Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City

Cuauhtémoc is one of the boroughs of Mexico City. It is named after Cuauhtémoc, a leader from the 1500s who fought to protect the Aztec people. This area includes the oldest parts of Mexico City and was the whole city center in the 1920s.

Even though it does not have the most people, Cuauhtémoc is very important for the city's economy. About a third of all the work and business in Mexico City happens here. You can find many famous places here, like the Mexican Stock Exchange, the historic center with old buildings, and the busy shopping area called Zona Rosa. There are also tall buildings such as the Torre Mayor and offices for big companies.

Some parts of Cuauhtémoc have had trouble keeping up with growth, but many groups have worked since the 1990s to make the area better. These efforts have helped create nice parks, like the Alameda Central, and made some streets better for walking without cars.

Description

Cuauhtémoc is centered on the Zócalo or main square, which contains the Aztec ruins of the Templo Mayor, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the National Palace of Mexico. The borough covers 32.44 km², divided into 34 colonias, 2,627 city blocks, and many green areas, historic buildings, and cultural sites.

The area has many sports facilities, schools, and cultural centers. Because it is the oldest part of Mexico City, some buildings are in danger due to sinking into muddy soil. Many people visit Cuauhtémoc each day to work, shop, or see the historic sites, which causes busy traffic.

Demographics

Cuauhtémoc is very important for work and tourism, but it has fewer residents than other areas of the city. Most people living here work in services or commerce.

Government

The borough was established on December 30, 1970. Its government is now led by a mayor.

Colonias

These are the colonias and neighborhoods in Cuauhtémoc:

Colonia Centro • Colonia Doctores • Colonia Obrera • Tepito • Colonia Algarín • Colonia Ampliación Asturias • Colonia Asturias • Colonia Atlampa • Colonia Buenavista • Colonia Buenos Aires • Centro Urbano Benito Juárez • Colonia Condesa • Colonia Cuauhtémoc • Colonia Esperanza • Colonia Exhipódromo de Peralvillo • Colonia Felipe Pescador • Colonia Guerrero • Colonia Hipódromo • Colonia Hipódromo Condesa • Colonia Juárez • Colonia Maza • Colonia Morelos • Colonia Paulino Navarro • Colonia Peralvillo • Colonia Roma • Colonia San Rafael • Colonia San Simón Tolnahuac • Colonia Santa María Insurgentes • Colonia Santa María la Ribera • Unidad Habitacional Nonoalco-Tlatelolco • Colonia Tabacalera • Colonia Tránsito • Colonia Valle Gómez • Colonia Vista Alegre • Zona Rosa

History

Main article: Tenochtitlan § History

The history of Cuauhtémoc begins with the ancient Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, which was built on a marshy island in Lake Texcoco. This city was divided into four neighborhoods, with the important Templo Mayor temple at its center. Today, the ruins of this temple are very close to the main square, called the Zocalo.

When the Spanish arrived in 1521, they conquered Tenochtitlan and built a new city over the old one. They kept the city's layout but replaced Aztec buildings with European-style ones. Important buildings like the cathedral and the National Palace were built on the sites of old Aztec temples and palaces. Over time, the city grew with many mansions, churches, and public buildings, earning the nickname "City of Palaces."

After Mexico won its independence in 1824, Mexico City became the country's capital. In 1928, the growing city was divided into boroughs, and the historic center became the Cuauhtémoc borough. In 1985, a big earthquake caused many buildings to collapse, especially in the historic center and nearby areas. Efforts to renew the area began in the late 1990s, with money spent on fixing old buildings and improving streets. Today, the area is safer and more attractive to visitors, though some problems remain.

Economy

Cuauhtémoc plays a big role in Mexico City's economy. It creates over a third of the city's total money and has the seventh-largest economy in all of Mexico. Most jobs here come from selling things and providing services. The area has many important government offices, especially in parts called Colonia Tabacalera and Colonia Doctores.

One of the busiest streets, Paseo de la Reforma, is very modern with tall buildings like Torre Reforma and Torre Mayor. It has offices, homes, and even Mexico's stock market. Traditional markets are also important, like La Lagunilla Market, where many people buy food, shoes, and everyday items. Tourism is big here too, with famous spots like the historic center and Zona Rosa attracting many visitors. The area also has many hotels and important government buildings.

Transportation

The borough has many roads, with 14 million meters of streets and 314 main intersections. Most of these streets are for residents, but there are also three expressways and special roads called ejes viales to help traffic move through the city center.

The three most important roads are the Circuito Interior, Viaducto Miguel Alemán, and San Antonio Abad. The Circuito Interior is a circular road that goes around the city and is very important for traffic. The ejes viales were built in the 1980s to make it easier for cars to travel in Mexico City. The largest of these is the Eje Central, which splits the historic center in half. Because so many people visit this area, up to 800,000 vehicles use these streets each day, which can cause traffic jams.

A popular way to get around the historic center is by bicitaxi, a type of bike taxi.

The borough has many Metro lines, including Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 5, Line 8, Line 9, and Line B. There are also trolleybus lines, Metrobus Lines 1 and 3, and many bus routes. The Tren Suburbano commuter railway starts in Colonia Buenavista and goes north to Cuautitlán in the State of Mexico.

Chapultepec Sevilla Insurgentes Cuauhtémoc Balderas Salto del Agua Isabel La Católica Pino Suárez

San Cosme Revolución Hidalgo Bellas Artes Allende Zócalo San Antonio Abad Chabacano

Tlatelolco Guerrero Juárez Niños Héroes Hospital General Centro Médico Misterios Garibaldi / Lagunilla

San Juan de Letrán Doctores Obrera Patriotismo Chilpancingo Lázaro Cárdenas Tepito Lagunilla Buenavista

Circuito San Simón Manuel González Buenavista El Chopo Revolución Plaza de la República Reforma (connected through both Reforma and París ) Hamburgo Glorieta de los Insurgentes Durango Álvaro Obregón Sonora Campeche Chilpancingo Nuevo León Viaducto

De La Salle Tolnáhuac Tlatelolco Ricardo Flores Magón Guerrero Mina Hidalgo El Caballito (connected through Hidalgo ) Juárez Balderas Cuauhtémoc Jardín Pushkin Hospital General Dr. Márquez Centro Médico Delegación Cuauhtémoc Puente de Alvarado

Museo San Carlos Bellas Artes Teatro Blanquita República de Chile República de Argentina Mercado Abelardo L. Rodríguez Mixcalco Plaza de la República Glorieta de Colón Expo Reforma República de Argentina Mercado Abelardo L. Rodríguez Plaza de la República Glorieta de Colón Expo Reforma Vocacional 5 Plaza San Juan

Eje Central El Salvador Isabel la Católica Museo de la Ciudad Pino Suárez Las Cruces Norte Las Cruces Sur Mercado Ampudia Chapultepec La Diana El Ángel La Palma Glorieta Violeta Garibaldi Glorieta Cuitláhuac Tres Culturas Mercado Beethoven Misterios

Education

In the 2007–2008 school year, the Cuauhtémoc area had 22,651 students in grades from kindergarten through high school. This was about 6.36% of all the students in Mexico City. Most students, around 70.64%, went to public schools, while about 29.14% went to private schools.

There were many schools, including 264 preschools, 116 middle schools, 102 high schools, and 13 teachers’ colleges. The area had the fewest people who cannot read or write and the most students who finished primary and middle school. This is partly because there were more private schools, which often help students succeed. The rate of students leaving school early was also lower than usual, at 7.54%.

In 2009, about 1,737 students received extra help in school, which was 4.66% of all students who needed this help in Mexico City. Almost all of these students got help from public schools. However, there were not many places for adults to learn, especially those who did not speak Spanish well or had not finished school. This was difficult because many people from rural areas of Mexico moved to the city.

Some well-known private schools include:

• Plantel Azahares of the Sistema Educativo Justo Sierra
• Colegio Amado Nervo in Colonia Roma Sur
• Colegio Liceo Mexicano, a private elementary school (Colonia Roma)

Climate

The climate of Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City, is typical for the area. It experiences warm temperatures and a mix of dry and wet seasons. This climate supports the growth of various plants and helps shape the way people live in the region.

International relations

The U.S. Embassy, the British Embassy, and the Japanese Embassy are located in Colonia Cuauhtémoc, Cuauhtémoc.

Cuauhtémoc has a sister borough relationship with Seocho in South Korea, which began in 2020.