SIA HG 2nde

Case Study: Mexico City

Unequal development in an emerging economy

Present-day Mexico

Present-day Mexico City

Sources: https://geology.com/world/mexico-satellite-image.shtml/
https://www.123rf.com/photo_140828318_vector-map-of-mexico-city-with-neighbouring-districts-and-location-on-mexican-map.
html
 Map of Mexico City 1580

Mexico regia et celebris Hispaniæ novae civitas

(Mexico, the royal and famous city of the new Spain)

Source: https://econtent.unm.edu/digital/collection/histmaps/id/15
 Historical information:

- 1325: Probable foundation (date given by Aztec Codex - plural: Codices) of the lake city
around the island of Tenochtitlan by the Aztecs (Mexicas).
- 1521: Foundation of Mexico City (Ciudad de México) on the ruins of the Aztec city by H.
Cortes.
- 1824: Independence of Mexico. The Federal District of Mexico City (not to be confused
with the State of Mexico) becomes the political capital of a federal republic.
- 1929: Suppression and absorption of all the municipalities of Mexico City by the Federal
District to ensure political control of the capital by the Central State.
- 1987: 1st Statute of the Government (Estatuto de Gobierno) of the Federal District: this
statute provides for greater autonomy for the DF (reinforced autonomy in 1993).
- 1997: Election of the first mayor of Mexico City to head a Federal District government
and representatives of a unicameral Legislative Assembly.

What historical actions show the emergence of inequalities?

Key figures in 2021:

Population: 21,782,000
HDI: 0,837 (very high)

Income range:

Lowest average income: USD 550/month

Highest average income: USD 10,000/month
Average income : USD 1,150/month

How do current figures demonstrate inequalities?

Doc.1: Inequalities within the city

https://thecityfix.com/blog/map-month-mobility-health-education-inequality-mexico-city-spatia
l-problem-mauricio-brito-lorelei-ramirez-reyes-jorge-macias-eric-mackres/

In which areas do we see inequalities? How great are the disparities? Why should they be a
cause for concern?
Doc. 2: The historical center: Zocalo

Doc. 3: The CBD: Paseo de la Reforma

Doc. 4: Slums in Mexico City: Neza Chalco Itza

Sources : istockphoto.com /wheresthegringo.com

Doc. 5: Spatial inequality in Mexico City

Sources : businessinsider.com / huffpost.com

How do documents 2 - 5 demonstrate both EMERGENCE and INEQUALITY?

Other more recent historical developments:

- 1960: Development of the southern districts of the city around the Périsur shopping
center, the university and the Olympic site (built for the 1968 Olympics). The
agglomeration of the Federal District of Mexico City is overflowing into the neighboring
state of Mexico.
- 1978-1981: breakthroughs on 98 kilometers of 19 "ejes viales" (main roads) in the central
city.
- 1990: Construction of the city's business district, affluent residential area and the largest
shopping mall in the city of Santa Fe.
- 2002: abandonment of the project to build a second airport.
- 2003: DF program "el Bando 2": policy of densification of the central areas of the city.
(Cuauhtémoc, Benito Juárez, Miguel Hidalgo and Venustiano Carranza) and supervision
of residential construction in the outlying delegations.
- 2005: construction of 25 kilometers of roadway at the upper level of the western ring
road.
Doc. 6: Mexico City: History of Urban Sprawl

Sources : geo-mexico.com / lewebpedagogique.com

 Doc. 7: Mexico City Urban Sprawl

Source : istockphoto.com

Doc. 8: Expansion of Mexico City since 1900

Early 1940 1950 1960 1980 2000 2010 2020

20th C.

Area KM² 27 117 220 470 1050 1540 1600 3770

Pop. 0,35 1,8 3 5 12 18,2 20 22

(millions)

Describe the evolution of the Mexico City urban area and the challenges it presents (docs.
6-8)
Doc. 9: Spatial distribution in Mexico City

Source: hungrycities.net

How does the map show the complexity of spatial distribution in Mexico City ?
Doc. 10: “In Mexico, concrete and poverty advance together”

“Esperanza and her children have just finished painting their little house in a beautiful
shimmering purple, which puts a touch of cheerfulness in the middle of the shantytown.
"Here, the horizon changes every day: the city keeps moving forward," she says, pointing
to the anarchic concrete and sheet metal constructions that grow in her neighborhood.
Esperanza and his family live on the heights of Mexico City, just on the edge of the
megalopolis. Like those arriving today, they left the countryside in the hope of a better life.
Nibbling the hills, cinder block after cinder block. In the beginning it was very hard," says
the former peasant woman who became a cleaning lady. We rented a small, expensive
shanty, without toilets, without a bathroom. But we ended up buying this land and building,
thanks to the money my husband sends us from California. "Like millions of Mexicans, her
husband managed, despite the border guards, to immigrate illegally to the United States,
where he has been working since (...). "I haven't seen him for years," she smiles, a little
bitterly (...). Everywhere, at crossroads, in the subway, on every sidewalk in the city center,
the former peasants, most of them Indians, survive as best they can by selling everything
and anything individually: raffle tickets, lighters, pens, pirated CDs, flowers... Others play
fake cabs. (...) Carlos, a puppeteer, is worried about the increase in the number of children
working on the streets: "These poor kids sell candy and wash windshields. (...) Carlos and
his wife are finishing building their small but beautiful house, with its large wooden balcony
and terrace. They confess to having built it without a building permit: "When a land registry
official comes by, all you have to do is give him a small bribe," laughs the couple. The
construction frenzy gives a bit of work to the new peasants who come to town. Then the
authorities turn a blind eye. Here, everyone is doing as well as they can.”

Cédric GOUVERNEUR. Ouest-France of 20/04/2004

What urban phenomenon is described in this article ? Provide quotes to support your
answer.

What allows this phenomenon to continue to exist ? Provide one quote to support your
answer.

How does this text show inequalities that exist at local and regional levels ?