughs of Iztapalapa, Iztacalco, Venustiano Carranza and the west portion
of Gustavo A. Madero are usually drier and warmer than the upper southern boroughs
of Tlalpan and Milpa Alta, a mountainous region of pine and oak trees known as the range of Ajusco.

The average annual temperature varies from 12 to 16 °C (54 to 61 °F), depending on the altitude of the
borough. Lowest temperatures, usually registered during January and February, may reach -2 to -5 °C
(28 to 23 °F), usually accompanied by snow showers on the southern regions of Ajusco, and the
maximum temperatures of late spring and summer may reach up to 32 °C (90 °F). Overall precipitation is
heavily concentrated in the summer months, including dense hail. The central valley of Mexico rarely gets
precipitation in the form of snow during winter; the two last recorded instances of such an event were on
March 5, 1940 and January 12, 1967.

The region of the Valley of Mexico receives anti-cyclonic systems, whose weak winds do not allow for the
dispersion, outside the basin, of the air pollutants which are produced by the 50,000 industries and 4
million vehicles operating in or around the metropolitan area.[41]

The area receives about 820 millimetres (32.3 in) of annual rainfall, which is concentrated from June
through September/October with little or no precipitation the remainder of the year.[39]The area has two
main seasons. The rainy season runs from June to October when winds bring in tropical moisture from
the sea. The dry season runs from November to May, when the air is relatively drier. This dry season
subdivides into a cold period from November to February when polar air masses pushing down from the
north keep the air fairly dry and a warm period from March to May when tropical winds again dominate but
they do not yet carry enough moisture for rain.[42]

[hide]Climate data for Mexico City

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
 21.2 22.9 25.7 26.6 26.5 24.6 23.0 23.3 22.3
Average high °C (°F)
(70.2) (73.2) (78.3) (79.9) (79.7) (76.3) (73.4) (73.9) (72.1)

5.8 7.1 9.2 10.8 11.7 12.2 11.5 11.6 11.5

Average low °C (°F)
(42.4) (44.8) (48.6) (51.4) (53.1) (54) (52.7) (52.9) (52.7)

11.0 4.3 10.1 25.9 56.0 134.8 175.1 169.2 144.8

Rainfall mm (inches)
(0.433) (0.169) (0.398) (1.02) (2.205) (5.307) (6.894) (6.661) (5.701)

% Humidity 51 47 41 43 51 63 69 69 70

Avg. rainy days 2.3 2.1 3.1 7.9 12.7 17.7 23.4 22.8 18.9

Sunshine hours 240 234 268 232 225 183 176 176 157

[43]
Source #1: World Meteorological Organisation (UN) (30 yr record)

Source #2: Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (sun, RH for 1981-2000)

[edit]Environment

See also: Water management in Greater Mexico City

The Popocatépetl, an active volcano

Situated in a valley, and relying heavily onautomobiles, the city suffers from poor air quality
The City government has encouraged the preservation of green areas of the City such as Tezozmoc park.

Originally, much of the valley lay beneath the waters of Lake Texcoco, a system of interconnected saline
and freshwater lakes. The Aztecs built dikes to separate the fresh water used to raise crops
in chinampasand to prevent recurrent floods. These dikes were destroyed during the siege of
Tenochtitlan, and during colonial times the Spanish regularly drained the lake to prevent floods. Only a
small section of the original lake remains, located outside the Federal District, in the municipality
of Atenco, State of Mexico. In recent years, architects Teodoro González De León and Alberto Kalach,
along with a group of Mexican urbanists, engineers and biologists, have developed the project plan
for Recovering the City of Lakes. The project, if approved by the government, will contribute to the supply
of water from natural sources to the Valley of Mexico, the creation of new natural spaces, a great
improvement in air quality, and greater population establishment planning.

The federal and local governments have implemented numerous plans to alleviate the problem of air
pollution, including the constant monitoring and reporting of environmental conditions, such as ozone
and nitrogen oxides.[44] If the levels of these two pollutants reach critical levels, contingency actions are
implemented which may include closing factories, changing school hours, and extending the A day
without a car program to two days of the week.[44] To control air pollution, the government has instituted
industrial technology improvements, a strict biannual vehicle emission inspection and the reformulation
of gasoline and diesel fuels.[44] Data from the city's 36 air-quality monitoring stations show lead levels
down 95 percent since 1990, while sulfur dioxide has fallen 86 percent, carbon monoxide 74 percent, and
peak ozone levels 57 percent since 1991.[44] In 1990, Patricia Saad Sotomayor reported in the Mexico City
daily Excélsior that "100,000 children die every year as a result of pollution in the Mexico City
metropolitan area, 250,000 people suffer from eye diseases..and life expectancy has been reduced by up
to ten years, according to the National Environmentalist Groups." in a report to President Salinas. At the
time, according to the United Nations pollution scale "which set 100 as the maximum level before grave
health problems begin", Mexico City's level was 97.5, compared to 4.5 for New York City, and 2.5 for
Milan, Turin, and Los Angeles.[45]
In 1986, the non-urban forest areas of the southern boroughs were declared National Ecological
Reserves by president Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado. Other areas of the Federal District became protected
over the following years.

[edit]Politics

[edit]Federal District

Large urban middle class neighborhoods are common throughout the western area.

Reforma Avenue is one of the city's most important streets

View of one of the city's skylines at night

View from Chapultepec

Santa Fe in the rainy season

The Colonia Roma

The Acta Constitutiva de la Federación of 31 January 1824 and the Federal Constitution of 4 October
1824[46] fixed the political and administrative organization of the United Mexican Statesafter the Mexican
War of Independence. In addition, Section XXVIII of Article 50 gave the new Congress the right to choose
where the federal government would be located. This location would then be appropriated as federal land,
with the federal government acting as the local authority. The two main candidates to become the capital
were Mexico City and Querétaro.[citation needed]However, due in large part to the persuasion of
representative Servando Teresa de Mier, Mexico City was chosen because it was the center of the
country's population and history, even though Querétaro was closer to the center geographically. The
choice was official on 18 November 1824, and Congress delineated a surface area of two leagues square
(8,800 ac) centered on the Zocalo. This area was then separated from the State of Mexico, forcing that
state's government to move from the Palace of the Inquisition (now Museum of Mexican Medicine) in the
city to Texcoco. This area did not include the population centers of the towns
of Coyoacán, Xochimilco, Mexicaltzingoand Tlalpan, all of which remained as part of the State of Mexico.
[47]

In 1854, president Antonio López de Santa Anna, enlarged the area of the Federal District almost
eightfold from the original 220 km2 (80 sq mi) to 1,700 km2 (660 sq mi), annexing the rural and
mountainous areas to secure the strategic mountain passes to the south and southwest to protect the city
in event of a foreign invasion. (The Mexican-American War had just been fought). The last changes to the
limits of the Federal District were made between 1898 and 1902, reducing the area to the current
1,479 km2 (571 sq mi) by adjusting the southern border with the state of Morelos. By that time, the total
number of municipalities within the Federal District was twenty-two.

While the Federal District was ruled by the federal government through an appointed governor, the
municipalities within it were autonomous, and this duality of powers created tension between the
municipalities and the federal government for more than a century. In 1903 already, Porfirio Díaz largely
reduced the powers of the municipalities within the Federal District. Eventually, in December 1928, the
federal government decided to abolish all the municipalities of the Federal District. In place of the
municipalities, the Federal District was divided into one "Central Department" and
13 delegaciones (boroughs) administered directly by the government of the Federal District. The Central
Department was integrated by the former municipalities of Mexico City, Tacuba, Tacubaya and Mixcoac.

In 1941, the General Anaya borough was merged to the Central Department, which was then renamed
"Mexico City" (thus reviving the name, but not the autonomous municipality). From 1941 to 1970, the
Federal District was comprised by 12 delegaciones and Mexico City. In 1970 Mexico City was split into
four different delegaciones: Cuauhtémoc, Miguel Hidalgo, Venustiano Carranza and Benito Juárez,
increasing the number of delegaciones to sixteen. Since then, in a de facto manner, the whole Federal
District, whose delegaciones had by then almost formed a single urban area, began to be considered a
synonym of Mexico City. However, the lack of a de jure stipulation left a legal vacuum that led to a
number of sterile discussions about whether one concept had engulfed the other or if the latter had
ceased to exist altogether. In 1993 this situation was solved by an amendment to the 44th article of
the Constitution whereby Mexico City and the Federal District were set to be the same entity. This
amendment was later introduced into the second article of the Statute of Government of the Federal
District.[48]

Political structure

Offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The National Palace of Mexico.

The "Palacio de Ayuntamiento", on the southwest corner of the Zocalo has been the city's seat of power since the Spanish

conquest
Mexico City, being the seat of the powers of the Union, did not belong to any particular state but to all.
Therefore, it was the president, representing the federation, who used to designate the head of
government of the Federal District, a position which is sometimes presented outside Mexico as the
"Mayor" of Mexico City.[citation needed] In the 1980s, given the dramatic increase in population of the previous
decades, the inherent political inconsistencies of the system, as well as the dissatisfaction with the
inadequate response of the federal government after the 1985 earthquake, residents began to request
political and administrative autonomy to manage their local affairs.[citation needed] Somepolitical groups even
proposed that the Federal District be converted into the 32nd state of the federation.

In response to the demands, in 1987 the Federal District received a greater degree of autonomy, with the
elaboration the first Statute of Government (Estatuto de Gobierno), and the creation of an Assembly of
Representatives.[citation needed] In the 1990s, this autonomy was further expanded and, starting from 1997,
residents can directly elect the head of government of the Federal District and the representatives of a
unicameral Legislative Assembly (which succeeded the previous Assembly) by popular vote. The first
elected head of government was Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas. Cárdenas resigned in 1999 to run in the
2000 presidential elections and designated Rosario Robles to succeed him, who became the first woman
(elected or otherwise) to govern Mexico City. In 2000 Andrés Manuel López Obrador was elected, and
resigned in 2005 to run in the 2006 presidential elections, Alejandro Encinas Rodríguez being designated
by the Legislative Assembly to finish the term. In 2006, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon was elected for the
2006–2012 period.

The Federal District does not have a constitution, like the states of the Union, but rather a Statute of
Government. As part of its recent changes in autonomy, the budget is administered locally; it is proposed
by the head of government and approved by the Legislative Assembly. Nonetheless, it is the Congress of
the Union that sets the ceiling to internal and external public debt issued by the Federal District.[49]

According to the 44th article of the Mexican Constitution, in case the powers of the Union move to another
city, the Federal District will be transformed into a new state, which will be called "State of the Valley of
Anahuac", with the new limits set by the Congress of the Union.

[edit]Elections and government

In 2006, elections were held for the post of head of government and the representatives of the Legislative
Assembly. The elected and incumbent head of government is now Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, candidate
of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). Heads of government are elected for a 6-year period
without the possibility of reelection. Traditionally, this position has been considered as the second most
important executive office in the country.[50]

The Legislative Assembly of the Federal District is formed, as it is the case in all legislatures in Mexico, by
both single-seat and proportional seats, making it a system of parallel voting. The Federal District is
divided into 40 electoral constituencies of similar population which elect one representative by first-past-
the-post plurality (FPP), locally called "uninominal deputies". The Federal District as a whole constitutes a
single constituency for the parallel election of 26 representatives by proportionality (PR) with open-party
lists, locally called "plurinominal deputies." Even though proportionality is only confined to the proportional
seats, to prevent a part from being overrepresented, several restrictions apply in the assignation of the
seats; namely, that no party can have more than 63% of all seats, both uninominal and plurinominal. In
the 2006 elections leftist PRD got the absolute majority in the direct uninominal elections, securing 34 of
the 40 FPP seats. As such, PRD was not assigned any plurinominal seat to comply with the law that
prevents overrepresentation. The overall composition of the Legislative Assembly is:

Mexico City's Head of GovernmentMarcelo Ebrard.

Political party FPP PR Total

Party of the Democratic 31 3 34

Revolution

National Action Party 9 6 15

Institutional Revolutionary 8 8
Party

Labour Party 5 5

Ecologist Green Party of 3 3

Mexico
 New Alliance Party 1 1

Total 40 26 66

The politics pursued by the administrations of heads of government in Mexico City since the second half
of the 20th century have usually been more liberal than those of the rest of the country, whether with the
support of the federal government —as was the case with the approval of several comprehensive
environmental laws in the 1980s— or through laws recently approved by the Legislative Assembly. In
2007, the Federal District became the second federal entity in the country, after the state of Coahuila, to
approve same-sex unions, and the first to allow conjugal visits for homosexual prisoners[51] In April of the
same year, the Legislative Assembly expanded provisions on abortions, becoming the first federal entity
to expandabortion in Mexico beyond cases of rape and economic reasons, to permit it regardless of the
reason should the mother request it before the twelfth week of pregnancy.[52] In December 2009, the
Federal District became the first city in Latin America, and one of very few in the world, to legalize same-
sex marriage.

[edit]Boroughs
See also: Boroughs of the Mexican Federal District and Colonias of Mexico City

The 16 boroughs of Mexico City

 For administrative purposes, the Federal District is divided into 16 "delegaciones" or boroughs. While not
fully equivalent to a municipality, the 16 boroughs have gained significant autonomy, and since 2000 their
heads of government are elected directly by plurality (they were previously appointed by the head of
government of the Federal District). Given that Mexico City is organized entirely as a Federal District,
most of the city services are provided or organized by the Government of the Federal District and not by
the boroughs themselves, while in the constituent states these services would be provided by the
municipalities. The 16 boroughs of the Federal District are:

1. Álvaro Obregón 9. Iztapalapa

2. Azcapotzalco 10. Magdalena Contreras
3. Benito Juárez 11. Miguel Hidalgo
4. Coyoacán 12. Milpa Alta
5. Cuajimalpa 13. Tláhuac
6. Cuauhtémoc 14. Tlalpan
7. Gustavo A. Madero 15. Venustiano Carranza
8. Iztacalco 16. Xochimilco

View of the west

The boroughs are composed by hundreds of colonias or neighborhoods, which have no jurisdictional
autonomy or representation. It is plausible that the name, which literally means colony, arose in the late
19th, early 20th centuries, when one of the first urban developments outside the city's core was inhabited
by a French colony in the city. Some colonias have identifiable attributes: Historic Center is the oldest
quarter in the city, some of the buildings dating back to the 16th century[citation needed];Condesa is known for
its Art Deco architecture, and for being the newest artistic center of the city; Santa Fe is a growing
business and financial district (built over old landfills); Roma is a beaux arts neighborhood and probably
one of the oldest in the city; Polanco is an important commercial and economic center known for its
large Jewish community, and Tepito and La Lagunilla are known for its large flea market.[citation needed]

[edit]Health
Headquarters of the IMSS in Mexico City

Swine Flu epidemic in 2009.

Mexico City is home to some of the best private hospitals in the country; Hospital Ángeles, Hospital
ABC and Médica Sur to name a few. The national public healthcare institution for private-
sectoremployees IMSS, has its largest facilities in Mexico City, including the National Medical Center and
the La Raza Medical Center, and has an annual budget of over 6 billion pesos. The IMSS and otherpublic
health institutions, including the ISSSTE (Public Sector Employees' Social Security Institute) and the
National Health Ministry (SSA) maintain large specialty facilities in the city. These include the National
Institutes of Cardiology, Nutrition, Psychiatry, Oncology, Pediatrics, Rehabilitation, among others.

The World Bank has sponsored a project to curb air pollution through public transport improvements and
the Mexican government has started shutting down polluting factories. They have phased out diesel
buses and mandated new emission controls on new cars; since 1993 all new cars must be fitted with
a catalytic converter, which reduce the emissions released. Trucks must use only liquefied petroleum
gas (LPG). Also construction of an underground rail system was begun in 1968 order to help curb air
pollution problems and alleviate traffic congestion. Today it has over 201 km of track and carries over 5
million people every day. Fees are kept low to encourage use of the system and during rush hours the
crush is so great, that authorities have reserved a special carriage specially for women. Due to these
initiatives and others, the air quality in Mexico City has begun to improve, with the air becoming cleaner
since 1991, when the air quality was declared to be a public health risk for 355 days of the year.

[edit]Economy

Mexican Stock Exchange inPaseo de la Reforma, Mexico City

Aeroméxico Building
Santa Fe financial district

Mexicana de Aviación Tower, the worldwide headquarters of Mexicana de Aviación

Mexico City is one of the most important economic hubs in Latin America. The city proper (Federal
District) produces 21.8% of the country's gross domestic product.[53] According to a study conducted
by PricewaterhouseCoopers, Mexico City had a GDP of $315 billion, ranking as the eighth richest city in
the world after the greater areas of Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Paris, London
and Osaka/Kobe, and the richest in Latin America.[54][55][56] Making Mexico City alone the 30th}} largest
economy in the world.[57] Mexico City is the greatest contributor to the country's industrial GDP (15.8%)
and also the greatest contributor to the country's GDP in the service sector(25.3%)[citation needed]. Due to the
limited non-urbanized space at the south—most of which is protected through environmental laws the
contribution of the Federal District in agriculture is the smallest of all federal entities in the country.
[53]
Mexico City has one of the world's fastest-growing economies and its GDP is set to double by 2020.[58]

As measured by the overall GDP of the entire metropolitan area, Mexico City is the richest city in the
country and Latin America. In the 2009 UNDP-MHDI Human Development Report Mexico City had an
index of 0.937 identical to that of Republic of Korea. Thie level of household expenditure in Mexico City is
close to that of an average household in Germany or Japan. Households in the capital have fewer
members, with 3.7 average members compared to the national average of 4.0.

The GDP per capita of the metropolitan area is $25,258 identical to countries such as South Korea.[59] The
top twenty-five percent of GDP per capita holders in the city had a mean disposable income of US
$98,517 in 2007. The extremely high spending power of Mexico City inhabitants, makes the city attractive
for luxury goods companies. The growth of luxury stores established in Mexico City has been impressive
since 2003, especially those dealing in luxury cars, high technology, designer clothes and expensive
jewellery.[60] The combined personal wealth of privately held income of citizens of the entire federal district
is estimated to be $536.95 billion USD, $146 billion larger than the city's GDP of $390 billion, which only
takes into account the combined net worth of goods, services and corporately held assets.
The economic reforms of President Carlos Salinas de Gortari had a tremendous effect on the city, as a
number of businesses, including banks, were privatized. He also signed the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA). This led to the decentralization[58] and a shift in Mexico City's economic base, from
manufacturing to services, as many factories moved to the State of Mexico and to the northern border.
The government also encouraged this with tax incentives and new environmental regulations for
manufacturing within the Federal District.[61]

[edit]Demographics

Historically, and since pre-Hispanic times, the valley of Anáhuac has been one of the most densely
populated areas in Mexico. When the Federal District was created in 1824, the urban area of Mexico City
extended approximately to the area of today's Cuauhtémoc borough.[citation needed] At the beginning of the
20th century, the elites began migrating to the south and west and soon the small towns
of Mixcoac and San Ángel were incorporated by the growing conurbation.[citation needed]According to the 1921
census, 54.78% of the city's population was considered Mestizo (Indigenous mixed with European),
22.79% considered European, and 18.74% considered Indigenous.[62] In 1921, Mexico City had less than
one million inhabitants.

Up to the 1980s, the Federal District was the most populous federal entity in Mexico, but since then its
population has remained stable at around 8.7 million. The growth of the city has extended beyond the
limits of the Federal District to 59 municipalities of the state of Mexico and 1 in the state of Hidalgo.
[63]
With a population of approximately 19.8 million inhabitants (2008),[64] it is one of the most populous
conurbations in the world. Nonetheless, the annual rate of growth of the Metropolitan Area of Mexico
City is much lower than that of other large urban agglomerations in Mexico,[65] a phenomenon most likely
attributable to the environmental policy of decentralization. The net migration rate of the Federal District
from 1995 to 2000 was negative.[66]

While they represent around 18.74% of the city's population, indigenous peoples from different regions of
Mexico have immigrated to the capital in search of better economic
opportunities. Náhuatl, Otomí, Mixteco, Zapoteco, and Mazahua are the indigenous languages with the
greatest number of speakers in Mexico City.[67]

On the other hand, Mexico City is home to large communities of expatriates and immigrants, most notably
from South America (mainly fromArgentina, but also
from Chile, Uruguay, Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela), from Europe (mainly from Spain and Germany,
but also from France, Italy, Poland and Romania),[68][69] the Middle East (mainly from Lebanon and Syria),
[70]
and recently from Asia (mainly from China and South Korea).[71] While no official figures have been
reported, population estimates of each of these communities are quite significant. Mexico City is home to
the largest population of U.S. Americans living outside the United States. Some estimates are as high as
600,000 U.S. Americans living in Mexico City, while in 1999 the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs estimates
over 440,000 Americans lived in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area.[72][73]

The majority (90.5%) of the residents in Mexico City are Roman Catholic, higher than the national
percentage, even though it has been decreasing over the last decades.[74] However, many other religions
and philosophies are also practiced in the city: many different types of Protestant groups, different types
of Jewish communities, Buddhist and Islam and other philosophical groups, as well as atheism.

[edit]Landmarks

Historic Centre of Mexico City

andXochimilco*

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Type Cultural

Criteria ii, iii, iv, v

Reference 412

Latin America and the Caribbean

Region**

Inscription history

1987 (11th Session)

Inscription

* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.

** Region as classified by UNESCO.
Low income apartment blocks in the Azcapotzalco neighborhood of Mexico City

Lomas de Chapultepec residential area

The Historic Centre (Centro Histórico) and the "floating gardens" of Xochimilco in the southern borough
have been declared World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO. Famous landmarks in the Historic Center
include the Plaza de la Constitución (Zócalo), the main central square with its time clashing Spanish-
era Metropolitan Cathedral and National Palace, and Delran, and ancient Aztec temple ruins Templo
Mayor ("Major Temple") are all within a few steps of one another. (The Templo Mayor was discovered in
1978 while workers were digging to place underground electric cables.)

The most recognizable icon of Mexico City is the golden Angel of Independence, found on the wide,
elegant avenue Paseo de la Reforma, modeled by the order of the Emperor Maximilian of Mexico after
the Champs-Élysées in Paris. This avenue was designed over Americas' oldest passage in the 19th
century to connect the National Palace (seat of government) with theCastle of Chapultepec, the imperial
residence. Today, this avenue is an important financial district in which the Mexican Stock Exchange as
several corporate headquarters are located. Another important avenue is the Avenida de los Insurgentes,
which extends 28.8 km (17.9 mi) and is one of the longest single avenues in the world.

The Chapultepec park houses the Castle of Chapultepec, now a museum on a hill that overlooks the park
and its numerous museums, monuments and the national zoo and theNational Museum of
Anthropology (which houses the Aztec Calendar Stone). Another magnificent piece of architecture is
the Fine Arts Palace, a stunning white marble theatre/museum whose weight is such that it has gradually
been sinking into the soft ground below. Its construction began during the presidency of Porfirio Díaz and
ended, after being interrupted by the Mexican Revolution in the 1920s. The Plaza of the Three Cultures in
the Tlatelolco neighbourhood, and the shrine and Basilicas of Our Lady of Guadalupe are also important
sites. There is a double-decker bus, known as the "Turibus", that circles most of these sites, and has
timed audio describing the sites in multiple languages as they are passed.

In addition, the city has around 160 museums, over 100 art galleries, and some 30 concert halls, all of
which maintain a constant cultural activity during the whole year.[citation needed] It has the fourth highest
number of theatres in the world after New York, London and Toronto, and it is the city with the highest
number of museums in the world.[citation needed] In many locales (Palacio Nacional and the Instituto Nacional
de Cardiología, to name a few), there are murals painted by Diego Rivera. He and his wife Frida
Kahlo lived in the southern suburb ofCoyoacán, where several of their homes, studios, and art collections
are open to the public. The house where Leon Trotsky was initially granted asylum and finally murdered in
1940 is also in Coyoacán.

In addition, there are several restored haciendas that are now restaurants, such as the San Ángel Inn, the
Hacienda de Tlalpan and the Hacienda de los Morales, all of which are stunning remnants of Mexican
history and house some of the best food in the world.

Landmarks
Chapultepec
Polanco.JPG

Chapultepec Park

withPolanco at the Monument to Benito

Xochimilco Floating right, as seen Palace of Fine Arts Juarez

Gardens The Teatro de la Paris building, from Torre

Ciudad de neoclassic style Mayorobservation
Mexico deck.

Sears Building

Torre Arcos Torre Pemex Arcos Towers

[edit]Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Mexico City

Metrobús at Insurgentes Avenue

Highways connect all areas of the city

Mexico City Metro, Camaronesstation

Inter-terminal shuttle train at Mexico City International Airport

Aerial view of the elevated freeway running from the northern area of the city to the southern area

Elevated Periferico freeway.

Mexico City is served by the Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metro, a 207 km metro system, which is the
largest in Latin America. The first portions were opened in 1969 and it has expanded to 11 lines with 175
stations. A suburban rail system, known as the Tren Suburbano, similar to the Parisian RER started
operations in 2008 connecting the city downtown to the Northern suburbs. A twelfth (gold color) metro line
is currently in construction, and will add an additional 25 km to the network. The metro is one of the
busiest in the world transporting approximately 4.5 million people every day, surpassed only by subway
lines in Moscow (7.5 million), Tokyo (5.9 million), and New York City (5.1 million).[75] It is heavily
subsidized, and has the lowest fares in the world, each trip costing 3.00Mex$ and taking each passenger
to almost any place in this enormous city from 05:00 am to midnight. Several stations display pre-
Columbian artifacts and architecture that were discovered during the metro's construction.[citation
needed]
However, the Metro does not extend outside the limits of the Federal District and, therefore, an
extensive network of bus routes has been implemented. These are mostly managed by private
companies which are allowed to operate buses as long as they adhere to certain minimal service quality
standards.

The city government also operates a network of large buses, in contrast with the privately
operatedmicrobuses (peseros), with fares barely exceeding that of the metro. Electric transport other than
the metro also exists, in the form of several trolleybus routes and the Xochimilco Light Rail line, both of
which are operated by Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos. The central area's last streetcar line (tramway,
or tranvía) closed in 1979, but the reintroduction of streetcars to the historic city center is planned.[76] The
city's firstbus rapid transit line, the Metrobús, began operation in June 2005, along Avenida Insurgentes.
A second line was constructed along Eje 4 Sur, opening in December 2008,[77] and a third line is projected
to open in February 2011, serving Eje 1 Poniente between Tenayuca and Metro Etiopía.[78] As the
microbuses were removed from its route, it was hoped that the Metrobús could reduce pollution and
decrease transit time for passengers. Also, since late 2002, the white and green taxis have been joined
by red and white ones as part of a program to replace older vehicles with new ones.

Mexico City is served by Mexico City International Airport (IATA Airport Code: MEX). This airport is Latin
America's busiest and largest in traffic, with daily flights to North America, mainland Mexico, Central
America and the Caribbean, South America, Europe and Asia. Aeroméxico (Skyteam)
and Mexicana(Oneworld) are based at this airport, and provide codeshare agreements with non-Mexican
airlines that span the entire globe. It is used by over 26 million passengers per year.[79] This traffic
exceeds the current capacity of the airport, which has historically centralized the majority of air traffic in
the country. An alternate option is Lic. Adolfo López Mateos International Airport (IATA Airport Code:
TLC) located in the nearbyToluca, State of Mexico with about 4.5 million passengers transported last
year. In 2008, about 31 million people went through the city's airports. The government engaged in an
extensive restructuring program that includes the new second adjacent terminal, which began operations
in 2007, and the enlargement of four other airports (at the nearby cities
of Toluca, Querétaro, Puebla and Cuernavaca) that, along with Mexico City's airport, comprise the Grupo
Aeroportuario del Valle de México, distributing traffic to different regions in Mexico. The city
of Pachuca will also provide additional expansion to central Mexico's airport network. Mexico City's airport
is the main hub for 11 of the 21 national airline companies.

The city has four major bus stations (North, South, Observatorio, TAPO), which comprise one of the
world's largest transportation agglomerations, with bus service to many cities across the country and
international connections. The city has one train station, used for commercial and industrial purposes
(interstate passenger trains are now virtually non-existent in Mexico). A suburban rail system, the Tren
Suburbano serves the metropolitan area, beyond the city limits of the metro, to municipalities such
as Tlalnepantla and Cuautitlán Izcalli, with future extensions to Chalco and La Paz.
In the late 70's many arterial roads were redesigned as ejes viales; high-volume one-way roads that
cross, in theory, Mexico City proper from side to side. The eje vial network is based on a quasi-
Cartesian grid, with the ejes themselves being called Eje 1 Poniente, Eje Central, and Eje 1 Oriente, for
example, for the north-south roads, and Eje 2 Sur and Eje 3 Norte, for example, for east-west roads. Two
freeway ring-roads serve to connect points within the city and the metropolitan area: Circuito Interior (the
inner ring) and Periférico, which connect to one straight freeway: the Viaducto (Viaduct) (connecting west
with east, from Observatorio to the Airport). Traffic in this system is so dense that an elevated highway
that runs on top and parallel to a part of the Periférico, had to be constructed and finished in 2003. This
elevated highway is colloquially called segundo piso ("second level") of the Periférico.

There is an environmental program, called Hoy No Circula ("Not To Run Today", or "One Day without a
Car"), whereby only vehicles with certain ending numbers on their license platesare allowed to circulate
on certain days, in an attempt to cut down on pollution and traffic congestion.[citation needed]

[edit]Sports

Estadio Azteca, the fifth largest stadium in the world

Football (Soccer) is Mexico's most popular and most televised sport. The important venues in Mexico City
for this sport include the Aztec Stadium, home to the Mexico national football team and América, which
has a capacity to seat 140,000 fans, the Olympic Stadium in Ciudad Universitaria, home to the U.N.A.M.,
with a seating capacity of over 63,000. The Estadio Azul, which seats 35,000 fans, is located near the
city's WTC in the Nochebuena Neighborhood, and is home to the Cruz Azul. The three teams are based
in Mexico City and play in the (First Division), they are also part of the "Big Four" of Mexico. The country
hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1970 and 1986, therefore the Aztec Stadium is the only stadium in World
Cup history to host a final match twice.

Mexico City remains the first and only Latin American city to host the Olympic Games, having organized
the Summer Olympics in 1968, winning bids against Buenos Aires, Lyon and Detroit. (As of 2016, this will
no longer be the case, as that year's games will be held in Rio de Janeiro.) The city has hosted the 1955
Pan American Games and then the 1975 Pan American Games after Santiago and São Paulo withdrew.
The ICF Flatwater Racing World Championships have been hosted here twice, in 1974 and in
1994. Lucha libre is the Mexican form of wrestling, and is one of the more popular sports throughout the
country. The main venues in the city are Arena México and Arena Coliseo.

Adjacent to Foro Sol is Mexico City's Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. From 1962 to 1970 and again
from 1986 to 1992, the track hosted theFormula 1 Mexican Grand Prix. From 1980-1981 and again from
2002 to 2007, it hosted the Champ Car World Series Gran Premio de México. Beginning in 2005,
the NASCARNationwide Series ran the Telcel-Motorola México 200. 2005 also marked the first running of
the Mexico City 250 by the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. Both races were removed from their
series' schedules for 2009. Baseball is another sport played professionally in the city. Mexico City is
currently home to the triple A level club the Mexico Red Devils of the MBL. The Devils play their home
games at the Foro Sol sports and concert venue. In Mexico City there are approximately 10 little leagues
for young baseball players.

In 2005, Mexico City became the first city to host an NFL regular season game outside of the United
States, at the Aztec Stadium. To date, the crowd of 103,467 people attending this game is the largest
ever for a regular season game in NFL history. The city has also hosted several NBA pre-season
exhibition games along with exhibition matches among MLB teams at the Foro Sol. The FIBA Americas
Championship has also been hosted here.

Other sports facilities in Mexico City are the Palacio de los Deportes indoor arena, Francisco Márquez
Olympic Swimming Pool, the Hipódromo de Las Américas, the Velodromo Agustín Melgar, and venues
for equestrianism and horse racing, Ice Hockey, Rugby, American football, baseball, and basketball for
which what is widely regarded as the best International Basketball Tournament has been held in the city.

Bullfighting takes place every Sunday during bullfighting season at the 50,000-seat Plaza México, the
largest bullfight ring in the world.

Mexico City's golf courses have held both the Women's LPGA tour, as well as two Men's Golf World
Cups. These, and other golf courses throughout the city are available as private, as well as public venues.

[edit]Education
ITESM campus in Mexico City

National Polytechnic Institute

National Autonomous University of Mexico

Anáhuac University

UACM Mexico City campus

The second oldest university in the Americas, established in 1551, the National Autonomous University of
Mexico (UNAM), is located in Mexico City. It is the largest university on the continent, with 305,969
students from all backgrounds enrolled. Three Nobel laureates, several Mexican entrepreneurs and most
of Mexico's modern-day presidents are among its former students. UNAM conducts 50% of
Mexico's scientific researchand has presence all across the country with satellite campuses,
observatories and research centers. The National Autonomous University of Mexico ranks 45th in the Top
200 World University Ranking published byThe Times Higher Education Supplement in 2009,[80] making it
the highest ranked Spanish-speaking university in the world. The sprawling main campus of the
university, known as Ciudad Universitaria, was named a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 2007.

The second largest higher-education institution is the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) (which includes,
among many other relevant centers, the Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (Cinvestav),
where high-level research is performed about very different scientific and technological disciplines. Other
major higher-education institutions in the city include the Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM),
the ITAM, the ITESM (3 campuses), the Universidad Panamericana (UP), the Universidad La Salle,
the Universidad del Valle de Mexico (UVM), the Universidad Anáhuac, the Alliant International University,
the Universidad Iberoamericana, El Colegio de México(Colmex), Escuela Libre de Derecho and
the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económica, (CIDE). The most prestigious private universities in
the country including Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México and the Universidad Panamericana have
their flagship campus located in Mexico City. In addition, the prestigiousUniversity of California maintains
a campus known as "Casa de California" in the city.[81] The Universidad Tecnológica de México is also in
Mexico City.

Contrary to what occurs in the constituent states of the Mexican federation, the curriculum of Mexico
City'spublic schools is managed by the federal level Secretary of Public Education. The whole funding is
allocated by the government of Mexico City (in some specific cases, such as El Colegio de México,
funding comes from both the city's government and other public and private national and international
entities).[citation needed]

A very special case is that of El Colegio Nacional, created during the governmental period of Miguel
Alemán Valdés to have, in Mexico, an institution very similar to the College of France. The very selected
andprivileged group of Mexican scientists and artists belonging to this institution (the membership is
lifelong; some of the current members are Mario Lavista, Ruy Pérez Tamayo, José Emilio
Pacheco, Marcos Moshinsky (d.2009), Guillermo Soberón Acevedo, and many others) have the obligation
of disclosing their works among the general population, through conferences and public events such as
concerts and recitals.

Amongst its many public and private schools (K-13), the city offers multi-cultural, multi-
lingual and international schools which are attended by Mexican and foreign students. Best known are
the Colegio Alemán (German school with 3 main campuses), the Liceo Mexicano Japonés(Japanese),
the Escuela Coreana (Korean), the Lycée Français de Mexique (French), the American School, the Edron
Academy and theGreengates School (British).

Media
Mexico City is the leading center in Latin America for the television, music and film industries. It is also the
most important center in Mexico for the printed media and book publishingindustries. Dozens of daily
newspapers are published in this city, including El Universal, Excélsior, Reforma and La Jornada. Other
major papers include Milenio, Crónica, El Economistaand El Financiero. Leading magazines
include Expansión, Proceso, Poder, as well as dozens of entertainment publications, such
as Vanidades, Quién, Chilango, TV y Novelas, and local editions of Vogue, GQ, and Architectural Digest.

The two largest media companies in the Spanish-speaking world, Televisa and TV Azteca, are
headquartered in Mexico City. Other local television networks include Canal 11, Canal 22,Cadena
Tres, Teveunam and 11 free-access channels.
It is also a leading center of the advertising industry. Most international ad firms have offices in the city,
including Grey, JWT, Leo Burnett, Euro RSCG, BBDO, Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi, and McCann Erickson. Many
local firms also compete in the sector, including Alazraki, Olabuenaga/Chemistri, Terán, Augusto Elías, and
Clemente Cámara, among others.

There are 60 radio stations operating in the city and a huge number of local community radio transmission
networks.

[edit]Shopping

Fresh meat in Coyoacan.

Mexico City offers an immense and varied consumer retail market, with thousands of options for
everything from the very basic foods to ultra high-end luxury goods.

[edit]Markets

Informal market in a narrow alley.

El-Parian Market

The city's main source of fresh produce is the Central de Abastos. This in itself is a self-contained mini-city
in the southeastern neighborhood of Iztapalapa covering an area equivalent to several dozen city blocks.
The wholesale market supplies most of the city's "mercados", supermarkets, and restaurants, as well as
individuals who come to purchase the freshest variety for their household. Tons of fresh produce are
trucked in from all over Mexico every day.

The principal fish market is known as La Viga and is located in the southern part of the city, about 5
kilometers west of the Central de Abastos. Fresh fish from all around the country is available, mainly from
the central Pacific coast and Veracruz. The world-renowned market of Tepito occupies 25 blocks of the
city, and is known to sell everything and anything, except dignity.

A staple for consumers in the city is the omnipresent "mercado." Every major neighborhood in the city has
its own borough-regulated market, often more than one. These are large well-established facilities offering
most basic products, such as fresh produce and meat/poultry, dry goods, tortillerías, and many other
services, such as locksmiths, herbal medicine, hardware goods, sewing implements, and a multitude of
stands offering freshly made, home-style cooking and drinks in the tradition of aguas frescas and atole.

In addition, "mercados sobre ruedas" or mobile markets, set up shop on city streets in many
neighborhoods, depending on the day of the week. Sundays are the day in which the largest number of
these markets are set-up. The stalls generally use awnings of a single color or shade (pink and red, for
example), making them easily identifiable from several blocks away.

Large, modern chain supermarkets including Soriana, Comercial Mexicana and Chedraui are scattered
throughout the city. Others are located within mini-malls, in which the supermarket anchors a number of
other shops, such as banks, dry-cleaners, shoe repairs, and fast-food eateries. Small "mom-and-pop"
corner stores (known as "abarroterías" or more colloquially as "changarros") abound in all neighborhoods,
including many finer residential neighborhoods. These are small shops offering basics such as soft drinks,
packaged snacks, canned goods, and dairy products. Thousands of C-stores or corner stores, such
as Oxxo, 7-Eleven, and Extra are located throughout the city.

[edit]Downtown

Shops in downtown Mexico City

El Puerto de Liverpool shopping center.

The downtown area of the city is widely known as an area for specialized retailers, often at lower costs.
Certain streets, for example, are known for having many lighting stores, or hardware shops, or yarn
shops. The Mercado La Merced is one of city's oldest and is considered a smaller, older version of the
Central de Abastos, where thousands of items are sold. The Mercado de Jamaica specializes in fresh
flowers.

Calle Dolores, one block off Avenida Juárez, has one block known as Mexico City's Chinatown. The one
block contains numerous stores selling imported Chinese knick-knacks, and restaurants selling
lacquered Peking duck. Farther afield, the city's Zona Rosa neighborhood is home to several blocks that
represent Mexico City's Koreatown. A number of Korean restaurants, shops and even video rental shops
are located here.
[edit]Shopping centers

A El Palacio de Hierro department store

Centro Commercial Antara Polanco Shopping Mall

There are hundreds of modern retail shops throughout the city.

There are a number of large shopping centers and malls, including Santa Fé mall in the Santa Fédistrict
with several department stores and over 300 retail stores, restaurants and cinemas. Others include Plaza
Universidad, Plaza Satélite, Galerías Insurgentes, Galerías Coapa, Parque Delta, Parque Lindavista,
Pabellón Polanco, Pabellón Bosques, Mundo E, Perinorte and Plaza Lindavista, with anchor stores such
as El Palacio de Hierro, Liverpool, Sanborn's, Sears and Fábricas de Francia. The Punta Norte Outlet Mall is
located north of the city and includes many upscale outlet stores for brands such as Max Mara, Salvatore
Ferragamo, Hugo Boss and Zegna. Well known Mexican boutique brands, such as Scappino, Pineda
Covalin, La Hamaca y el Rebozo and Soho, are available in most upper end shopping areas.

Upscale malls such as Santa Fé, Perisur and Antara Polanco are amongst the most modern and swank
in Latin America. Top-end department stores include El Palacio de Hierro and Saks Fifth Avenue (whose
store at Santa Fé mall is one of only three outside the U.S.). Plaza Satélite mall is Latin America's highest
profit shopping venue. For a more bohemian ambiance, the neighborhoods of Condesa, Coyoacan and San
Ángel offer excellent outdoor shopping and dining experiences.
[edit]Luxury Goods

Mexico City has an extremely large market for high end luxury cars

In addition to the extensive Santa Fé mall with Saks and numerous luxury boutiques, Antara Polanco is a
high-end mall in Polanco with restaurants, cinemas, and boutiques, including Burberry, Longchamp, Just
Cavalli, Etro, Emporio Armani, Brooks Brothers, Thomas Pink,Hackett, and Coach.

Altavista 147 is a small shopping center in the southern neighborhood of San Ángel, with Louis
Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo, Carolina Herrera,Max Mara, Hugo Boss, and luxury Mexican silversmith Tane.
The mall is located on Avenida Altavista which houses many other high-end retailers, focusing on
furniture shops and interior decorators, restaurants, and silversmiths such as Christofle.

Arcos Bosques is a relatively new shopping complex in the namesake office complex in the upscale
Bosques de las Lomas neighborhood, near Santa Fe. The complex hosts scores of restaurants, including
a branch of Nobu, and smart shops including: Marc Jacobs, Thomas Pink, and Salvatore Ferragamo.

Most of the city's luxury boutiques are located on Avenida Presidente Masaryk in Polanco. Here, stand-alone
shops include Louis Vuitton,Cartier, Chanel, Tiffany & Co., Hermès, Frette, Ermenegildo
Zegna, Etro, Brioni, Marc Jacobs, Corneliani, Chopard, Bulgari, Gucci, andRoberto Cavalli. Other stores
include furniture retailers Roche-Bobois, Bang & Olufsen, Natuzzi, and Kartell. On smaller side streets, one
can find stores such as Assouline, a luxury French book publisher, Adolfo Dominguez, and Mitchell Gold +
Bob Williams.

[edit]Culture
[edit]Art

Palace of fine arts

Diego Rivera's mural depicting Mexico's history at the National Palace in Mexico City

La Pascua de Maria, 1698.

Statue of the head of K'inich Janaab Pakal I ( 603-683 AD ), king of Palenque

Mural on the ceiling of the main stairway in the Museo Nacional de Arte

Mexico City is one of the most important cultural centers in the world, boasting more museums than any
other city.[82] It also comes third in the number of theaters in the world,[82] just after London and New York.
Having been the capital of a vast pre-Hispanic empire, and also the capital of richest viceroyalty within
the Spanish Empire (ruling over a vast territory in the Americas andSpanish East Indies), and, finally, the
capital of the Mexican federation, Mexico City has a rich history of artistic expressions. Since the
Mesoamerican pre-Classical period the inhabitants of the settlements around Lake Texcoco produced
many works of art and complex craftsmanship, some of which are today displayed at the world-
renown National Museum of Anthropology and the Templo Mayor Museum. While many pieces of pottery
and stone-engraving have survived, the great majority of the Amerindian iconography was destroyed
during the Conquest of Mexico.
During colonial times the first art produced was that of the codices generated to preserve or recuperate
Amerindian iconography and history. From then, artistic expressions in Mexico were mostly religious in
theme. The Metropolitan Cathedral still displays works by Juan de Rojas, Juan Correa and an oil
paintingwhose authorship has been attributed to Murillo. Secular works of art of this period include
the equestrian sculpture ofCharles IV of Spain, locally known as El Caballito ("The little horse"). This piece, in
bronze, was the work of Manuel Tolsá and it has been placed at the Plaza Tolsá, in front of the Palacio de
Minería (Mining Palace). Directly in front of this building is the beautiful Museo Nacional de Arte (Munal)
(the National Museum of Art).

During the 19th century, an important producer of art was the Academia de San Carlos (San Carlos Art
Academy), founded during colonial times, and which later became the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas
(the National School of Visual Arts), which is currently one of the art schools of UNAM. Many of the works
produced by the students and faculty of that time are now displayed in the Museo Nacional de San Carlos
(National Museum of San Carlos). One of the students, José María Velasco, is considered one of the greatest
Mexican landscape painters of the 19th century. It was during Porfirio Diaz's regime that the government
sponsored arts, especially those that followed the French school. In spite of that, popular arts in the form
of cartoons and illustrations flourished like those of José Guadalupe Posadaand Manuel Manilla. The
permanent collection of the San Carlos Museum also includes paintings by European masters such as
Rembrandt, Velázquez, Murillo, and Rubens.

After the Mexican Revolution, an avant-garde artistic movement originated in Mexico City: muralism. Many of
the works of muralists José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros and Diego Rivera are displayed in
numerous buildings in the city, most notably at the National Palace and the Palacio de Bellas Artes. Frida
Kahlo, wife of Rivera, with a strong nationalist expression, was also one of the most renowned of Mexican
painters. Her house has become a museum that displays many of her works.

The former home of Rivera muse Dolores Olmedo house the namesake museum. The facility lies in the
Xochimilco precinct in the southern part of the city and includes several buildings surrounded by
sprawling manicured lawns. It houses a large collection of Rivera and Kahlo paintings and drawings, as
well as living Xoloizcuintles (Mexican Hairless Dog). It also regularly hosts small but important temporary
exhibits of classical and modern art (e.g. Venetian Masters and Contemporary New York artists).

During the 20th century, many artists immigrated to Mexico City from different regions of Mexico,
like Leopoldo Méndez, an engraver from Veracruz, who supported the creation of the socialist Taller de la
Gráfica Popular (Popular Graphics Workshop), designed to help blue-collar workers find a venue to express
their art. Other painters came from abroad, like Catalanpainter Remedios Varo and other Spanish and
Jewish exiles. It was in the second half of the 20th century that the artistic movement began to drift apart
from the Revolutionary theme.José Luis Cuevas opted for a modernist style in contrast to the muralist
movement associated with social politics.

Mexico City has numerous museums dedicated to modern and contemporary art. The Museo Tamayo was
opened in the mid-1980s to house the collection of international contemporary art donated by famed
Mexican (born in the state of Oaxaca) painter Rufino Tamayo. The collection includes pieces by Picasso,
Klee, Kandinsky, Warhol and many others, though most of the collection is stored while visiting exhibits
are shown. The Museo de Arte Moderno (Museum of Modern Art) is a repository of Mexican artists from the
20th century, including Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros, Kahlo, Gerzso, Carrington, Tamayo, among others,
and also regularly hosts temporary exhibits of international modern art. In southern Mexico City, the
Museo Carrillo Gil (Carrillo Gil Museum) showcases avant-garde artists, as does the University
Museum/Contemporary Art (Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo - or MUAC), designed by famed
Mexican architect Teodoro González de León, inaugurated in late 2008. The Museo Soumaya (Soumaya
Museum), named after the wife of Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, has the largest private collection of
original Rodin sculptures outside Paris. It also has a large collection of Dalí sculptures, and recently began
showing pieces in its masters collection includingEl Greco, Velázquez, Picasso and Canaletto. La
Colección Jumex (The Jumex Collection) is a museum housed on the grounds of the Jumex juice company
in the northern industrial suburb of Ecatepec (within the State of Mexico). It shows pieces from its
permanent collection and hosts traveling exhibits by leading contemporary artists.

Jack Kerouac, the noted American author, spent extended periods of time in the city, and wrote his
masterpiece volume of poetry Mexico City Blues here. Another American author,William S. Burroughs also
lived in the Colonia Roma neighborhood of the city for some time. It was here that he accidentally shot his
wife.[83]

[edit]Music, theater and entertainment

Chapultepec Castle
OFUNAM playing at Sala Nezahualcóyotl

Palacio de los Deportes

Family park in the San Ángel area

José Vasconcelos Library in Mexico City

The imposing Pyramids of Teotihuacan

Mexico City is a mecca of classical music, with a number of orchestras offering season programs. These
include the Mexico City Philharmonic,[84] which performs at the Sala Ollin Yoliztli; the National Symphony
Orchestra, whose home base is the Palacio de Bellas Artes(Palace of the Fine Arts), a masterpiece of art
nouveau and art decó styles; the Philharmonic Orchestra of the National Autonomous University of Mexico
(OFUNAM),[85] and the Minería Symphony Orchestra,[86] both of which perform at the acoustically
renown Sala Nezahualcóyotl, which was the first wrap-around concert hall in the Western Hemisphere
when inaugurated in 1976. There are also many smaller ensembles that enrich the city's musical scene,
including the Carlos Chávez Youth Symphony, the New World Orchestra (Orquesta del Nuevo Mundo),
the National Polytechnical Symphony and the Bellas Artes Chamber Orchestra(Orquesta de Cámara de Bellas
Artes).

The city is also a leading center of popular culture and music. There are a multitude of venues hosting
Spanish and foreign-language performers. These include the 10,000-seat National Auditorium that
regularly schedules the top Spanish and English-language pop and rock artists, as well as many of the
world's leadingperforming arts ensembles, the auditorium also broadcasts Grand Opera performances from
New York'sMetropolitan Opera on giant, high definition screens. The National Auditorium has been
awarded Best Venue in the World.
Other popular sites for pop-artist performances include the Teatro Metropolitan, the 15,000-seatPalacio de
los Deportes, and the larger Foro Sol Stadium, where top-name international artists perform on a regular
basis. The Cirque du Soleil has held several seasons at the Carpa Santa Fe, in the Santa Fe district in the
western part of the city. There are numerous venues for smaller musical ensembles and solo performers.
These include the Hard Rock Live, Bataclán, Foro Scotiabank, Lunario, Circo Volador and Voilá
Acoustique.

It is said that Mexico City has more theatres than any other city in the Spanish-speaking world.[citation
needed]
At any given time, dozens of plays are staged which run the gamut from Spanish versions
of Broadway shows to mainstream and alternative Spanish-language originals.

The Centro Nacional de las Artes (National Center for the Arts), in southern Mexico City, has several
venues for music, theatre, dance. UNAM's main campus, also in the southern part of the city, is home to
the Centro Cultural Universitario (the University Culture Center) (CCU). The CCU also houses the National
Library, the interactive Universum, Museo de las Ciencias,[87] the Sala Nezahualcóyotl concert hall, several
theatres and cinemas, and the new University Museum of Contemporary Art (MUAC).[88] A branch of the
National University's CCU cultural center was inaugurated in 2007 in the facilities of the former Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, known as Tlatelolco, in north-central Mexico City.

The José Vasconcelos Library, a national library, is located on the grounds of the former Buenavista railroad
station in the northern part of the city.

The Papalote children's museum, which houses the world's largest dome screen, is located in the wooded
park of Chapultepec, near theMuseo Tecnológico, and La Feria amusement park. The theme park Six Flags
México (the largest amusement park in Latin America) is located in the Ajusco borough, in southern
Mexico City. During the winter, the main square of the Zócalo is transformed into a gigantic ice skating rink,
which is said to be the largest in the world behind that of Moscow's Red Square.

The Cineteca Nacional (the Mexican Film Library), near the Coyoacán suburb, shows a wide variety of
films, and stages many film festivals, including the annual International Showcase, and many smaller ones
ranging from Scandinavian and Uruguayan cinema, to Jewish and GLBT-themed
films. Cinépolis and Cinemex, the two biggest film business chains, also have several film festivals
throughout the year, with both national and international movies. No other city in the world has the
amount of IMAX theaters as are in Mexico City,[citation needed] this gives access to cinematographic
documentaries as well as blockbusters on the world's largest screens.
[edit]Cuisine

Gringa is a local cuisine of Mexico City which is meat, cheese and sauce sandwiched between two flour tortillas and heated.

Casa de los azulejos restaurant.

Mexico City offers a vast array of culinary experiences. Restaurants specializing in the regional cuisines
of Mexico's 31 states are available in the city. Also available are restaurants representing a very broad
spectrum of international cuisines,
including French, Italian, Croatian, German, Greek,Hungarian, Russian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish (including
Spanish regional variations such asCastilian, Catalan, Asturian, Galician,
and Basque), Turkish, Chinese (including regional variations such as Cantonese, Hunan,
and Sichuan), Indian, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Tibetan, Vietnamese,Lebanese, Moroccan, as well
as Argentine, Brazilian, Cuban, Peruvian, and Uruguayan. Haute,fusion, kosher, vegetarian and vegan cuisines
are also commonly available.

The city also has several branches of renowned international restaurants and chefs. These include Paris'
Au Pied de Cochon and Brasserie Lipp, Philippe (by Philippe Chow, who has restaurants in New York
and Las Vegas); Nobu; and Pámpano, owned by Mexican-raised opera legend Plácido Domingo. There
are branches of the exclusive Japanese restaurant Suntory, Rome's famed Alfredo, as well as New York
steakhouses Morton's and The Palm, and Madrid's L'Albúfera. Three of the most famous Lima-based haute
Peruvian restaurants, La Mar, Segundo Muelle and Astrid y Gastón have Mexico City branches. Mexico
City is one of the few cities in the world with a Le Cordon Bleu culinary school and restaurant.

Mexico's award-winning wines are offered at many restaurants, and the city offers unique experiences for
tasting the regional spirits, with broad selections of tequila and mezcal.

At the other end of the scale are working class pulque bars known as pulquerías, a challenge for tourists
to locate and experience.

[edit]Amusement parks

The Mexican World Trade Center.

Six Flags Mexico

There are a number of permanent amusement parks, the oldest and most traditional one is La Feria
Chapultepec Mágico. It is located in the central area of the city and its vintage Montaña Rusa rollercoaster
is visible from several points throughout the city. The theme park Six Flags México (the largest amusement
park in Latin America) is located in the Ajusco borough, in southern Mexico City. And in the north end of
the city used to lie Parque Divertido. There are numerous seasonal fairs, the main one is held during the
winter on the main square of the Zócalo, which is transformed into an arctic getaway with ice igloos, slides
and a gigantic ice skating rink, said to be the largest set up of its kind in the world. This event is free to the
public and hosts special events such as stage performances and concerts. Additionally there are many
temporary fairs with rides throughout the city neighborhoods.

[edit]Museums

Most of the museums can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm, although some of them
have extended schedules just like the Museum of Anthropology and History, which is open up to 7 pm. In
addition to this, entrance to most museums is for free on Sundays. However, in the case you are charged
a fee, it will be nominal (around 10 or 30 pesos).[89]

Mexico City was traditionally known as La Ciudad de los Palacios ("the City of the Palaces"), a nickname
attributed to Baron Alexander von Humboldt when visiting the city in the 19th century who sending a letter
back to Europe said Mexico City could rival any major city in Europe.

During López Obrador's administration a political slogan was introduced: la Ciudad de la Esperanza("The
City of Hope"). This slogan was quickly adopted as a nickname to the city under López Obrador's term,
although it has lost popularity since the new slogan Capital en Movimiento ("Capital in Movement") was
adopted by the recently elected administration headed by Marcelo EbrardCasaubon; the latter is not
treated as often as a nickname in media.

The city is colloquially known as Chilangolandia after the locals' nickname chilangos, which is used either
as a pejorative term by people living outside Mexico City or as a proud adjective by Mexico City's
dwellers.[90]

Residents of Mexico City are more formally called capitalinos (in reference to the city being the capital of
the country) or, more recently defeños (a word which derives from the postal abbreviation of the Federal
District in Spanish: D.F., which is read "De-Efe".)

[edit]Law enforcement
Main article: Federal District Police

File:PF Blackhawk.JPG

The Mexican Federal Police regularly fly patrols

The Secretariat of Public Security of the Federal District (Secretaría de Seguridad Pública del Distrito
Federal – SSP) manages a combined force of over 90,000 officers in the Federal District (DF). The SSP
is charged with maintaining public order and safety in the center of Mexico City. The historic district of the
city is also roamed by tourist police, which aims to serve and orient tourists. These enforcement agents
dress in a more traditional outfit and ride on horses.

The investigative Judicial Police of the Federal District (Policía Judicial del Distrito Federal – PJDF) is
organized under the Office of the Attorney General of the DF (the Procuraduría General de Justicia del
Distrito Federal). The PGJDF maintains 16 precincts (delegaciones) with an estimated 3,500 judicial
police, 1,100 investigating agents for prosecuting attorneys (agentes del ministerio público), and 941
experts or specialists (peritos).

Between 2000 and 2004 an average of 478 crimes were reported each day in Mexico City; however, the
actual crime rate is thought to be much higher "since most people are reluctant to report crime."[91] On
average in the Federal District in the first quarter of 1997 one police officer was killed and one injured
weekly.[citation needed] A sense of insecurity prevails among many citizens because of the lack of confidence in
the police and the fear of police misbehavior and crime.[original research?][citation needed]

[edit]Future development
There are currently over thirty super-tall skyscraper projects set to be built in Mexico City in the near
future. With Mexico's economy and GDP per capita both growing at high rates even more upper and
middle class homes, apartments, shopping centers and utilities are predicted to be constructed rapidly
within the 2010-2020 decade in which Mexico City's GDP is set to at least double according to numerous
economic reports. The same challenges which now affect Mexico City such as overpopulation, pollution,
overcrowding, over stressing of resources and utilities, and high cost of living are expected to remain
pressing issues that will perhaps intensify with a larger high-income consumer class.

Currently the government of Mexico City is attempting several projects not only to revitalize the City's pre-
population boom conditions but also to revitalize some elements remaining from the pre-Columbian days.
Such projects include the full restoration of the pyramids of Teotihuacan, the limited reclaiming of Lake
Texcoco, and the extensive revitalization of theXochimilco district.

The Mexico City government is also attempting to decrease migration into the city from rural areas,
increase investment, curb pollution, lower the crime rate, improve basic utilities,and relocate heavy
industry away from populations centers.
FOREIGN INVESTMENT LAWS AND REGULATIONS

LAWS EXISTING

Regulations to the Foreign Investment Law dated May 16, 1989 (applicable in all that
is not contrary to the subsequent Foreign Investment Law). This regulatory law is still
applicable in that portion that it is not contrary to the new Foreign Investment Law of
December 27, 1993.

Foreign Investment Law dated December 27, 1993. This is the fundamental law
governing over foreign investment in Mexico.

NATIONAL COMMISSION ON FOREIGN INVESTMENT

This is the federal Mexican Government agency that is charged with the compliance
and application of the rules on foreign investment in Mexico.

The Commission normally considers approvals in the light of : Capitalization

requirements, Maximum investment levels for fixed assets; Financing form Non-
Mexican sources; Compliance with environmental regulations; Permanent job creation
programs and training programs; Positive balance on exports (vs. imports);
Investment in fixed assets; Acquisition of new or better technology; Contribution to
less developed zones, How well does it complement Mexican investment, and Other
similar items that will improve the country and business climate of Mexico.

(A). LISTING OF ACTIVITIES AND THEIR LIMITS FOR FOREIGN

INVESTMENT IN MEXICO (LIMITING LIST).

Economic Classifications. Economic activities are now classified into seven

categories (the 8th would be no limit on foreign investment). I call them: i.) New
areas of economic activity, ii.) Strategic state areas of activity, iii.) Areas reserved for
Mexicans, iv.) Areas of foreign investment up to 34%, v.) Areas of foreign investment
up to 40%, vi.) Areas of foreign investment up to 49%, and vii.) Areas of foreign
investment requiring the Commission's approval for up to 100% (opening new areas).

Within the 7th group there were originally 58 activities, amongst which were (a few
have been liberalized by the Commission over time): agricultural, cattle breeding ,
magazine and newspaper editing, housing and several types of construction activities,
water recycling plants, drilling of oil and water wells, educational and certain
professional services, legal and accounting counseling services, certain air
transportation services and administration of airports and heliports.

(There is a tendency to relax the controls, so if the reader is interested in a particular

activity and finds it listed as controlled in some manner, it might be worth checking
with the National Commission on Foreign Investment to verify whether there are new
rules lessening the controls on it.)
1. ACTIVITIES RESERVED FOR THE STATE (FEDERAL GOVERNMENT)
a: Petroleum and all other Hydrocarbons
b: Basic Petrochemical
c: Electricity
d: Generation of Nuclear Energy
e: Radioactive Minerals
f: Communications via Satellite
g: Telegraph
h: Radiotelegraphic
i: Mail
j: Railroad
k: Issuance of paper money
l: Making of metallic money
m: Control, supervision, and vigilance of Ports, Airports
and heliports
n: Those specifically foreseen in laws.
2. ACTIVITIES FOR MEXICAN INDIVIDUALS AND MEXICAN COMPANIES
THAT HAVE A FOREIGNER EXCLUSION CLAUSE (which may be incremented by
means of the neutral
investment foreseen under Title V of the Foreign Investment Law)
a: National land transport of passengers, tourism and freight (not including
messenger and packages services).
b: Retail sale of gasoline and distribution of liquid petroleum gas.
c: Services of Radio Broadcasting and other Radio and Television services, other
than cable television.
d: Credit Unions.
e: Development banking institutions (in the terms of the law that applies to that
area).
f: The rendering of professional and technical services that are expressly
identified in the
legal dispositions applicable.
3. ACTIVITIES WITH CERTAIN PERCENTAGE RESTRICTIONS FOR FOREIGN
INVESTMENT PARTICIPATION (IN THE ACTIVITY OR CORPORATE
CAPITAL OF THE COMPANY THAT PERFORMS THE ACTIVITY): (which
may be incremented by means of the neutral investment fore-
seen under Title V of the Foreign Investment Law).
FOREIGN INVESTMENT UP TO 10% IN:
a: Cooperative Production Companies.
FOREIGN INVESTMENT UP TO 25% IN:
a: National Air Transport.
b: Air Taxi Transport.
c: specialized Air Transport.
FOREIGN INVESTMENT UP TO 30%
a: Controlling Companies of Financial Groups.
b: Multiple Banking Credit Institutions.
c: Stock Brokerage Firms .
d: Stock Market Specialists.
4 . FOREIGN INVESTMENT UP TO 49%
a: Insurance Institutions.
b: Bonding Institutions.
c: Money Exchange Houses.
d: General Depository Warehouses.
e: Financial Lessors.
f: Financial Factoring Companies.
g: Financial Companies of limited scope (referred to in article 103, fraction iv of
the Credit Institutions Law).
h: Those companies referred to in article 12 bis of the Stock Market Law.
i: Stock representative of the fixed capital of investment companies and
operating companies of investment companies.
j: Fabrication and commercialization of explosives, fire arms, cartridges,
munitions and fireworks (not including
the acquisition and using of explosives for industrial and extractive activities
nor the elaboration of explosive mixtures
for consumption for said activities).
k: Printing and publication of periodicals exclusively for national circulation.
l: "T" series shares of stock of companies that hold (in ownership) agricultural,
ranching and forestry lands.
m: Cable television.
n: Basic telephonic services.
o: Fishing in fresh water, along the coast, and in the exclusive economic zone (not
including aqua culture).
p: Integral port administration.
q: Piloting services in ports for performance of interior
navigation by boats.
r: Navigating companies dedicated to the commercial exploitation of water
traveling vessels for interior naviga-
tion and pilotage (coasting trade), (not including touristic cruisers and
exploitation of dredgers and naval
artifacts for construction, conservation and port operation.
s: Services connected to the railroad sector, that consist in services to
passengers, maintenance and rehabilitation of
railways (tracks), easements, repair shops for tractive and pulling (dragging)
equipment, organization and commercial-
zation of unitary trains, operation of interior freight terminals railroad
telecommunications.
t: Providing of combustibles and lubricants to water traveling vessels, airplanes
and railroad equipment.
ACTIVITIES WHEREIN RESOLUTION IS REQUIRED FROM THE NATIONAL
COMMISSION ON FOREIGN INVESTMENT, IN ORDER THAN FOREIGN
INVESTMENT MAY EXCEED 49% (IN THE ACTIVITY OR CORPORATE
CAPITAL OF THE COMPANY THAT PERFORMS THE ACTIVITY''.
a: Port services...
b: Navigating services ...
c: Air terminal administration
d: Private Education ...
e: Legal services.
f: Credit Information services.
g; Institutions that qualify stock and similar.
h: Insurance agencies.
i: Cellular telephone services.
j: Duct (CHANNEL) construction for the transport of petroleum and derivatives.
k: Perforation of petroleum and gas wells.
5. ACTIVITIES WITH PERCENTAGE INCREMENTS PERMITTED IN THE
CORPORATE CAPITAL OF MEXICAN COMPANIES (FOR FOREIGN
INVESTMENT) OVER TIME.
I. INTERNATIONAL LAND TRANSPORT OF PASSENGERS, TOURISM AND
FREIGHTS, BETWEEN POINTS INSIDE MEXICO; AND THE ADMINIS-
TRATIVE SERVICES OF BUS STATIONS AND AUXILIARY SERVICES.

a: Through December 17, 1995 - 0% Foreign Investment.

b: From December 18, 1995 through December 31, 2000 - Up to 49%
Foreign Investment.
c: From January 1, 2001 through December 31, 2003 - Up to 51% Foreign
Investment.
d: From January 1, 2004 and thereafter, Up to 100% - Foreign Investment,
without prior requirement of
a favorable resolution from the National Commission on Foreign
Investment.
II. ACTIVITIES OF FABRICATION AND ASSEMBLY OF PARTS, EQUIP-
MENT AND ACCESSORIES FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY.
a: Through December 31, 1998 - Up to 49% Foreign Investment (Subject
to that set forth in the Decree
for the Development and Modernization of the Automotive Industry).
b: From January 1, 1999 and thereafter - Up to 100% Foreign Investment,
without prior requirement of
a favorable resolution from the National Commission on Foreign
Investment.
III. ACTIVITIES OF PROVIDING THE SERVICES OF VIDEOTEXT AND
COMMUTATION IN PACKAGE.
a: Through June 30, 1995 - Up to 49% Foreign Investment.
b: From July 1, 1995 and thereafter Up to 100%, without the prior
requirement of a favorable resolution from
the National Commission on Foreign Investment.
IV. EDIFICATION, CONSTRUCTION AND INSTALLATION JOBS
a: Through December 31, 1998 - Up to 49% Foreign Investment (with the
understanding that the %
may increase if prior favorable resolution from the National Commission
on Foreign Investment is
obtained) (Note: restriction take off before that date)
b: From January 1, 1999 and thereafter - Up to 100% without prior
requirement of a favorable resolution
from the National Commission on Foreign Investment.
6. IF NOT IN ANY OF THE PRECEDING CATEGORIES AND THE INVESTMENT
BY FOREIGN INTERESTS IS LESS THAT $85 MILLION PESOS (NEW PESOS),
THEY MAY PARTICIPATE AT WILL. IF THE INVESTMENT IS GREATER THAN
$85 MILLION NEW PESOS, THEN PERMIT IS REQUIRED FROM THE NATIONAL
ON FOREIGN INVESTMENT TO EXCEED 49% INTEREST.

(B). FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN REAL PROPERTY IN MEXICO.

1. INSIDE THE RESTRICTED ZONE .

Foreigners may not directly acquire ownership of real property in the Restricted Zone.
Foreigners may acquire qualified residential property in the Restricted Zone via the
long term irrevocable title transfer (Mexican) bank trust mechanism or via a Mexican
incorporated entity (subject to the limited of foreign investment per the company
activity see LISTINGS above ).

Foreigners may acquire qualified business property in the Restricted Zone via the
irrevocable long term title transfer (Mexican) bank trust or by direct title in the name
of their Mexican incorporated entity (subject to the limited of foreign investment per
the company activity see LISTINGS above ).

2. OUTSIDE THE RESTRICTED ZONE

Foreigners may directly acquire real property outside the Restricted Zone, provided
that it is qualified for private ownership and then only subject to the limitations of use,
means of holding and size permitted by law (see the Qualified information).

Real Estate Qualified for Foreign Investment. Is that which is not within those
limiting areas (physical location: Restricted Zone , Ejidos and similar Ejidos and
similar ) or used for those limiting activities (business/commerce see: Agrarian,
Ranching, Farming , Forest, and Limiting List ) restricted to Mexican Government
ownership or Mexican individuals sole ownership, and the ownership of which is
permitted by either 1. Direct title to the foreign individual, 2. via a
Mexican incorporated entity of one type or another (as may be required by specific
law) or via a long term irrevocable title transfer (Mexican) bank Trust, as the case
may be.

(C) TRUSTS

A mechanism was created by the Foreign Investment Law which permits 1.) the
foreigner to hold title indirectly (via long term irrevocable title transfer Mexican bank
trust) of real estate inside the Restricted Zone , which was not possible before, and 2.)
the foreigner the alternative of holding title to real estate outside the Restricted Zone
rather than directly.

The trust concept is also used to provide stock ownership to foreign investment, where
they could not go before (due to limitations of ownership in certain companies by
foreigners): i) A 20 year trust may be set up for specific activities reserved for
Mexican investors or where the foreign investment must otherwise stay at or below
49% ownership. This trust must be approved by the National Commission on Foreign
Investment, since it is to be for improving the financial or operational condition of the
company by influx of cash capital or capitalization of the company's liabilities. At the
end of the 20 years, the trust assets (the stock) is to be sold to qualifying investors (i.e.
Mexicans). ii) Neutral Investment Trusts may be set up by publicly traded Mexican
companies in Mexico, in order to acquire foreign capital through the public placing of
certificates representing it's stock (if they are offered in the U.S., they will most likely
be "ADR"s - American Depository Receipts).

(D) INCORPORATED ENTITIES

This law permits the foreigner a legal vehicle ( Incorporated Entities ) by means of
which to participate in those business activities that are restricted to less than 100% by
the Limiting List.

(E) "T" and "N" STOCK

The "T" stands for "Tierra" (Land) which indicates that the company was setup to
hold farming/ranching land and the foreigners may acquire ownership of this series of
stock (which Series does not exceed 49% of the total corporate ownership/capital.

The "N" stand for "Neutro/a" (Neutral) which indicates that this stock does not have
any voting rights but does have company ownership rights and dividend rights. This is
used when the company wants/needs further foreign capital investment but has
reached it's limit of foreign ownership of shares of stock per the Limiting List.

(F) NATIONAL REGISTRY OF FOREIGN INVESTMENT

The Foreign Investment Law foresees the existence of a National Registry of Foreign
Investment, wherein foreign investment in Mexico (in Mexican trusts and Mexican
incorporated entities) is registered. As well, foreigners ( foreign individuals and
foreign entities) are to also be registered at this Registry when they: 1. Acquire or
lease assets (for business) in Mexico; 2. They establish, open or operate a business,
branch or agency in Mexico; 3. Lease a business in Mexico; or acquire trust rights on
certain trusts (relative to business or business assets) in Mexico.

(G) CALVO CLAUSE

This is a conceptual waiver that the Mexican government uses in general terms
regarding foreigners that acquire rights in Mexico (like real estate) or that do business
in Mexico. It basically states that the foreigners will consider themselves as Mexican
nationals regarding the rights and obligations they acquire in Mexico and will not
request that their foreign government intervene upon their behalf in such matters.

The Federal Mexican government presently has agreement terms for foreigners that is
an extended version of the original Calvo Clause that it is using.
(H) RENTAL BY FOREIGNERS OF REAL ESTATE

Foreigners do not require a permit from the Ministry of Foreign Relations/Affairs of

Mexico to rent (obtain in rental) real property located inside or outside the Restricted
Zone for periods no greater than 10 years; nor for periods greater than 10 years
outside the Restricted Zone . However they do need this permit if the rental is for
more than 10 years and the rental property is located in the Restricted Zone.