music|array

These videos in no way represent the entire spectrum of music variety but it may give glimpse on some of the types, lyrics, instruments, culture, attires, and other aspects that are found playing throughout Mexico City. Please enjoy and if you have other recommendations, please do not hesitate in posting.

socioeconomy|class

I found an earlier post somewhere on the web talking about real estate and indicating where classes exist, and then I coupled the information with another blog that breaks the activities of the city into the type of setting (i.e. urban, rural, or industrial). TA DAH! The information presented in the first map shows succinctly that the industrial zone is to the north of the city, while the urban center focuses around the historical, tourist, and business centers of the city. The South of the city is mostly rural with some settlements that are no more than shanty towns at times.
At the same time, the urban center is characterized for its shopping, its couture, its gastronomy, and high-end retail. This area is where the middle class and high class of the city mostly reside. However, it is important to mention that some areas are poorly illuminated resulting in unsecured places at night. The lower class of the city resides to the south towards the more rural areas. The south of the city plays an interesting role because the calm, less chaotic, and less crime-ridden environment has started to appeal to wealthier citizens who want to escape the city to more tranquil spaces.

culture|crime

The first map illustrates museum and university locations in Mexico City. Both of these places or points of interest are equally the places with the highest tourism and visitor locations. The museum and university locations are identified for having rich culture, art, high couture and eating. Equally important, the second map demonstrates crime zones allocated to Mexico City, which are locations that overlap the museum and university districts.
As note, the south of Mexico City has lower levels of delinquency, and respectively, does not reflect the same number of museums or universities in those locations. Primarily, people living in the border of the city will commute, at times, up to 4 hours on a trip to the center to the city. Locals claim, “You need a passport to get out there!”

subway|system

The first map illustrates the subway systems that exist in North America, where one can identify that all the systems follow a hub-spoke relay while Mexico City and New York use a network system. In these two cities, large infrastructure problems and high-operational costs ensue because of the design of its system, while at the same time it makes it rely heavily on other transportation systems

site|analysis

Mexico City is a political entity divided into districts with a mountain system to the south and north with a valley in the middle. Rivers permeate the north while underwater sources and basins exist in the south under the mountains. The south is more humid given the number of evergreen forests that exist in the mountains and becomes drier as one travels north.

|Climate Map
|Hydrography Map
|Topography Map

25 year|quake

Mexico City remembers today 25 years after the tragic earthquake that shocked a nation. The earthquake was forefront to a state of anxiety where the citizens of the city demanded health and relief services from the established government that they did not received. This led the city to turnover the government to one that could deliver the services and needs that they wanted. This in effect was one of the events that clearly defined a new stage in the of mexico city.

Hello world!

The following is an intro video that I found while researching on what makes one of the largest cities in the world transform and become a place for architecture, arts, culture, and traditions. This video presents snapshots of a city filled with life and wonder for visitors and inhabitants alike.

MÉXICO, de mar a mar te viví, traspasado
por tu férreo color, trepando montes
sobre los que aparecen monasterios
llenos de espinas,
el ruido venenoso
de la ciudad, los dientes solapados
del pululante poetiso, y sobre
las hojas de los muertos y las gradas
que construyó el silencio irreductible,
como muñones de un amor leproso,
el esplendor mojado de las ruinas.

Pablo Neruda, Mexico (1940)