Mexico City or Mexico D.F. is the capital of Mexico. It is the largest and most important city of the country. The city is located in a high valley that is 7525 feet (2294 meters) above sea level. It is one of the most populous cities of the world with around 19.2 millions inhabitants. It is also the oldest and highest city of North America.
The city is divided in 16 boroughs, which are composed by many colonias (neighborhoods). The most famous colonias are: Roma (a beautiful an older neighborhood), Polanco (the commercial an economical center of the city), Tepito (full of flea markets) and of course the Historic center, the oldest and most famous zone of the city, which has been declared World Heritage by UNESCO.
The city has also many landmarks and cultural sites such as the floating Gardens of “Xochimilco”, la “Plaza de la Constitución”, also known as the “Zocalo”, la “Avenida de los Insurgentes” , the famous “Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe”, the National Museum of Anthropology, the National Autonomus University of Mexico, etc. Besides, near the city are some of the main pre-Colombian archeological centers of the country like the famous complex of Teotihuacan which is considered one of the Wonders made by man.
Mexico City’s climate is quite temperate with average temperatures between 12ºC (53ºF) and 16ºC (60ºF). Nevertheless, in summer temperatures can reach until 32ºC (90ºF); most rainfalls occurs usually in summer too.
The history of the city began in 1325 when the Aztec tribe founded the city of Tenochtitlan which was the capital of the Aztec Empire. The ancient Tenochtitlan was located in middle of an island in the Texcoco Lake. The Aztecs built an intricate net of artificial islands and canals which allowed the growth of the city. Tenochtitlan was during two centuries the main center of power of Mesoamerica.
In 1519, Spaniards led by Hernán Cortés arrived to Mexico and on August 13, 1521 the invaders took Tenochtitlan and destroyed it. Three years later the Spaniards reconstructed part of the city and founded the current Mexico City as the capital of the colonial viceroyalty of New Spain. The city became the main center of the Spanish colonial power in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean during three centuries.
In 1824 after the Mexican War of Independence, it was established the Mexican Federal District inspired in the United States’s constitution. Thus, Mexico City became the capital of the new Republic of Mexico.
After the invasion of the country by the army of United States, the country lost a great part of its territory, which became part of United States. In 1864 the city as well as the country was ruled by a monarchy headed by the Emperor Maximilian I and his wife.
During this short period (3 years); several urban plans were executed to make Mexico DF resembling the European capitals, such as the reconstructions of the Chapultepec Castle or the construction of replicas of the Champs-Élysées.
At the beginning of the XX century many monuments and landmarks were built in the city like the “Angel of Independence”, the “Paseo de la Reforma” or the “Palacio de Bellas Artes”.
After the Mexican Revolution the “DF” received a great influx of immigrants , which continued during all XX century, this constant flow of people from the fields and other small cities to the capital, is the main reason of the impressive demographic growing of Mexico City (3 millions inhabitants in 1950 – 18 millions inhabitants in 2000).
Now, Mexico D.F. is the most important politic and industrial center of the country and one of the most important cultural and economical centers of Latin America.
The greatest transnationals of the world have headquarters in the city; therefore Mexico DF has some of the largest and most impressive skyscrapers of Latin America. It is the eighth- richest urban zone of the World and the richest of Latin America, producing the 21.8% of the national GDP. Nevertheless, 15% of the city’s populations live still in poverty.
Unfortunately is also one of the cities most contaminated of the world; since there are around 50 000 industries and 4 millions vehicles which cause a really great pollution. Therefore, the local authorities have started several programs to solve this critical ecological problem.
Like most big cities of the world Mexico DF has also a high rate of crime, but the fame of the city as a violent town is a little exaggerated. You must only take extreme precautions in the dangerous zones of the city.
Mexico DF is also a paradise for the sport lovers, being the football (soccer) the main sport of the country. Nevertheless, there are a great variety of sports that are played professionally in the city such as baseball, basketball, auto racing, wrestling, hockey, horse race,etc.
The city has been seat of two FIFA World Cups (1970 and 1986) and Olympics Games (1968); therefore has one of the best sporting infrastructures of the world. It highlights the Azteca Stadium, which is one of the largest stadiums of the Planet with capacity for around 100 000 people.
Mexico DF has also a good transportation service composed mainly by the Metro and the local bus service. This city offers every thing that you can desire, excellent restaurants and hotels, an intensive cultural life and a nightlife that is amongst the best of the world. It is a nice destination to visit.