Iztapalapa

Iztapalapa (pronunciation, 'losas sobre el agua' in nahuatl) is one of the 16 territorial demarcations of Mexico City (Mexico). It has a surface greater than 116 km2 and is located in the east of the capital of the Mexican Republic, occupying the southern portion of the glass of the Lake Texcoco. In the population and housing census conducted by INEGI in 2020, a population of 1 835 486 inhabitants, which makes it the second most populous demarcation of the whole country, below Tijuana.

The name of this demarcation is due to the ancient city of Iztapalapan, which means “on the earthenware in the water”, founded by the Culhuas between the northern slope of Cerro de la Estrella and the shores of Lake Texcoco. The oldest known evidence of human presence in Iztapalapa is the so-called Man from Aztahuacán, who is believed to be 9,400 years old. Throughout pre-Columbian history, the Iztapalapa territory experienced the development of various sedentary communities dedicated to agriculture. During the Mesoamerican Classic period (3rd||s}}-VII century AD), a town of Teotihuacan culture in the north of Cerro de la Estrella. Culhuacán, a town founded in the 7th century, received a part of the diaspora that began with the decline of Teotihuacán. During the following centuries, Culhuacán was one of the most important altepetl in the Valley of Mexico, it had a very prominent role in the development of the Toltec culture and its ruling house gave Mexico-Tenochtitlan its first tlatoani. At the time of the Conquest, Iztapalapa was governed by Cuitláhuac, brother of Moctezuma Xocoyotzin. Upon his death, Cuitláhuac assumed command of the Mexicas and managed to defeat the Spanish on the Sad Night. After the defeat of Mexico-Tenochtitlan, the old Iztapalapa was destroyed. With the independence of Mexico, Iztapalapa became one of the municipalities of the State of Mexico until the creation of the Federal District in 1824.

Compared to the rest of Mexico City, Iztapalapa presents less favorable socioeconomic indicators. Although it is home to a fifth of the capital's residents, its participation in the economy is much less. The services sector constitutes the most important component of its GDP, and a significant number of its inhabitants must move outside the demarcation to find work. Urban infrastructure and services are less developed or deficient, particularly in the case of drinking water distribution, one of the most important challenges for local governments. In general terms, the mayor's office has a high human development, but there are many contrasts inside. The marginalization of the neighborhoods in the western zone is much lower compared to the popular neighborhoods of the Sierra de Santa Catarina.

Like other outlying areas of the Mexican capital, Iztapalapa received waves of immigrants from the rest of the country, including downtown Mexico City. This situation was accentuated in the 1960s with the country's economic boom and in the 1980s after the 1985 earthquake. The newcomers settled on land that had been dedicated to cultivation until then, including the chinampas of their native towns.. In the new popular neighborhoods an important phenomenon of civil organization occurred, very notable in the case of the colonies of the Sierra de Santa Catarina and the south of San Lorenzo Tezonco.

The name of the demarcation is due to its head. Iztapalapa is a place name of Nahuatl origin. Derived from the words iztapal-li 'cobble, carved stone', ā-tl 'water', and - pa(n) 'over'. Therefore, it translates as 'Cobblestone on the water'. Montemayor et al. believe that the place name can be translated as 'Place where the waters are crossed', from the words ixtlápal 'traversed', ā-tl 'water' and -pan 'locative.'

The emblem of the Iztapalapa demarcation is the glyph that appears in some manuscripts from the first years after the conquest of Mexico, made by Nahua Indians. This glyph and its variations represent a stone surrounded by water. In some versions the slab becomes the Nahuatl glyph tépetl, whose point is curved downwards and from which water flows. During the second half of the 1980s, the emblem of the local government was replaced by the image of Cuitláhuac, the former lord of Iztapallapan who led the Mexicas in their confrontation against the Spanish on June 30, 1520 and was later invested as tlatoani. from Mexico-Tenochtitlan. Starting in 1988, it was again used

Geography

Limits

Iztapalapa is located to the east of Mexico City. With an area of 117.5 km², it occupies the fourth place among the capital demarcations for its extension. It limits to the north with Iztacalco, to the west with Benito Juárez and Coyoacán; to the southwest with Xochimilco and to the south with Tláhuac; to the east with the Mexican municipalities of La Paz and Valle de Chalco Solidaridad, and to the northeast with Nezahualcóyotl, also in the state of Mexico. The boundaries of the term of Iztapalapa are defined by the Organic Law of the Public Administration of the Federal District, where the following polygonal is described:

Towards the north of the street

Relief

View of the Sierra de Santa Catarina from the hill of the Star. From right to left are the Yuhualixqui, Xaltepec, Tetecon, Tecuauhtzin and Guadalupe volcanoes.

Most of the surface of Iztapalapa is flat and corresponds to the lake plains of the Texcoco lakes, which occupies the northern half of the delegation; and Xochimilco, which corresponds to the southern part. The average altitude is 2,240 meters above sea level (m a.s.l.). The center of the territory corresponds to what was the Iztapalapa peninsula, an inlet made up of the main orographic eminences of the territory and the alluvial plain. Cerro de la Estrella is one of the most representative landmarks of Iztapalapa for historical and cultural reasons. It is located in the center west of the district, south of the Eight Neighborhoods of Iztapalapa. Cerro de la Estrella —called Huizachtécatl in pre-Hispanic times— is a Hawaiian-type volcano, now extinct, that reaches a height of 2,460 m s. no. m. It is made up mainly of andesite and has numerous caves.

To the east of Cerro de la Estrella is the Sierra de Santa Catarina. This chain is a group of extinct stratovolcanoes, younger than Huizachtécatl, whose altitude grows towards the east. The hill Yuhualixqui, Tezonchichila or de las Minas (2420 m.a.s.l.); the Xaltepec volcano (2500 meters above sea level); Tetecón hill (2480 m.a.s.l.); the Tecuauhtzin or San Nicolás volcano (2640 m above sea level); the Guadalupe, Santa Catarina or del Borrego volcano (2820 m.a.s.l.) —the summit of this volcano is the highest point of Iztapalapa—; and the La Caldera volcano, which is located in the territory of Ixtapaluca (Mexico state). The Sierra de Santa Catarina forms the border between Iztapalapa and Tláhuac, its neighbor to the south.

In the northwest of the territory is the Peñón del Marqués or Peñón Viejo hill, which was an island within Lake Texcoco. This eminence reaches an altitude of 2400 m s. no. m. Due to its physical characteristics, the Peñón del Marqués is a threat to the safety of the inhabitants of the vicinity, since the rains frequently cause mudslides and rocks.

Physiography and geology

The territory of Iztapalapa is located in the Lagos y Volcanes del Anáhuac subprovince, in the physiographic province of the Neovolcanic Axis. It is formed by three systems of mole forms of the lacustrine plain, which cover almost 96%, while the rest corresponds to a basalt ridge system located on the Guadalupe volcano.

Geologically, most of its surface corresponds to lithological units that appeared in the Quaternary period. In the Sierra de Santa Catarina, the predominant lithological unit is the basic volcanic breccia, which represents more than 23% of the area of the delegation. Basalt is found on the slopes of the Tecuauhtzin and Guadalupe volcanoes, corresponding to just over 1% of the territory. In the case of the Peñón Viejo, the volcanic breccia also predominates. Cerro de la Estrella presents a more complex configuration, which combines the Quaternary volcanic breccia with a basic tuff zone from the older Tertiary period; This region corresponds to only 5.56% of the Iztapalapense term.

The Quaternary lake floor is the predominant lithological unit in Iztapalapa. It corresponds to almost 60% of the delegation, and is located in the northern half and the plain between the Cerro de la Estrella and the Sierra de Santa Catarina. The alluvial soil is found around the Cerro de la Estrella and in the foothills of the Yuhualixqui and Xaltepec volcanoes, occupying almost 10% of the Iztapalapense term.

The volcanic aquifers of Iztapalapa have been intensively exploited to supply water to the inhabitants of the Valley of Mexico. This has generated a large number of fractures in its territory. The problems derived from the differential subsidence of the surface were already visible since the 1980s, with the displacements of land in the Peñón Viejo and the aquitard that surrounds it. Between 1960 and 1998, some points of the Peñón Viejo aquifer plummeted up to six and eight meters. The surface is fractured both in the volcanic aquifer and in the lacustrine aquitard. In 2007, the rains softened the soil of San Lorenzo Tezonco, at the foot of the Sierra de Santa Catarina, causing a 15-meter-deep crack in the urban area. that caused the death of one person. From that moment, new cracks began to open in other parts of the southeast of the populous demarcation, putting thousands of people living in affected areas at risk

This situation has directly impacted the quality of life of the inhabitants of this eastern area. Due to this, an incipient exodus is observed towards areas outside the demarcation that present less risk. Schools, markets, houses, housing units, even important communication routes have been seriously damaged in their structures. One of them for example; The I. Zaragoza road, which constitutes one of the main accesses to Mexico City, shows a severe differential subsidence, which entails a latent danger for the thousands of people who daily use the means of transport that circulate on this road.

Hydrography

View of the National Canal at the height of the Toro Bridge in San Andrés Tomatlán. It is the last visible trace of the lacustre environment of Iztapalapa.

Iztapalapa is located within the hydrological region of the Pánuco River. It forms part of the Texcoco-Zumpango sub-basin, which was artificially linked in the XVII century to the Moctezuma River basin through of a canal whose purpose was to drain the Anahuac Valley into the Tula River, to avoid the frequent floods that affected Mexico City. The lake drainage works have continued from colonial times to the present, without achieving the purpose of putting an end to flooding in the megalopolis of the Valley of Mexico.

The northern half of Iztapalapa corresponds to what was the southern half of Lake Texcoco. It is a completely dry plain, with great salinity. To the south of the Iztapalapa peninsula was the Xochimilco lake, of which only a few channels remain between the chinampas of the Xochimilquenses and Tlahuaquenses towns, as well as the Chalco and Nacional channels that constitute the southwestern limit of Iztapalapa. Other towns on the shores of the lakes, the iztapalapenses also had chinampería, but these areas were lost when the La Viga canal was blocked and the Churubusco river was tubed to build the Interior Circuit on its bed.

The Churubusco River crosses through the mayor's office and, when it joins with the La Piedad River (both currently intubated), forms the Unido River. It is also crossed by the National Canal, currently a part uncovered and another converted into Calzada La Viga.

Climate

According to the Inegi Climate Charter, 82.42% of Iztapalapa has a temperate sub-humid climate, with summer rains. The rest of the territory has a temperate semi-dry climate. The average annual temperature (calculated based on an observation of 30 years) is 16.6 °C, being warmer in the month of June, when it reaches 19 °C, and the lowest in January, with 13.1 °C. The average annual precipitation is 616.8 mm, with greater rainfall during the summer months.

Average weather parameters of the Morelos 77 weather station 19°22′00′N 99°05′00′′O / 19.36667, -99.08333
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Average temperature (°C)	23.6	25.2	27.0	28.4	26.8	26.1	23.3	24.1	23.5	24.3	23.6	22.7	24.9
Average temperature (°C)	13.8	15.1	16.9	18.6	19.1	19.1	17.8	18.1	17.1	17.1	15.4	14.3	16.9
Temp. medium (°C)	3.9	5.4	7.2	9.3	11.4	12.2	12.4	12.0	12.0	9.8	7.2	5.9	9.1
Total precipitation (mm)	7.6	6.6	8.2	21.0	53.0	112.7	124.7	107.3	95.8	53.7	18.2	10.6	619.4
Days of precipitation (≥ 1)	1.5	1.9	2.5	5.4	9.7	14.0	17.8	16.2	13.3	7.2	3.2	1.6	94.3
Source: FSN, 2011.

Biome

The native ecosystems of the Valley of Mexico disappeared with the expansion of the urban area of Mexico City (which currently occupies more than 90% of the territory of Iztapalapa). The summits of Cerro de la Estrella and Sierra de Santa Catarina were only declared conservation areas when their deterioration was very evident. Both ecological reserves have been reforested with trees that are not native to the area, such as eucalyptus or casuarinas. These tree species have also been used to plant trees in the few green spaces available to the delegation, to the detriment of other kinds of trees that were more deeply rooted in the region, such as the pine and the pirul, the latter introduced by the Spanish in the 16th century. The original fauna has completely disappeared, except in some areas of Cerro de la Estrella, where it is still possible to find some species of bats, rodents and snakes; however, those that still survive are hummingbirds (huitzitzilin which means 'thorn' in Nahuatl, due to the pointed shape of their beak and the shape of their body), or Also called chupamirtos, of the 500 species that live in the American continent, 50 belong to Mexico and four different ones inhabit the Iztapalapa demarcation.

Elevations of Iztapalapa
Name	Altitude (m s. n. m.)	Coordinates	Physical map of the Iztapalapa City Hall
Volcano Guadalupe	2820	19°20′00′N 99°00′′′O / 19.33333, -99.00000
Volcano Tecuauhtzin	2640	19°19′00′N 99°01′00′′O / 19.31667, -99.01667
Xaltepec volcano	2500	19°19′00′N 99°02′00′′O / 19.31667, -99.03333
Cerro Tetecón	2470	19°19′00′N 99°01′00′′O / 19.31667, -99.01667
Cerro de la Estrella	2460	19°21′00′′N 99°05′00′′O / 19.35000, -99.08333
Yuhualixqui Volcano	2420	19°19′00′N 99°03′00′′O / 19.31667, -99.05000
Cerro Peñón del Marqués	2400	19°23′00′′N 99°02′00′′ / 19.38333, -99.03333
Source: Inegi (2008). Iztapalapa. Statistical delegation.

History

Pre-Hispanic period

The history of human societies in Iztapalapa goes back several thousand years in the past. The position of the territory between the lakes of the Valley of Mexico must have attracted the human groups that lived in the region, subsisting on the basis of foraging, hunting and the exploitation of lake goods. The oldest documented human presence in the Iztapalapa territory corresponds to the Aztahuacan fossils, three Pleistocene skeletons whose remains were found in Santa María Aztahuacan in 1953. The remains were studied by the Zaragoza Faculty of Higher Studies of the UNAM and the National Institute of Anthropology and History, institutions that attributed an age of ±9,000 years before the present. Later studies dated them again at ±10,300 years e. c. Several millennia passed before agriculture developed in Mesoamerica, a fact that allowed sedentarization at the beginning of the Early Preclassic (XXV-XV c. BC).

There is evidence that the present territory of Iztapalapa was occupied by several agricultural villages throughout the thirty centuries of Mesoamerican history. Archaeological materials have been discovered in the vicinity of the oldest communities in the mayor's office and in other sites that, such as San Miguel Teotongo, were repopulated as a result of the urbanization of the Valley of Mexico. In general, the archaeological sites of Iztapalapa have not been exhaustively studied, although extensive information is available on Cerro de la Estrella, Culhuacán and Iztapalapa. Some of the codices that include news from Iztapalapa are the Ramírez Codex, which tells of the flight of the Mexicas from Culhuacán, since they had remained there as slaves, first settling in Iztapalapa and then in Mexicaltzingo. Authors such as Charles E. Dibble and Fray Diego Durán agree with the Ramírez codex that Iztapalapa served as an establishment on its way to Mexicaltzingo.

Hill of the Star

Due to its location between the Xochimilco and Texcoco lakes, the hill of the Star or Huizachtécatl was the settlement of some villages in pre-Columbian times. It has had human presence since the middle Preclassic (circa 15th-4th c. B.C.), when Cuicuilco was the main center of Anahuac. Some ceramic remains found in the Huizachtécatl establish, however, a relationship between the inhabitants of the hill and the villages to the north of Lake Texcoco, such as Ticomán and Zacatenco. The petroglyphs of Cerro Chiquito are attributed to these first settlers.

During the Classic (circa 2nd-7th c. AD), a Teotihuacan colony was established on the north slope of the hill, of which the foundations of some buildings decorated with painting remain. mural and various objects whose style is similar to those that were in daily use in Teotihuacán. This area is known as Pueblo Teotihuacano, and it is very deteriorated due to the advance of urbanization in its surroundings. The population dispersion associated with the collapse of Teotihuacán —which occurred around the VII century— was a factor that favored the foundation of Culhuacán in the western tip of the Iztapalapa peninsula.

In the late Postclassic (14th century-1521), on the summit of Huizachtécatl there was a Mexica shrine of great importance for the pre-Columbian Nahuas, since the New Fire ritual was performed there. This ritual was performed every 52 years, in commemoration of the closing of the xiuhmolpilli (in Nahuatl, 'tying of years'). The ancient Mexicas believed that if Yohualtecuhtli (Aldebarán) did not pass the zenith on the final date of the cycle, the era of the Fifth Sun would end and the world would be destroyed. Only on two occasions was this ceremony performed in the Huizachtécatl, the first time was in the year 2 reed, 1455; and the second in the year 2 cane, 1507. The third ceremony did not take place because the Mexicas were already under Spanish rule in 1559.

In the Cerro de la Estrella (called Citlaltépetl or Huizache) located at its top, there are ruins: The Pyramid-Teocalli —observatory— ceremonial of the NEW FIRE where every 52 years the Nahua cycle was renewed. There was the belief that the end of the world would take place at the expiration of one of those periods and the sign was: that fire could not be produced. On the last day of the cycle, a horrible fear seized all the inhabitants; vessels and all their belongings, including idols, were destroyed. In no house could a spark of fire remain.

When the sun went down, the priests dressed as gods slowly made their way to Iztapalapa. If at midnight the Light did not shine on the summit of Cerro de la Estrella, the goblins called tzitzimimes would come down to devour humanity. A man was sacrificed and thrown into the fire; With that fire, the ministers lit the teas or torches that the priests gave to the runners, who, in turn, took it to the temple of Huitzilopochtli, to place them in clay candlesticks with a lot of copal; the priests took the fire for the temples and inhabitants of the city. After the New Fire was lit, everything was renewed in each house: clothes, mats and household items. The joy was irrepressible.

Colhuacan was founded to the west of Cerro de la Estrella in the year 670 of the Christian era according to the chronicle of Chimalpahin Cuauhtlehuanitzin. The rescue of the archaeological materials found during the restoration of the ex-convent in 1958 and the excavations carried out by Josefina Oliva and Eduardo Noguera allowed Chimalpahin's version to be verified archaeologically. The presence of Teotihuacan and Aztec I ceramics in the place contrast with the story of Ixtlilxóchitl, for whom Colhuacan was the first capital and origin of the Toltecs. In fact, when the Chichimecas arrived in Colhuacan from northern Mesoamerica (circa 8th century), it was already one of the most important settlements in the Basin of Mexico.

Some groups of Colhuas accompanied the Chichimecas in the founding of Tollan-Xicocotitlan in the Mezquital Valley around the 10th century AD. The Historia tolteca-chichimeca of Ixtlilxóchitl says that Míxcoatl, chief of the Chichimecas, took as his wife a noble Colhua —called Chimalman in some historical sources— and from that marriage Topiltzin was born, the historical Quetzalcóatl and the most notable of Tollan's rulers. Some authors such as Chimalpahin and Davies believe that Colhuacan was part of the triple alliance in which the Toltec power was supported in central Mexico between the 10th and 12th centuries. The other members of the alliance were Tollan-Xicocotitlan and Otompan, populated by Otomi. After the fall of Tollan, Toltec groups returned to the Valley of Mexico and settled in Colhuacan, where they established a lordship that rivaled Azcapotzalco in the interregnum of power. Toltec and Mexica power.

In the final stage of the pilgrimage that concluded with the founding of Tenochtitlan, the Mexicas settled for a time in the lands of Colhuacan, of whom they were subjects for a period of approximately twenty years in the first half of the fifteenth century. Due to conflicts with the lord of the Colhuas, Coxcox—whose daughter, according to colonial sources, was betrothed by a chief of the newcomers and later sacrificed in honor of Xipe Tótec—had to leave the area. The decline of Colhuacan is related to the growing power of the Tepanecs of Azcapotzalco, who finally prevailed in the Basin of Mexico, dispersing the Otomi and Colhuas. Some of them migrated to Tepanec domains like Cuautitlán, or to Acolhua communities like Huexotla.

Despite the rivalry between the Colhuas and the Mexicas, they took a ruler from the Colhuacan nobility, who was Acamapichtli. In this way, they legitimized their constitution as an independent altepetl through the prestige of the relationship between Colhuacan, the Toltecs and the myth of Quetzalcóatl. Colhuacan was conquered in 1428.

Iztapallapan

Cuitláhuac, lord of Iztapalapa, was elected to the death of Motēcuhzōma Xōcoyōtzin. He died of smallpox in 1520, when the Spanish conquerors had arrived.

The lake of Texcoco at the arrival of the Spanish conquerors.

The Spanish arrived in Tenochtitlan in 1519. Coming from the southeastern Valley of Mexico, one of the first indigenous towns they saw was Iztapalapa. At that time, the town of Iztapalapa was part of the system of royal populations that simultaneously served as the first line of defense for the capital and as provisioning sources for maintenance and other necessities. Of Iztapalapa, the chronicler Bernal Díaz del Castillo writes in surprise:

Iztapallapan was an altépetl founded north of the hill of the Star, on the shore of Lake Texcoco, in the Posclassic period. The city was part of a group of four Cuhua villages along with Colhuacan, Huitzilopochco and Mexicaltzinco. Therefore, the governing lineage was of culhua origin, and the relationship between it and Tenochtitlan was very close, as it was part of the line of defense of the capital of the Mexicas. The foundation of Iztapallapan implied the conclusion of the hegemony of Colhuacan in the southern part of the valley of Mexico, given its strategic position between the zone of the fresh waters and the salts of the valley of Mexico.

In 1423 the Iztapalapa causeway was built, connecting Iztapalapa and Tenochtitlan via the Mexicaltzinco road. Later, in 1449, Nezahualcóyotl planned and directed the construction of an embarradón between Iztapalapa and Atzacoalco that served to regulate the level of the lakes and separate the fresh waters of the lakes of Chalco and Xochimilco from the salty waters of Texcoco.

Conquest

Gonzalo de Sandoval was in front of the regiment that Cortes sent to Iztapallapan in the final phase of the site to Tenochtitlan in 1521.

Iztapallapan was one of the points through which Cortés passed with his troops of Spaniards, Totonacs and Tlaxcalans before reaching Mexico-Tenochtitlan. They arrived there on November 6, 1519. Bernal Díaz del Castillo says in his True History... that they were received at the place by Cuitláhuac, a tlatoani from Iztapalapan, and by the lord of Colhuacan, whom they did not know. Give the name and include a description of the city:

And after we entered that city of Estapalapa (sic), in the manner of the palaces where they housed us, of how large and well-labrated were, of very raw canyon, and the wood of cedars and other good odorous trees, with large patios and rooms, things very to see, and entoldados with paramentos de cotton. After well seen all that we went to the garden and garden, which was an admirable thing to see and walk it, that I did not get to look at the diversity of trees and the smells that each had, and walks full of roses and flowers, and many fruit trees and roses of the earth, and a pond of fresh water, and another thing of seeing: that they could enter the vergel made great canoes from the lagoon, without jumping,

The meeting with the Spanish in Iztapallapan was also attended by envoys from other towns, including Coyohuacan. Díaz del Castillo says that there were so many presents that Cortés received that their value must have reached two thousand gold pesos. The Spanish and their allies left Iztapallapan to continue on their way to Tenochtitlan, on their way they continued through Mexicaltzinco to Xóloc, which was a point at the junction of the Xochimilco and Texcoco lakes where the Iztapallapan causeway forked towards Huitzilopochco and Tenochtitlan. The newcomers continued on their way over the causeway that crossed the lake. Moctezuma Xocoyotzin —in the company of Cacama, Tetlepanquetzaltzin, Itzcuauhtzin and other nobles from Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco— met with Hernán Cortés and his troops on the morning of November 8, 1519 in Huitzillan, at a point where the hospital of Jesus.

The Spanish were hosted in Tenochtitlan until 1520. In that year, after the death of Juan de Escalante by Cuauhpopoca's soldiers in Totonacapan, Cortés took Moctezuma Xocoyotzin prisoner. When Cortés went out to face Pánfilo de Narváez on the Gulf coast, Pedro de Alvarado ordered the massacre of Tóxcatl in the Templo Mayor, sparking conflict between the Tenochcas and the Spanish. On his way back, Cortés faced resistance from Iztapallapan and was able to reach Tenochtitlan. After Moctezuma's assassination, the Spanish killed Cacama and her sisters, and fled from Axayácatl's palace. In their flight they were attacked by the Mexica under the command of Cuitláhuac, lord of Iztapalapa.

Cuitláhuac was elected huey tlatoani of Tenochtitlan after Moctezuma's death, but he died shortly after due to the smallpox epidemic that decimated the city in 1520. The Spanish returned to the Valley of Mexico in 1521, supported by the Tlaxcalans, the Acolhuas and other peoples who had enmity with Tenochtitlan. In Texcoco, Cortés ordered the encirclement of the Tenochtitlan area by land. Gonzalo de Sandoval was in charge of attacking Iztapallapan, where he arrived four days after the Corpus Christi festival in 1521. The confrontation in the city was prolonged, all the houses on the ground were set on fire. In the battle, the iztapalapenses were supported by canoeists from other parts of the basin. Some say that Cuauhtémoc himself, tlatoani after the death of Cuitláhuac, participated in the battle of Iztapalapa. As Sandoval could not with the resistance of the Mexicas, Cristóbal de Olid came to support him by land and Hernán Cortés by water, coming from Coyohuacan where they had already won. Iztapalapa was devastated, it is estimated that around five thousand people died due to the war and epidemics.

Colonial period

Mural painting on the lintel of a door of the ex-convention of Saint John Evangelista de Culhuacán, currently enabled as a museum and cultural centre.

After the installation of Spanish rule in the Anahuac Valley, the towns were divided into parcels delivered to individuals. In accordance with the ordinances of Burgos —which in theory sought fair treatment for the indigenous people, but did not achieve it—, the encomendero had the right to receive tribute from the towns that the Crown gave him; Correspondingly, he had the obligation to guarantee his Christianization and protect the territory.Hernán Cortés designated six towns as encomienda domain of Mexico City. These towns were Churubusco, Mexicaltzingo, Culhuacán, Iztapalapa, Cuitláhuac and Míxquic. Despite the fact that the city requested confirmation of the possessions from the King of Spain in 1525, five of these towns passed into private hands between that year and 1529. Only Iztapalapa had remained under the domination of the city, which received its tribute, He employed Iztapalapense labor and paid the salary of the town's parish priest. In 1582 Iztapalapa passed into the domain of the Crown, as the city could not demonstrate the titles that gave it power over the population.

Culhuacán passed into the hands of Cristóbal de Oñate in 1525. Oñate arrived in New Spain after the conquest of Tenochtitlan. He stood out in the wars against the indigenous peoples of western New Spain, in which he participated starting in 1529. He is considered the founder of Guadalajara (Jalisco) and was an important figure in the Mixtón war. Oñate participated in the conspiracy of the encomenderos of New Spain, headed by Martín Cortés—the son of Hernán Cortés. Oñate was arrested in 1567 when he was trying to reach Bayonne with the purpose of seeking the support of France for the cause of the encomenderos.

The territory of the current Iztapalapa mayorship roughly corresponds to the territory of the corregimiento of Mexicaltzingo, created at the beginning of the 16th century in the region of the four Culhua towns, except for Iztapalapa, which, as has been said, was subject to the Mexican city council almost until the end of that century. In the 17th century, Mexicaltzingo was elevated to the category of mayoralty by adding the ranches of Los Reyes Acaquilpan and Santa Martha Acatitla that had belonged to Mexico City. Later it was governed by a sub-delegate, at the time of the Bourbon reforms. According to the 1552 census, the population of the area decreased considerably after several epidemics. In that year, Culhuacán had 817 tributaries and 260 Mexicaltzingo.

19th century

Iztapalapa at the end of the centuryXIX.

During the War of Independence, the viceregal authorities ordered the collection of funds for the maintenance of the royalist militias. In the case of the Valley of Mexico, this occurred in 1813. The towns in the jurisdiction of Mexicaltzingo —except for the capital and San Mateo— resisted the payment of the cooperation, but after the intervention of the Archbishop of Mexico they were forced to cover the amount.

The process of marginalization of the territory of Iztapalapa began in colonial times and continues today. Despite being located just 14 kilometers from what was originally Mexico City, and currently conurbated to it, during the first years of independent Mexico (XIX), the people of Iztapalapa could only see the dust that was raised by the wagons of travelers and armies coming from or going to Puebla or Veracruz.

To communicate with Mexico City, Iztapalapa had the advantage of waterways such as the Chalco and Xochimilco canals, which joined to form the Canal de la Viga. On his way he passed through the neighborhoods of Iztacalco and Santa Anita, two of the favorite places for walks by nineteenth-century capitalists; and it reached the Roldán pier in the center. Through this canal the agricultural products of the lake towns of Xochimilco-Chalco were transported. Agriculture was the basic economic support, and also made it possible to satisfy the local needs for corn, beans and numerous vegetables.

In the 19th century and until the beginning of the 20th century, there were several haciendas in the region: La Soledad, La Purísima, San Nicolás Tolentino (called San Nicolás Buenavista after the expulsion of the Jesuits, located in San Lorenzo Tezonco), the Peñón and the Arenal haciendas. that concentrated most of the available land. The growth of ranches and haciendas was due to the systematic dispossession of the original Indian communities.

At the middle of the century, the town of Iztapalapa had 3,416 inhabitants, distributed in 13 neighborhoods, and organized into two half-towns. In the rest of the municipality (created in 1862) there were 1,809 people. The urbanization process begins, the channel of the now roadway beam is tubed and trams and trucks began to be used. Around 1920 the total population of the municipality was more than 20,000 inhabitants, nine thousand of them corresponding to the capital.

In 1861 Iztapalapa became part of Tlalpan. The 1903 law of political and municipal organization placed several surrounding towns under the local government of Iztapalapa: Iztacalco, San Juanico Nextipac, Santa Cruz Mayehualco, Santa Martha Acatitla, Santa María Iztlahuacán, Tlayocuxan, Tlaltenco and San Lorenzo Tezonco. Its population reached 10,440 inhabitants, of which 7,200 lived in the capital established by then in Iztapalapa and in 1906 it was established as a municipality.

The municipal organization of 1903 was rendered null and void with the promulgation of a new territorial law for the Federal District in 1929. This law established the division into political delegations dependent on the Federal District Headquarters, one of them Iztapalapa.

Economic activities continued to be based on agriculture, quarries in Culhuacán and Cerro del Marqués were exploited; the haciendas and ranches stopped working. During the first years of the XX century, the population of Iztapalapa continued to dedicate itself mainly to the cultivation of chinampas. We insisted on the fact that most of the cultivated land was concentrated in a few haciendas, whose production was destined for consumption in Mexico City.

Contemporary history

After the Mexican Revolution, land was distributed among the communities of Iztapalapa. In fact, the history of agrarian reform in Mexico begins in the town of Iztapalapa de Cuitláhuac, the first to obtain the restitution of its communal property by a presidential resolution published in the Official Gazette of the Federation of the November 15, 1916.

It must be remembered that some of the native peoples of Iztapalapa were not only sympathizers of Zapatismo during the Mexican Revolution, but also nurtured its ranks and even when the armed conflict ended, they sustained demands and claims in defense of their lands, so in cases such as that of Santa Martha Acatitla and due to the active intervention of the lawyer Octavio Paz Solórzano, this community was endowed with ejidal lands in 1924. The following year Santa María Aztahuacán was also a town that benefited in the same way.

Iztapalapa is also the result of its sustained social evolution throughout the 20th century.

Iztapalapa was characterized by having a high indigenous population, as we know, existing since pre-Hispanic times, dedicated to agricultural work, which eventually became urbanized and adapted in physical and cultural space, having to assimilate the transformations of Mexico City; An immigrant population of other ethnic groups, located in other parts of the city, was also connected to this region, with which a network of relationships of different degrees of intensity and internal cohesion was built. The social and urban panorama of the delegation is the result of the model of capitalist urban and industrial growth followed by the rulers of the 20th century.

Traditionally agricultural, the towns of Iztapalapa (along with Iztacalco, Tláhuac and Xochimilco) were transformed into urban populations as their agricultural lands were expropriated under the excuse of public utility. This process began in 1928 when Iztapalapa became one of the twelve legal-administrative units (delegations) subordinated to the Central Authority of Mexico City, modifying the conditions of existence of a population that lived by cultivating chinampas and rainfed land.. In 1930, 75% of the population was engaged in agricultural activities, through smallholdings, with family-type communal relationships. By 1940, only 55.2% of residents dedicated themselves to agricultural activity and 14% of the immigrant population from other states was already identified. 17 towns and 36 colonies were identified. Due to the development and industrial growth in the following years, the aquatic channels disappeared. The sale and division of agricultural land begins, which fragments the social and economic structure of the towns. By 1960, 85% of the population was clearly urban, with settlements increasing by 40% compared to 1940.

Then, in 1940 the eight neighborhoods of Iztapalapa (Barrio La Asunción, Barrio Santa Bárbara, Barrio San Ignacio, Barrio San Pedro, Barrio San Pablo, Barrio San José, Barrio San Lucas, Barrio San Miguel) were incorporated into the area urban Mexico City. A decade later, the pipeline of the La Viga canal took place, of vital importance for Chinampera agriculture, which, seeing itself deprived of a basic input (water), entered into crisis. During the fifties, the occupation of the chinampería by popular colonies began. A decade later, the first industrial parks of the delegation were built in the area of Los Reyes Culhuacán; In some areas, the subdivision of the land is given in blocks and lots.

Likewise, the population tripled with respect to that registered in 1950. The determining factor of this spatial and demographic process was the migratory flow that only in 1960 represented 37% of the demographic growth of the demarcation.

The towns of the 40s were losing forms of organization, culture and indigenous identity. Almost until their indigenous language (Nahuatl) disappeared, only certain distinctive features were preserved, and ritual activities that they wanted to preserve, as a way of recognizing their roots, even though they no longer identify themselves as indigenous.

There is no census information for the period of the 40's-60's to know the indigenous composition settled in the period that growth began to skyrocket. There are at least 17 ethnic groups that stand out for their number of population, but there are at least double or more than others that are incorporated and that has to do with the conditions of wear and tear on the countryside within the Republic and with political conflicts. Each large ethnic group dedicated itself to specific tasks: making handcrafted furniture, or dedicated themselves to masonry and domestic service, or handicrafts and sale of seeds.

In 1970 Iztapalapa had already transformed its pattern of agricultural life into an entirely urban one. The few agricultural areas yielded to the pressure of real estate companies and the growing flow of migrants who went to this delegation in search of cheap land. 18 more neighborhoods are created and the construction of housing units for workers begins. Being that in the 1970s to 1980s, Iztapalapa registered one of the highest rates of urban overcrowding in the city, due to the natural growth of the population and the constant migratory flow. In that the authorities could not offer the services that were demanded, nor modify that growth scheme.

From the decline of agricultural activity in the Valley of Mexico, the federal government began a policy of expropriation of the ejido endowments of the towns absorbed by the growth of the city, (a fact that is reflected in the name of one of the district colonies as "Ex-ejidos de Iztapalapa"). Perhaps the most emblematic expropriation in the delegation was that of the former common land of Iztapalapa, where the Central de Abasto de la Ciudad de México was built in 1982. Speculation with common land was frequent during the period from 1970 to 1990. The best-known case of these cases is that of Paraje San Juan, currently the subject of a dispute between the Government of the Federal District and the alleged owner of the land.

Members of UCISV-Libertad, Cananea. Iztapalapa, DF.

The growth of the population of Iztapalapa has brought serious consequences for all its inhabitants for almost three uninterrupted decades. In this period, many popular organizations have emerged that demand the provision of urban services (and in many cases, operate social development programs supported by NGOs) in areas of recent occupation. The crisis worsened after the earthquake of September 19, 1985, when the Department of the Federal District decided to relocate the victims in housing units on the periphery. Since then, Iztapalapa has suffered from water shortages, transportation problems (which were not solved even with the construction of two lines of the Mexico City Metro), poor quality educational services, and visible impoverishment. The most tangible consequence of this is that Iztapalapa's crime rates are among the highest in Mexico City and the predominance of families with severe economic poverty.

Today, Iztapalapa can be considered a hot spot in accordance with the previous paragraph, however, more spaces for culture and the arts are also being opened, such as the Faro de Oriente, which offers craft courses for free, theater, among others; With this, the work of having young people more busy learning and creating than destroying has been done.

In this way, by making culture available to people and perhaps in a colloquial way, crime rates can be neutralized a bit.

History of the Iztapalapa Archive

The history of the Iztapalapa Historical Archive has gone through difficult times. Twenty-five years ago the authorities of Iztapalapa tried to organize a collection for consultation on the history of the delegation. The house of Cultura Fuego Nuevo was assigned to him, which at that time was in the Granjas México neighborhood, but due to the poor facilities of the building the documents were damaged during a flood.

In 1992, the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Unidad Iztapalapa and the Iztapalapa Delegation undertook a project to locate all the documents on the area stored in the General Archive of the Nation: two photocopies of each file were requested so that each institution had its collection; An index of the material was made, which was deposited in cardboard boxes, respecting the identification data in case anyone was interested in consulting the original directly.

At that time there were few publications that could enrich the collection, but something could be acquired. To complement, interviews were carried out that were recorded on cassette tapes, with native elderly people from different towns, with the purpose of reconstructing life histories, which in turn gave data on local history.

In July 2010, installed in the new headquarters located in the Zócalo de Iztapalapa or Macroplaza Cuitláhuac, the task of reorganizing the collection was undertaken in the Archive to make it available again to students and researchers who come to request information, and it was inaugurated on October 26 of that year, having as its first activity the VI Meeting of Chroniclers of Mexico City.

The Historical Archive of Iztapalapa restarted activities in its new headquarters, in Plaza Cuitláhuac in the center of Iztapalapa, in October 2010. It houses a documentary collection on the history of this demarcation from pre-Hispanic times to the present day; includes plans, maps, photographs, books, magazines, brochures, flyers, posters, journalistic notes, press releases, etc., and is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with an alternate program of activities.

Its main activities are:

He advised students and people interested in rescuing and writing the history of their villages and colonies. In agreement with other cultural and educational institutions, promote the rescue of oral and photographic history, in two categories: indigenous peoples and new settlements.

Presentations of books or magazines, both from the Delegation and elsewhere.

Temporary exhibitions, lecture cycles and the development and projection of documentary videos. These activities are also carried out in alternate spaces.

Government and politics

Delegational government

Throughout the XIX century, Iztapalapa was one of the municipalities of the Federal District, although in some periods it included part of the Tlalpan district, and its territory came to include areas that are currently within the Iztacalco, Benito Juárez, Xochimilco and Tláhuac delegations. It was created as one of the political delegations of the Federal District in 1928, when the municipal regime was abolished in this federal entity.

Iztapalapa is one of the sixteen territorial demarcations into which Mexico City is divided, in accordance with the Organic Law of Public Administration of that federal entity. For its administration and government, the territorial demarcations have bodies that are They are called delegations. The heads of the delegations are known as delegation heads or delegates, although neither of the two names are made official by law. The responsibilities of the head of the Iztapalapa delegation are the same as those set forth in article 39 of the aforementioned law.

Since the year 2000, the delegation heads are elected, and they are elected every three years. Since that year, the Iztapalapa branch office has been occupied by members of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) for practically the entire existence of that position. In 2009, the position was formally won by the candidate of the Labor Party (PT) Rafael Acosta Ángeles, who resigned to be named Clara Brugada, a PRD militant. The last head of the delegation was Dione Anguiano Flores, also from the PRD.

As of 2018, the term "delegation chief" was no longer used, replacing it with "mayor", due to the creation of the free and sovereign state of Mexico City and the extinction of the Federal District. The first person to hold the position of mayor of Iztapalapa is Clara Brugada de Morena.

Popular representation and elections

Between 1928 —when the municipal regime of the Federal District was abolished— and 1988, the only political representation that the people of Iztapalapa had, were their deputies to the Union Congress and the senator for the Federal District. In 1988, the Assembly of Representatives of the Federal District (ARDF) was established as a body of popular representation with limited capacities. In 1993 a plebiscite was held through which the residents of the capital expressed their willingness to exercise all their citizen rights. In 1996 the Constitution was amended so that the Federal District could elect its head of government and a legislative body without autonomy, but with broader power than the old ARDF. In 1997, the citizens of the Federal District voted for their head of government for the first time since 1928 in elections won by Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas.

The Legislative Assembly of the Federal District (ALDF) is the legislative body in the Mexican capital. This body is made up of sixty-six deputies elected by popular vote for a term of three years, non-extendable and without the possibility of re-election. Forty deputies are elected by the principle of simple majority to represent each of the local electoral districts into which the capital territory is divided. The rest of the seats are distributed proportionally among the lists of registered multi-member candidacies, according to the percentage of votes that each party or coalition has obtained in the elections, through a crossed list between the multi-member list and the second places.

Due to the magnitude of its population, Iztapalapa is divided into eight local electoral districts, being the territorial demarcation with the largest number of representatives in the ALDF. In the 2012 local legislative elections, the eight districts were won by the alliance made up of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), the Labor Party (PT) and the Citizen Movement (MC). Of the common candidates, seven were militants from the PRD and one from MC.

Federal deputies are the representatives of Mexican citizens in the Congress of the Union. The Mexican territory is divided into 300 federal electoral districts. Each of these districts elects a deputy to the Chamber of Deputies. The territory of Iztapalapa is divided into six electoral districts, one of which is shared with Xochimilco.

In the 2009 federal legislative elections, three districts in Iztapalapa were won by PRD candidates and three by candidates from the left-wing Labor Party (PT), generally a political ally of the PRD.

Internal government

Iztapalapa is the most populous territorial demarcation in Mexico, with more than 1,800,000 inhabitants in 2010. Since the 1990s, some proposals have been made to divide its territory into three demarcations, with the purpose of better managing the budget and serving the great complexity that presents a population of the typical dimensions of the iztapalapense. None of them have been put into operation or have received much attention in the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District.

Iztapalapa is subdivided into thirteen Territorial Directorates, whose purpose is to bring government management closer to smaller spatial and demographic dimensions. The Addresses are Aculco, based in the Nueva Rosita neighborhood; Leyes de Reforma, with headquarters in the Leyes de Reforma neighborhood 3@ Section; Acatitla de Zaragoza, based in the Solidaridad-El Salado housing unit; San Lorenzo Tezonco, based in the town of the same name; Santa Cruz Quetzalcóatl, based in the Las Peñas neighborhood; Sierra de Santa Catarina, based in San Miguel Teotongo; Atlalilco-Axomulco, with headquarters in the San Lucas neighborhood (in which are located the 8 neighborhoods of Iztapalapa, and the regional headquarters; Los Culhuacán is, with headquarters in the Valle del Sur-Culhuacan neighborhood; Aztahuacan, with headquarters in the housing unit Santa Cruz Meyehualco; Teotongo-Acahualtepec, headquartered in the 2@ extension Santiago Acahualtepec neighborhood; Los Ángeles-Agrarista, headquartered in the Los Ángeles Apanoaya neighborhood; Cabeza de Juárez headquartered in Eje 5 corner Periférico; and finally Estrella headquartered in On the way to Cerro de la Estrella inside the Villa Estrella Social Center, in the El Santuario neighborhood.

Demographics

In this section we present some social indicators of the population of Iztapalapa, always comparing the data against those obtained for the Federal District in similar periods. In some cases, historical data is exposed that will allow a broad overview of the demographic history of the delegation.

Population Dynamics

As can be seen in Table 1, at least since 1930 the growth rate of the Iztapalapa population is higher than that presented at the Federal District level. A good part of this growth could be explained by the expansion of the central city that ended up spilling over to the surrounding lands, which had previously been dedicated to crops. According to the results of the II National Population and Housing Count generated by INEGI, in 2010 the Iztapalapa Delegation had 1,820,888 inhabitants in its territory of 48.6% (885,049 inhabitants) were made up of men and the remaining 51.4% (935,839 inhabitants) were women. For a period of three five-year periods, from 1990 to 2000, the total population of Iztapalapa grew at a rate of 0.77%. That is, from having 1 488 636 inhabitants in 1990, to 1 694 677 inhabitants in 1995, it had 1,773,343 inhabitants in the year 2000.

For a similar period, but starting from the year 1995, Iztapalapa had 1 820 888 inhabitants in the year 2005 with a growth rate that decreased to 0.32%, which tells us about an increase in the emigration of the people who inhabit it, as well as the social effects that public family planning policies have had.

It is significant that the relative difference between the growth rates of Iztapalapa and the Federal District increased dramatically in the 1970-1990 period. After the disaster of September 19, 1985, many of the families that had lived in the central areas moved to the new housing complexes that were being built on the periphery. This trend did not stop until the mid-1990s, when the available land in Iztapalapa ran out and the protection of the Sierra de Santa Catarina was decreed, the area most pressured by the expansion of the urban sprawl.

Although the Federal District, due to its legal-political status, was not divided into municipalities like the rest of the federal entities, but rather into delegations, in the statistics they are considered equivalent, with which Iztapalapa is considered the most populous municipality (and one densest) in Mexico, with a total population of 1,820,888 people in an area of 116.6 km², part of which are protected areas, which in practice reduces the habitable area, that is to say: the real density is much higher than the official density.

Demographic Evolution of Iztapalapa
Sources: GDF, 2000; Inegi, 2011b.

Social indicators

• Human Development Index: Iztapalapa's human development index (which is a coefficient in which access to education, health and income is considered) is 0,8359, which places the mayor's office on site 13 of 16 in Mexico City. The IDH of Mexico City is 0,871, the highest in Mexico. Most of the population is low- and low-middle class with small middle-class and upper-middle sectors
• Margination: The most marginalized area of the Iztapalapa mayor's office is located on the foothills of the Sierra de Santa Catarina, Santa Catarina and San Lorenzo Tezonco. It is the most recent settlements, whose foundation ranges from the 1960s to the present time. The western zone, adjacent to Benito Juárez, is the least marginalized among which are the Sinatel, Ampl colonies. Sinatel, Banjidal, Apatlaco, Justo Sierra as the highest quality of life in the Federal District.
• Literacy: Of the population over 15 years of age who live in Iztapalapa (a few more 1 200 000 people), 96.3 % know how to read and write; while the rate observed in Mexico City was 97.0 %. In respect of school-age children, only 91.88 per cent of the subjects in that range can write. The index observed for Mexico City was 92.94 %. The average school grade in Iztapalapa is 9 years of education, while for the DF it is 10 years.
• Speakers of indigenous languages: According to the 2000 census, the total number of indigenous language speakers living in Iztapalapa was 32 141 people, of whom the vast majority speak Spanish. The indigenous languages with the greatest presence in that census period were the Nahuatl, with 4451 speakers; the Mixteca, with 4390; the Otomi language, with 2564; and the Zapoteco language, with 2569.
• Religion: In the period from 1980 to 1990, the presence of the Catholic religion was reduced by almost 2 %. However, Catholicism remained the predominant religion (92.1 per cent). In a ten-year period, Catholicism lost its presence in the face of other religious denominations, especially the Evangelicals, from 92.1 % to 80.18 %.
• Security: Updated data from the Federal District Public Security Secretariat (SSPDF) point out that theft of rape with and without violence—with 1679 referrals and 1618 respectively—is the crime that reports more arrests in the first four months of this year. As for demarcation remissions Iztapalapa occupies number two only after the demarcation Cuauhtémoc. The first is highlighted because a large part of the illicits are committed by minors.

The most frequent complaints before the Public Ministry are:
In first place the crime of robbery, occupying 52.3%
In second place, complaints for injuries with 16%
In third place the crime of fraud and fraud with 15.5%
In this demarcation, 15.5% of the crimes registered in the Federal District are reported.

• Indigenous: Until 2005 a percentage of just about 2 % of the total population inhabited by the Iztapalapa Delegation, taking into account only the inhabitants who were 5 years or older, spoke some indigenous language (29 834 of a general of 1 630 204 persons). The percentages were proportionally maintained for each population, i.e. both men and women. Of the total speaking population of indigenous languages (29 834 people), 51 % were made up of men and 49 % of them by women. By 2005 of the total population of 5 years and more speaking an indigenous language, a large percentage also does so in the Spanish language (94.8 %) and, although the non-Spanish-speaking population is a small percentage (0.4 %), it is probably greater in reality if it is taken into account that the remaining 4.7 % did not specify whether it spoke Spanish in addition to its native language.

Main towns

Helmet of the old hacienda of San Nicolás Tolentino, in San Lorenzo Tezonco.

The sixteen towns of colonial or pre-Hispanic origin that are located in the Iztapalapa mayor's office have been completely absorbed by the urban sprawl of Mexico City. Despite this, they retain several cultural and social characteristics that distinguish them from the popular neighborhoods that surround them. Those sixteen towns are:

Most of them are divided into 14 neighborhoods which are:

These indigenous peoples owned communal or ejido lands that, after the growth of Mexico City and the collapse of agriculture in the area, were parceled out to provide cheap housing for the large number of immigrants who arrived between the 1960s and 1990s. In this way, colonies such as Escuadrón 201, Constitución de 1917, Valle del Sur and others of considerable dimensions arose, both due to their population and their surface area, which somehow obscures the original towns and their respective neighborhoods, turning them into simple demarcations. urban (or suburbs of Mexico City), although they have preserved their traditions, which gives them a certain identity. In addition, Iztapalapa is home to numerous housing units (groups of horizontal apartments or urban subdivisions of duplex houses), of which the largest is the Vicente Guerrero Unit, built in the 1970s. Vicente Guerrero currently has a population of approximately 13,000 inhabitants who occupy an area of less than one square kilometer.

The land invasions of the 1980s created huge communities with few public services. They are located mainly in the southeastern region of Iztapalapa. Examples of these are Desarrollo Urbano Quetzalcóatl (26,000 inhabitants) and San Miguel Teotongo (80,000 inhabitants). Little by little, the situation of these colonies has been regularizing, both with regard to land tenure and the satisfaction of urban services. At the beginning of the XXI century, Iztapalapa had 241 localities, including popular neighborhoods, housing units, towns and original neighborhoods. Santa Martha Acatitla is one of the towns of the Iztapalapa delegation, it is located almost the entrance of the municipality of La Paz, State of Mexico. This town belongs to the Acatitla and Santa Martha stations of Line A. In Pre-Hispanic times, this place was a human settlement of enemies of the Mexicas, called "Acatitlan", which was renamed "Santa Martha Acatitla", after the Spanish Conquest. "Acatitla" means in Nahuatl, "Among the Reeds". The patron saint of this town is celebrated on July 29, but the apparition of the patron saint is also celebrated on February 23.

The territorial demarcation of Iztapalapa, has a large extension of territory that not more than sixty years ago was used for agriculture and had a system of communication and lacustrine subsistence; both elements of community identity.

In this particular case and currently, this city hall is almost entirely a concrete block: industries, houses, housing units, large avenues and road axes settle on the lands that until recently represented the livelihood of the generations that have lived in the place.

But the troubles of the people who live in the town of Iztapalapa did not end with the loss or sale of their lands; today it faces a gradual transformation in its composition and social dynamics. The lack of recognition and respect for their cultural patterns has placed them, on occasions, in constant tension with the new occupants of the territory.

The new dynamics of community interaction (originarios-avecinados) has forced the natives of the place to develop mechanisms of cultural conservation or other forms of resistance that are not always well seen or tolerated by others. The Iztapalapa mayor's office was inhabited by diverse settlers, some of them from the lost cities such as; Tlatilco, Río Becerra, Barrio de Santiago, Coltongo, Old Atlixco Railroad, Nativitas Barrio Norte, Santa Cruz Atoyac, Chilero de San Andrés Tetepilco, Contreras del Peñón Viejo, Bordo del Río San Joaquín, Tepito and Colonia Buenos Aires.

Education

Private schools

Privately supported schools from preschool to high school within the municipality:

• Arnold Gesell College
• Ixchel Educational Centre
• Colegio Abraham Castellanos
• Colegio Alejandro Tassoni
• Colegio Américas Unidas
• Citlali College
• Colegio Excel Kids
• Colegio Rodolfo Usigli
• College Tennessee
• Mark Twain College
• Active School
• Private School Narcis Mendoza
• Andersen Institute
• Institute for Progress and Hope
• Valladolid Institute
• Modern American Liceo
• Liceous Aztec Emperors

Higher Secondary Education Institutions

• Preparatory 'Iztapalapa 1' of the Institute of Higher Media Education of the CDMX
• 'Benito Juárez' High School of the CDMX
• Preparatory 'Iztapalapa 3' of the Institute of Higher Secondary Education of the CDMX
• Colegio de Ciencias y Humanidades Plantel Oriente (CCH-O) de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM).
• Center for Scientific and Technological Studies 7 "Cuauhtémoc" (CECyT "Voca" 7) of the National Polytechnic Institute
• Colegio de Bachillers Plantel No.6 "Vicente Guerrero"
• Colegio de Bachillers Plantel No.7 "Iztapalapa"
• CETIS N° 50
• CETIS No.53
• CETIS N.o. 153*
• National School of Technical Professional Education Plantel 11 "Aztahuacan"

Training and Training Institutions for Work

• Training Center for Work No. 171 "Heriberto Jara Corona"
• Training Centre for Industrial Labour No. 176

Higher Education Institutions

The Iztapalapa mayor's office houses four public institutions of higher education in its territory. These are:

• Iztapalapa Unit of the Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM-I)
• Faculty of Higher Studies of Zaragoza (UNAM)
• Campus Iztapalapa and San Lorenzo Tezonco of the Autonomous University of Mexico City (UACM).
• Instituto Tecnológico de Iztapalapa
• Technological Institute of Iztapalapa 2
• Technological Institute of Iztapalapa 3

In addition, Iztapalapa has the South campus of the Technological University of Mexico (UNITEC), a private Institution of Higher Education, as well as two campuses of the ICEL University (Ermita and Zaragoza). University of the Mexican Republic (UNIREM) Iztapalapa

Culture

Map of the most representative places of the delegation of Iztapalapa

Oral tradition

The caves of Cerro de la Estrella

Cerro de la Estrella has many caves. Some of them run very deep, and have cost some people their lives. Some inhabitants of the town of Iztapalapa say that the devil lives in these caves, or that they have no end. And this would be the reason that some people who enter the caves never return: because they get lost in the galleries or the devil takes them. That is why this area is restricted to visit it.

Miraculous healings in Iztapalapa and San Lorenzo

El Pocito Chapel in San Lorenzo Tezonco.

Iztapalapa de Cuitláhuac and San Lorenzo Tezonco are two of the oldest towns in the delegation. Tradition has it that in the 19th century both sites were affected by cholera. As the people were very concerned about the epidemic, they invoked the images of Christ that were venerated in their respective hermitages. According to the same tradition, the cholera mortality ceased after a few days. In San Lorenzo, from the foot of an ahuehuete a spring of water sprouted with which the Tezonqueños and the people of the southern towns were cured.

In gratitude, the people of Iztapalapens began the representation of the Via Crucis, one of the traditions of Mexico recognized worldwide for the great commitment of all those who participate, each one of the actors in this Via Crucis knows why lives it; they also built a sanctuary that today is known as La Cuevita. In San Lorenzo, the locals built a parish church and a chapel —which they call El Pocito— on the site where the spring gushed. Currently, the town's prosecutors distribute the water to whoever requests it.

The legend of the Lord of the Cave

It is one of the most loved and revered images by the inhabitants of Iztapalapa. To know the origins of the devotion to this Christ, we have to refer to an ancient legend transmitted among the inhabitants of the place over the years, which dates us back to the month of May 1723, when some pilgrims from the municipality of Etla, state of Oaxaca, brought a life-size Holy Effigy in a seated position to Mexico City in order to restore it. As they passed through the town of Iztapalapa, a strong storm forced them to stop on their way, having to take shelter in a cave. As the rain did not stop, they decided to spend the night there to continue their journey the next day. It was beginning to dawn when everything was ready to continue his journey. They proceeded to upload the image again, but no matter how many attempts they made, even with the help of the neighbors, they achieved nothing. There was so much expectation and faith that this event aroused, that they believed it as a sign from Holy Christ to stay in that place and, faithful to his wishes, they pleased him. This is how the image of the Lord of La Cuevita arrives in Iztapalapa, where he was welcomed as Patron Saint and protector of the town.

He began to be venerated in the same cave, at the foot of the Cerro de la Estrella or Huizachtépetl mountain, considered a sacred space by the ancient Mexicans, the scene of one of the most important ceremonies of pre-Hispanic Mexico: “the new fire ”. Likewise, it was known that Tezcatlipoca was venerated in that cavity.

Little by little, what we know today as the Sanctuary of the Lord of La Cuevita was built, where the holy image is kept and venerated. Behind the sanctuary, there is still a cave where you can see an urn that protects the image of the Lord of the Holy Burial; On its base the following inscription can be read: “The Lord of La Cuevita appeared on this site on May 3, 1723, an image that is on the main altar. The image found here is that of the Lord of the Holy Burial”. Such was the devotion to said image that in 1738, his Holiness Pope Clement XIII, through Papal Bull, granted plenary indulgence to those who confessed and received communion and looked at the "Most Holy Christ of Iztapalapa".

Ejidatarios and settlers

The second half of the XX century was a time when Iztapalapa was colonized by immigrants from the interior of the republic. At that time, a good part of the territory of Iztapalapa was dedicated to agriculture, it lacked urbanization services, and newcomers were always on edge because of the frauds that were committed for the illegal sale of land.

The peasants did not see the arrival of the residents very favorably, because they stole (they say) the cultivated products. The peasants sowed and the newcomers ate everything: pumpkins, beans, corn, etc. In Santa Cruz Meyehualco, for example, the ejidatarios came to use weapons to defend themselves against the settlers of La Comuna. Since they couldn't handle them, they decided to stop planting.

The caves of Cerro de la Estrella, the miraculous healings in Iztapalapa and San Lorenzo, the Chapel of El Pocito, in San Lorenzo Tezonco, the Day of the Dead Procession. Pueblo Aculco, The Via Crucis of Iztapalapa, The one of San Lorenzo, The carnivals of: San Lorenzo Tezonco, Culhuacán, Santa Cruz Meyehualco and the one of Santa María Aztahuacan. The patron saint festivities, The Day of the Dead, the old barn of the Hacienda de San Nicolás Tolentino, on the hill of the Star the Pyramid of the New Fire, the Ex-Convent of Culhuacán, the temple of San Lucas, National Sanctuary of Our Lord de la Cuevita (Iztapalapa de Cuitláhuac), the parish of San Lorenzo Mártir (Tezonco), and the parish of Santa Martha (Acatitla), the Monument to Juárez, known as Cabeza de Juárez, the Messeger Chapel, built by the architect, La Metropolitan Autonomous University.

All these traditions, historical monuments and magical places through legends, stories, official documents show us the cultural richness of this demarcation. But none of the above would still be alive if it weren't for the inhabitants and neighbors who have preserved and spread the iztapalapa culture.

Who better to tell these stories, past and present, than the residents of this district.

Festivities in Iztapalapa

Dead Day procession. Aculco people. 1999.

Holy Week in Iztapalapa

Among the festivals that the inhabitants of Iztapalapa celebrate, the ones that attract the most attention are those of Holy Week. This celebration began in gratitude for the end of the cholera morbus that struck and decimated the population in 1833. Since 1843, Iztapalapa celebrates Holy Week through representations made with people from its own community. Protagonists who have maintained their faith over many years have turned it into a cultural heritage for the world.

The Easter holidays in Iztapalapa have been so important that in 1867 Don Benito Juárez protected the staging, putting order in the civil government as in the ecclesiastical. Likewise, it is also remembered the support given to him by Don Emiliano Zapata in 1914, in lending the horses of his army, as well as the economic aid for the realization of this event.

This celebration began to become famous attracting more and more people, during the 50s and 60s, with the cover of the Viga Canal and the paving of the road of the same name. This staging has evolved so much, that it has become a relevant event of popular culture, and unique in the world for its characteristics and number of people attending (it is estimated at about three million).

Requirements to participate in the representation of Holy Week.

• Hold your clothes according to your corresponding role.
• Be confessed before Wednesday ash.
• sign up, the first weekend of January, at the rehearsal house.
• Being older.
• be native to Iztapalapa.
• In the case of women, not to be married and not to live in nursing (not to live in free union).
• In the case of men, to be married by the church and not to live in nursing.
• In the case of the role of Jesus, being native to one of the eight villages, being single, not living in amasiatus and being over 25 years old.

Requirements for participation as Nazarenes.

• Be confessed before Wednesday ash.
• Fulfill the vigils.
• Unrequired age.
• Note on a list, at the test house, this only to receive a badge as an annual participant (this requirement is not necessary).
• To make his own cross, that this one has no more regret than that which represents Jesus.
• Stay on schedule for all activities (published by the rehearsal house).
• Hold your robe.

Requirements for participation like eleven thousand virgins.

• Be confessed before Wednesday ash.
• Fulfill the vigils.
• Unrequired age.
• Note on a list, at the test house, this only to receive a badge as an annual participant (this requirement is not necessary).
• Stay on schedule for all activities (published by the rehearsal house).
• Hold your robe and robe.

Development of the celebration

Palm Sunday: The festival begins on this day with the Benediction of the Palms in the Parish of San Lucas, and the Triumphal Entry of Jesus of Nazareth to Jerusalem, in the Sanctuary of Señor de la Cuevita.

Holy Thursday

• Procession through the main streets emulating the Visit to the Seven Houses, but in this case it is to the Eight Quarters: San Lucas, San Ignacio, Santa Barbara, San José, San Pedro, San Pablo, La Asunción and San Miguel.
• The Last Supper: El Salvador next to the Twelve Apostles take their place at the table.
• Lavatory Ceremony in the Cuitláhuac Garden.
• The Prayer in the Garden of Olives and the Apprehension, in the Cerro de la Estrella.

Good day of Liturgical Tragedy

• The Judgment: Presentation of the Nazarene to Pontius Pilate.
• The clarinets announce that the Redeemer has been condemned: Azotes and Coronation are staged in the explanade of the Cuitláhuac Garden.
• Start of the Way of the Cross towards the Golgota (Cerro de la Estrella): In this journey the Three Falls are represented, the first one on the street of the City Hall (Calle de Cuauhtémoc) the other two on the Street of Hidalgo and Estrella, the other steps are set to Calvary.

Hundreds of Nazarenes who also carry their Cross and Crown of Thorns; Centurions, Roman Soldiers and Heralds make way for Mecías accompanied by his Disciples, Virgins and Samaritans; behind the Clarinets and a band play the Dragon March.

• Crucifixion with the villains Dimas and Gestas, the presence of Judas on the gallows; at three o'clock in the afternoon, this representation of the Passion and Death of the Son of Man ends.

All participating actors are rigorously selected and must meet certain requirements such as: histrionic ability, mimicry, clear and powerful voice, ease of speech, appearance depending on the character to be interpreted, having been born in the town, being the son of parents natives of Iztapalapa; not have vices and be of the Catholic religion.

In order to worthily represent Jesus Christ, candidates must have the necessary physical attributes to resist moving across the great stage, not only on tours with his disciples and virgins who accompany him to preach his word, but also on Friday Saint when he is convicted carrying the Wooden Cross that weighs approximately 90 kilos (as stipulated by the Roman penal code of that time) also enduring falls and blows from Roman soldiers.

Way of the Cross

• The Way of the Cross of Iztapalapa. It is a representation of the Passion of Christ. It is performed since 1843. When in the people of Iztapalapa there is a smallpox outbreak in 1833, the inhabitants promise God, that if he exterminates the disease, they will represent the procession of Jesus Christ. It is perhaps the best known of the Iztapalapa festivities. During the period between Palm Sunday and the Sabbath of Glory the most significant passages of each day are reproduced. In it the natives of the 8 neighborhoods of Iztapalapa participate and, in the particular case of the character of Jesus, the chosen one passes through a long period of physical and spiritual preparation. This representation is about two million parishioners.

The procession-representation is accompanied by the group of Nazarene, who come to carry the cross in thanks for the miracles received from the Lord of La Cuevita.

The Representation of the Passion of Christ in Iztapalapa was recognized by the head of Government of Mexico City, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubón, as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mexico City on April 3, 2012. This declaration was published in the Official Gazette of the city in 169 representation and is expected to be a way of seeking that the Representation in Iztapalapa be declared a World Cultural Heritage by the United Nations. The event was also attended by the Ministry of Culture of the DF, Elena Cepeda; and the Delegational Head of Iztapalapa, Clara Brugada. The declaration of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mexico City also seeks to promote and assist the inhabitants of the Iztapalapa neighbourhoods, the delegational authorities and the City of Mexico to preserve this tradition for subsequent generations.

• The Way of the Cross of Saint Lawrence, in San Lorenzo Tezonco also takes place the representation of the Passion of Christ. But unlike what happens in Iztapalapa, here the ecclesial enclosure has a capital importance. The chapel of the Pocite is converted into a prison where they lock the Christ of representation. The crucifixion takes place at the feet of the Yohualiuhqui volcano.
• The Way of the Cross of James Acahualtepec, this is one of the most important events of the colony in the year, as many people participate from children to the elderly. They make a long journey, leaving the square in front of the church of Santiago Apostle, passing Ermita Iztapalapa until reaching the colony Santa Martha Acatitla and back to the axis 5 and 6 where they carry out the crucifixion.

Carnivals

Several of the original towns of Iztapalapa preserve the tradition of carnival in the days before Ash Wednesday. The most important of the iztapalapenses carnivals are that of San Lorenzo Tezonco, Culhuacán that of Santa Cruz Meyehualco and that of Santa María Aztahuacan. In them, people organize themselves into comparsas that storm the streets to dance and parade with their floats. Generally, the traditional authorities of these towns have to offer food to the participants of the comparsas.

• Carnival of Santa Maria Aztahuacan. The word Carnival means “bye to the flesh.” Everything starts with the presentation of the Queens, in October or November, dances are performed for the presentation of the same, already for the date of the celebration begins with a tour on Sunday with the grid either of puddles or of chichinas, from the day Monday they go out to dance in the streets of the village, and already at night they meet in the vicinity to the house of the butter, who is the manager of giving of chidom to The next Saturday is another tour of the streets, on Sunday afternoon, the coronation is made in the main squares of the town such as the clock, the Plaza de San Pedro and La Plaza Santa Cecilia, the coronation is performed and it is finished with dances.
• Carnival of Santa Cruz Meyehualco. In Meyehualco this is a strong tradition this carnival is part of the interculturality that exists in Mexico and sustains a people identity.

This holiday has a duration of 4 days beginning on the second Friday after Wednesday of ash, during this time you will travel through the village and the party, the streets are adorned, there is fair of mechanical games, music and sale of a lot of food, the merchants, who invade this place, do not get abasto when selling all kinds of Mexican antojitos and drinks there is also missing the music that comes from different places, all this visitor

In this organization, different compartments and societies of charros and costumes are involved for the realization of this event. These compartments and societies offer on Sunday the color and season of the parade, since this day the journey is organized on the avenue Ermita that begins from noon and extends until the evening already entering the night, which consists of the parade of the Queens of Carnival that names each compartment, they are carried on allegorical chariots of great coloured they will also dance their people to the crown At the end of the day people prepare for their dance by ending up in the early hours of the morning. On Monday the party continues in minor events, from there a comitiva to Tepalcingo in Morelos to give thanks for the realization of its festival. Previously they went out on Monday and arrived in this village on Sunday of the next week to the party of the region and thanked for their feast of Santa Cruz, there they traded with tequesquite that is salt with pasture and was the meal of cows, this product was held in the vacant lots of Santa Cruz and it served them to make barter for products that brought from their return to Morelos.

In the Iztapalapa mayor's office, it is celebrated in the Reyes Culhuacán, Santa Cruz Meyehualco, Santa María Aztahuacán, Santa Martha Acatitla, San Lorenzo Tezonco, San Sebastián Tecoloxtitlán, Santiago Acahualtepec and Santa María Tomatlán and in the Historical Center of the Delegation, where the closing of carnivals is carried out, meeting the gangs of the towns; In addition, the ceremony of "Monday of the hanged man" in which the "palegande" For criminal acts, his wife also accuses him of beatings and abandonment, for which the judge sends him to hang, but not before fulfilling one last wish, to dance a farewell danzón.

Basically, the carnival consists of groups of dancers who go through the streets dressed as charros with masks, Chinas poblanas, men dressed as women, or various costumes called chichinas. They are accompanied by an orchestra or music band and they stop to dance in front of the houses where they know that they will receive cooperation to pay for the music. The queens who parade in floats are crowned (each troupe chooses its own queen) and great dances are organized, although there are some variations that distinguish each town.

Economic spillover

It is worth mentioning that this traditional representation of Holy Week is the main tourist development activity for the delegation that not only allows the visit of tourists from other municipalities or States, but also from abroad and also allows the creation of a small tourist market of pottery and pottery (which arrives a week before and leaves a week after the festivities) as well as the sale of food specific to the festivity and a fair. It is worth mentioning that the mayor's office closes the circulation of Ermita Iztapalapa and Rojo Gómez avenues on Good Friday; In order to get there, you must use the Metro station Iztapalapa or Cerro de la Estrella.

Sponsoral festivals

Almost each of the colonies, towns and neighborhoods that rise up in their territory have a patronal festival. But without a doubt, there are some that stand out for their antiquity, their complexity and their color, such as that of May 3 in Santa Cruz Meyehualco; That of the Lord of Calvary, patron saint of Culhuacán; that of San Lucas, patron saint of Ixtapalapa; that of December 12 in San Lorenzo Tezonco and that of April 25 through San Marcos in Mexicaltzingo.

Day of the Dead

One of the most important scenes of this date in Iztapalapa is the town of San Lorenzo Tezonco, where the whole week before the Day of the Dead there is a tianguis of considerable dimensions (from the Plaza del Pueblo to Avenida de las Torres, through the streets of San Lorenzo and Candelabro), where you can get all the necessary items for the offerings.

In addition, while Iztapalapa has two of the largest pantheons in Mexico City (San Nicolás Tolentino and San Lorenzo Tezonco), it becomes a destination for thousands of people who go to the tombs to remember those who died they overtook; in fact. In San Nicolás Tolentino, it is customary for the inhabitants of the surrounding colonies to remain until late at night commemorating their deceased and bringing presents to their graves.

For the inhabitants of Iztapalapa, death has a unique meaning: sometimes it appears as a deep-rooted tradition that sinks its deep traditions into the indigenous past; At other times, it seems like a stage where figures of memory move and slide, objects of offerings of the most diverse nature: sweets, bread, flowers, food and customs. The tradition is somehow permanent, but it appears with greater vigor, as a spontaneous feeling, on November 1 and 2 each year.

It should be noted that it is a holiday, but currently classes are attended, since teachers do not take it as something related to a mandatory tradition such as May 5 or another particular anniversary, but it is a beautiful tradition not only in Iztapalapa if not in all of Mexico and each of its locations.

Tangible heritage

Antigua troje de la Hacienda de San Nicolás Tolentino, en el sur de Iztapalapa. It worked as a crematory of the San Lorenzo Pantheon until the year 1994.

In at least two sites of the demarcation, archaeological remains have been found, a cultural legacy of the town of Iztapalapa. On the Cerro de la Estrella there is a pre-Hispanic pyramidal base called Pyramid of New Fire. It is supposed that in this temple, the ceremony of conclusion and beginning of the xiuhmolpilli (Nahuatl: xiúhuitl=year, molpilli=bound, that is, bound of years). The Mexica priests waited in this place for Aldebarán to pass through the zenith, a fact that they interpreted as a sign of continuity for life on Earth. On the slopes of the same hill, in 2006 while the cross of the traditional Way of the Cross was being repaired, a new pyramidal base was discovered and it has been proposed that this could be from the Teotihuacan period (2nd-8th centuries AD). On the western slope, Culhuacan has been the site of discovery of some artistic vestiges of its ancient inhabitants, which are preserved in the Ex-Convent of Culhuacán. In the Sierra de Santa Catarina, the inhabitants of San Miguel Teotongo also located signs of pre-Columbian occupation when they were building their homes. The pieces discovered in Teotongo are protected by that community in a community museum.

Very few buildings remain from the colonial era. The most important of them is the Ex-Convent of Culhuacán, to which are associated the remains of what was the first paper mill built in America. In Iztapalapa de Cuitláhuac is located the temple of San Lucas Evangelista, patron saint of that town, which is currently still in operation. This temple has been remodeled several times, which has caused its basalt façade to be covered with cement in 1999. Most of Iztapalapa's historical monuments date from the XIX, and almost all of them belong to the religious order. Among the most outstanding temples for their architecture are the National Sanctuary of Our Lord of the Cuevita (Iztapalapa de Cuitláhuac), the parish of San Lorenzo Mártir (Tezonco), the church of San Marcos (Mexicaltzingo), and the parish of Santa Martha (Acatitla). Of civil order there are eight houses declared historical monuments by the INAH, and the old complex of the hacienda of San Nicolás Tolentino, in San Lorenzo Tezonco. The buildings that make up this set served as a crematorium and offices for the local Civil Pantheon, and today they are about to collapse due to the little interest of the competent authorities in their conservation.

From the 20th century stands out the Monument to Juárez, known as Cabeza de Juárez. It was designed and built by Luis Arenal. At the eastern end of Iztapalapa is the Messeguer Chapel, built by the architect and painter of Catalan origin Benito Messeguer —exiled in Mexico during the Spanish Civil War, and later naturalized as a Mexican—, with the purpose of turning it into the social center of the Hermitage Zaragoza Unit. The Metropolitan Autonomous University, for its part, houses several murals and sculptures by the artist of Canadian origin, Arnold Belkin, trained and rooted in Mexico.

Museums

The Cabeza de Juárez Museum is one of the most important and representative museums of the Iztapalapa City Hall.

The Ex-Convention of Culhuacán is one of the oldest buildings in Iztapalapa and currently works as a museum.

The New Fire Museum is one of the most important archaeological museums in the city, due to its proximity to the Cerro de la Estrella archaeological site.

Among the most important museums in the mayor's office are:

• Museo Cabeza de Juárez: Monument in which the pictorial work by Luis Arenal. It is an integral plastic work in which architects, engineers, sculptors, painters, workers and technicians collaborated in the different areas of construction. It has abstract mural paintings and a permanent exhibition that includes chronologies from 1806 to 1872, lithographs and a collection of American flags.
• Faro Cultural Center of the East (has a museum area). The Faro of the East represents an alternative proposal for cultural intervention. Its objective is to provide a serious offer of cultural promotion and training in artistic and artisanal disciplines to a physically, economically and symbolically marginalized population of conventional cultural circuits. It is the combination of a school of arts and crafts with an important cultural space of artistic offering and a public square. Through these elements it creates a new vision of cultural development, in which access to this kind of activity becomes a daily act. It has Gallery, Library, Ludoteca and Library; offers various free workshops.

The cultural policy of the nascent Institute of Culture of Mexico City, led by the poet Alejandro Aura, focused on combating insecurity by appropriating public space through various artistic and cultural activities in squares and streets, FARO (arts and crafts factory) was one of the concrete ways in which this action plan materialized. Thus, in 1998, it appropriated the space located on the Ignacio Zaragoza road, between the Peñón Viejo and Acatitla metro stations; Likewise, its construction begins, being a design by the architect Alberto Kalach and which evokes a pure concrete ship. The Faro de Oriente officially opens its doors on June 24, 2000 as an arts and crafts factory of the Orient

• Currently offers workshops in:
• performing arts: Contemporary dance I and II, Afro Dance, Theatre, Buphon, Scenography and production theatre, Yoga and Capoeira Angola.
• Visual arts: Digital photo, Theory of Art, Painting and animation.
• Music: Solfeo, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Battery, Musical Foundations, Bajó and musical assembly.
• Communication: Basic photography, Radio and community journalism, Narrativa and Poesía.
• Trades: Cartonería y Alebrijes, Carpintería, Handmade paper, Binding, Glasses and Clothing Design.
• New Fire Museum. In this museum you will find the mural "Iztapalapa yesterday, today and always", Obra del Maestro Francisco Cárdenas, painter and sculptor originally from Mexico City, recognized nationally and internationally. In this mural of 4 panels with the acrylic/masaroca/madera technique; it was plastered:
  • The procession of the priests of the Greater Temple heading to the top of the Huizachtépetl. (Today Cerro de la Estrella) to carry out the Ceremony of the New Fire, in which they sacrificed a captive in honor of the gods to ask for a new cycle of life of 52 years.
  • The figure of Cuitláhuac, tlatoani de Iztapalapa upon the arrival of the Spaniards, occupies the center of a panel.
  • The conquest and initiation of evangelization with the missionaries, the Christ of the Shrine of the Cuevita.
  • The eight neighborhoods of the village of Iztapalapa.
  • Two boxes recall the findings of a mammoth in Santa Martha Acatitla and of ancient human remains in Santa María Aztahuacán.
• Ex-convention of Culhuacán: The Agustino conventual building dates from 1553, when it is presumed that order was established in this area of the now Mexico City. The property has a site museum, which houses three Pre-Hispanic Halls, where pieces found in the place are displayed, as well as a Colonial Hall, which has also been restored.
• Historic Park of Culhuacán: This park, built with community participation, protects the architectural remains of the pond and colonial pier (centuryXVICulhuacán. In the past it was one of the most important places of community gathering, a role that it has now regained, since it is the only green and recreational area of the community.
• Hydrobiology Museum: In this museum they are exhibited in vitrines, organisms designed on the fauna of the main types of aquatic systems of Mexico, these are grouped in the following collections: animals give fresh water, mangrove animals, fauna of rocky and sandy beaches and fauna. It also includes a variable section with material donated by different people and institutions. Guided tours (on request) are conducted and are projected in an annexed documentary room of animal life and its preservation.
• Mural Ermita Benito Messaguer: This mural is located in the Ermita Zaragoza Housing Unit; it has a dimension of 300 m2 and was performed in 1978, this mural work is inside a chapel that is dominated from the entrance; the artist painted a crowd that advances, fighting from the farthest part to the nearest. In the vaulted arch of the entrance are the figures of Christ and Zapata, who unite in sacrifice with the desire to save man.
• Museum of Cultures: On 12 April 2012 it was inaugurated. It has a surface of 2450 square meters and consists of 5 floors. It is located in Ermita Iztapalapa N.o 100. It shows the different cultures that have inhabited this Delegation. It has photos showing the representation of the Passion of Christ. It has a panoramic view of Cerro de la Estrella and a workshop room with teaching materials that aims to engage constructively in solving problems of the locality.
• San Miguel Teotongo Community Museum: Inaugurated in 1994 this museum exhibits a collection of pre-Hispanic pieces found during various constructions in the Colonia San Miguel Teotongo, has 30 glass windows and has a patio for outdoor events, as well as classrooms for workshops and courses.

Sports activity

In the Iztapalapa mayor's office there are various important sports facilities, such as the Santa Cruz sports facility, the Francisco I. Madero sports facility and several others, where the Iztapalapa population takes advantage of the activities that are taught in these centers, and occasionally in these spaces are organized different activities, such as popular concerts, circuses, fairs, etc.

The Iztapalapa mayor's office also has the Salvador Allende Sports Training School located on Calle Díaz Soto y Gama with no number on the corner of Campaña del Ébano, which has a swimming pool and soccer field which was inaugurated on February 15, 2011 It is located within the Vicente Guerrero Housing Unit, with the purpose of training high-performance athletes, promoting and supporting a new lifestyle in the Iztapalapa delegation. It is worth mentioning that the school has a quota to train more than 12,000 people, in the same way it has highly trained instructors in their area of work and with a lot of experience in instruction.

Cuitláhuac Ecological Park

Also known as "Tiradero de Santa Cruz Meyehualco" (On November 15, 1982, the definitive closure of the dump began, which was completed in June 1986). It is located on axis 6 Sur S/N Col. Renovación Av. Guelatao, Iztapalapa, Distrito Federal c.p. 09209, in one of the largest parks in America. It was officially inaugurated as Cuitláhuac Ecological Park on January 5, 2003, it measures 145 hectares, 60 for recreation in the northern part with 8 modules for family life, 3 storage rooms for gardening, 8 palapa modules with 6 cabins each for social events., 9 children's play areas and physical conditioning, 3 sanitary nuclei, parking, 3 controlled accesses for pedestrians and one for vehicles; The sports zone, to the south, has 30 dirt soccer fields, 13 soccer fields, 4 basketball fields, 2 volleyball fields, 1 field and 1 baseball stadium, 6 toilet modules with commercial premises, 1 pump room for irrigation, surveillance booths, 1 multipurpose room, 2 prefabricated classrooms, 2 warehouses, children's play area, track for joggers, outdoor gym and road school. It has parking and 5 controlled accesses for pedestrians and one for vehicles.

Gastronomy and crafts of Iztapalapa

Some examples of the gastronomy in Iztapalapa is above all that prepared in vigil, such as: huauzontle cakes, dried shrimp, romeritos with nopales in red mole, dried fish seasoned with tomato sauce and olives, pipián de charales or with nopalitos in chile verde and the breads of pig. Also in the month of September the Enchilada Fair is held on the esplanade of the Cuitláhuac Garden where there is a great variety of enchiladas, the traditional ones, potosinas, cochinita pibil, en nogada; etc There are up to three hundred varieties. He won the Guinness record for the world's largest enchilada on October 17, 2010.

As for handicrafts, there are workshops in Iztapalapa that promote the making of cardboard masks and alebrijes.

It is worth mentioning that pulque is of relevant importance, since Iztapalapa has the largest number of pulquerías in all of Mexico City, among which are: La Gloria, Las Delicias de Xóchitl, El Danzón, La Gran Leona, La Hija del Triunfo, El Nuevo Triunfo, Los Zorros, El Jarabe Mexicano and El Tecolote. According to the specialist and historian Ulises Ortega, in towns like Santa Cruz Meyehualco, the relationship between this drink and the identity of the community is inseparable, since it occurs in religious, symbolic, and cultural environments.

Infrastructure and equipment

Roads

Map of roads and urban equipment of the Iztapalapa City Hall.

Because most of its territory was occupied by popular colonies that lacked urban planning, Iztapalapa faces serious traffic problems, especially in the area of the Sierra de Santa Catarina and San Lorenzo. Only the west of the demarcation, whose urbanization is earlier than in the center and the east, has a more or less important primary road network. This is made up of the Circuito Interior de Ciudad de México, and several road axes that grid the area. The presence of Cerro de la Estrella in the middle of the demarcation causes a wide area between Culhuacán, Iztapalapa and San Lorenzo Tezonco to be cut off from each other. From the Santa Bárbara neighborhood, in Iztapalapa de Cuitláhuac, the old México-Tulyehualco road surrounds the hill and connects Iztapalapa with its neighbor to the south, the Tláhuac mayor's office.

From west to east, the city hall is crossed by the Ermita-Iztapalapa roadway (Eje 8 Sur), and the axes 6 and 5 South, which end at the Mexico-Puebla Highway. This highway and its extension to the northwest (the Ignacio Zaragoza road) serve as a gateway for the inhabitants of the eastern Valley of Mexico to the center. For this reason, both express roads are constantly saturated, despite the road works carried out in the first half of the 1990s.

To the southeast, the presence of the mountains prevents the passage of roads to the north of Tláhuac. At the same time, because it is occupied by recently formed colonies and little urban planning, it is an area with a complicated network of streets that finally lead to the Ermita-Iztapalapa road.

The Campestre Potrero neighborhood is an example, it joins the Mexico-Puebla highway with Eje 10 Santa Catarina through Apolocalco avenue, although the neighborhood is not newly created, this road is generally unknown.

Transportation

Orient Station of Line 12 during construction.

Until 1993, the bus lines of the parastatal company Ruta 100 (currently Red de Transporte de Pasajeros del Distrito Federal —RTP—) and several routes of microbuses and peseros (this term designates the Combi-type vans that served as Colectivos in Mexico City formed the basis of urban transportation in Iztapalapa, in addition to four trolleybus lines, operated by the state-owned electric transportation system, and the numerous taxis that circulate throughout the Iztapalapa territory, both Route 100 (now RTP) like the rest of the public transport had (and still have) the stations of the Collective Transport System (Metro) as articulation point.

On August 12, 1991, the first metro line that served Iztapalapa was inaugurated. It is Line A, which has ten stations in total, five of which are located in Iztapalapa territory (Tepalcates, Guelatao, Peñón Viejo, Acatitla and Santa Martha). Line A of the subway has the characteristic of being the first in Mexico City with a railway character. It runs from Pantitlán (in the Iztacalco delegation), to La Paz (in the municipality of the same name) in the State of Mexico. Line 8 was added to line A in 1994, covering a total distance of 19.8 km with nineteen stations. Eight of them belong to Iztapalapa (Apatlaco, Aculco, Squadron 201, Atlalilco, Iztapalapa, Cerro de la Estrella, UAM-I and the 1917 Constitution).

In 2008, Metrobús line 2 (Tacubaya-Tepalcates) was inaugurated. With the implementation of this route, it is intended to reduce the polluting impact, travel times and even change the unsafe environment of the eastern part of the City. The Line has four routes: from Tepalcates to Tacubaya, from Tepalcates to Etiopia, from Tepalcates to Nápoles and from Tepalcates to the Polifórum.

As of October 2012, Line 12 formally began its operations from Mixcoac (Benito Juárez and Álvaro Obregón mayoralties) to Tláhuac (homonymous demarcation), being the second railway line in the city, of which 8 stations pass through this demarcation (Mexicaltzingo, Atlalilco, Culhuacán, San Andrés Tomatlán, Lomas Estrella, Calle 11, Periférico Oriente, Tezonco and Olivos). A year and a half later, in March 2014, more than half of the so-called "golden line" was reported to have closed, providing its services from the Atlalico station to Mixcoac. The closure of said line is due to the incompatibility of the tracks with the trains and the full reopening of the line is expected for November 2015 (E. Gutiérrez 2015). Associated with some subway stations, some stops were built (terminal sites for urban bus routes and minibuses) such as: Santa Martha and Tepalcates, on line A; as well as Constitución de 1917, Iztapalapa, Squadron 201 of line 8 and Periférico Oriente of Line 12. In 2008 line 2 of the Metrobús (Tacubaya-Tepalcates) was inaugurated. With the implementation of this route it is intended to reduce the polluting impact, travel times and even change the unsafe environment of the eastern part of the City. The Line has four routes: from Tepalcates to Tacubaya, from Tepalcates to Ethiopia, from Tepalcates to Nápoles and from Tepalcates to the Polifórum.

As of August 16, a transportation system will open in Iztapalapa that will serve users connecting the main commercial sectors, these will have 2 circuits that will have 29 stations inside and 3 outside with connection to the Apatlaco stations and Aculco of the Collective Transport System (STU) Metro and El Rodeo of the 2 of the Metrobús. This generates a benefit for local merchants and workers because Iztapalapa belongs to the metropolitan area of Valle de México, foreign transport is carried out by the four bus stations and the only airport that Mexico City has, none of these facilities are located in the territory of the demarcation.

In September 2020, the expansion of Metrobús line 5 began operations in its San Lázaro-Las Bombas section, connecting Iztapalapa with 11 stations on axis 3 east from Canal de Apatlaco to Calzada Taxqueña, complementing the route of line 8 of the subway, with whom it shares this in the demarcation from the Apatlaco station to the Escuadrón 201 station.

Restart of operations

On October 27, 2015, the director of the Metro Collective Transport System, Jorge Gaviño Ambriz confirmed the restart of operations at the Periférico Oriente, Calle 11, Lomas Estrella, San Andrés Tomatlán and Culhuacán stations starting the following day, October 28 at 11:00 GMT -6 (17:00 GMT) and in the usual subway service hours from October 29. Meanwhile, the Periférico Oriente station would serve as a provisional terminal until work was completed on the remaining section, from the Tezonco station to the Tláhuac terminal, while the free service with RTP trucks would now be offered from Periférico Oriente to Tláhuac.

On November 29, 2015 at 10:00 GMT -6 (16:00 GMT) the Head of Government of the Federal District, Miguel Ángel Mancera leads the resumption of service in the remaining section, from the Tezonco station to the Tláhuac terminal, which restarts the service on the entire line at the usual metro service hours as of November 30, 2015 and the support transport with RTP trucks is completely withdrawn.

The following stations of the Mexico City Metro cross the demarcation.

Station	Line
Constitution of 1917
UAM-I
Cerro de la Estrella
Iztapalapa
Atlalilco
Squad 201
Aculco
Apatlaco
Tezonco
Peripheral East
Calle 11
Lomas Estrella
San Andrés Tomatlán
Culhuacán
Mexicaltzingo
Santa Marta
Acatitla
Old Rock
Guelatao
Tepalcates

Economy

Of the employed population and divided into the 3 activity sectors (tertiary, secondary and primary), the latest Population and Housing Census 2010 of INEGI, reports zero to the Primary Sector, leaving the Secondary and Tertiary as the that operate in the demarcation.

Personnel Employed in Economic Activities, according to the census

Of the 40 municipalities and delegations that stood out at the national level, with more than 100,000 people employed in the 2009 Economic Census, for the year 2003 the employed personnel amounted to 266,179, of these 62.4% corresponded to men and 37.6% to women.

Five years later, the general total increased to 9.6% of employed people, where 62.6% are men and 37.4% are women.

Compared to 2008, there is a percentage increase of 2 tenths for employed men and a decrease of the same number for women.

Services to the community

• Logistic support.

• Arrangement of green areas.

• Free legal advice.

• Attention to lack of drinking water

• Bachelor of Asphalt Carpet.

• Balizamientos.

• Construction and/or repair of stools and sidewalls

• Drainage break.

• Maintenance to the lighting of parks and gardens.

• Women ' s Care Module (MODAM).
• Public trade permit.

• Poda of tree in secondary public.

• Public collection: branches, trunks, pruning waste.

• Repair and maintenance of public lighting.

• Repairs of drinking water leaks.

• Retirement of cascajo product from Obra Pública.

• Multiple-use rooms or community centres.

• Water supply in tanks or pipes

• Tree size.

• Flood colander.

• Canine Control (anti-rrabicus)

Cultural services

The district headquarters has 46 small libraries spread throughout the district, which offer reading aloud, literary gatherings, and other cultural activities related to books. The largest of them is the Alonso de Axayácatl library, located in the Vicente Guerrero neighborhood. In addition to the collections of public higher schools, which are open to the public.

The cultural offer in Iztapalapa is limited. It has an auditorium, and several cultural centers, although of them, only La Fábrica de Artes y Oficios de Oriente (El FARO de Oriente) located near the Acatitla metro line "A" from the subway, and next to the Solidarity Unit, has some significance in the Federal District. FARO trains artists and artisans of painting, music and popular arts. Its clientele is made up especially of young people, which is why it is more oriented towards non-commercial alternatives to cultural activity. It has served the same for exhibitions of photography, painting and sculpture, as well as a stage for rock concerts (or plays) in indigenous languages. For their part, the UAM and the UACM also have establishments for cultural diffusion and artistic training. The first operates the Casa de Las Bombas, located in the old facilities of a water pump from the thirties; and the second converted a section of the old Santa Martha Women's Prison into Casa Libertad.

For leisure and cultural activities, theme parks for the rights of boys and girls called "Patoli" were created. They are spaces where the children who visit it learn the rights and values of democracy, which can be read on attractive signs. In addition, between games, attitudes are formed, reaffirming their principles and the importance of respecting and sharing with their peers. Currently in the Iztapalapa mayor's office there are four: in Periférico Oriente, El Salado, Canal Nacional and Teotongo.

It has an annual commemoration that is the Representation of Christ, promoted by the residents themselves. It is possible to appreciate the latter playing some role within it. This event is important for the delegation, since it has more than 1,500,000 visitors that represent a significant economic spillover. This representation is the result of a promise made by the people of Iztapalapa; When the then inhabitants were going through a cholera epidemic, they promised to hold this commemoration every year if the disease ended. To this day, this promise has been fully fulfilled.

Sports services

Iztapalapa has been concerned with promoting the culture of sports, for which it has 14 sports centers, such as those of Santa Cruz Meyehualco, Ejidal 10 and Deportivo México, among others. It also has more than 25 soccer fields distributed at different points and 100 new outdoor gyms were recently inaugurated. In this way, the inhabitants of Iztapalapa will be able to enjoy public sports spaces to play and also take advantage of the free activities offered in these places, such as: aerobic exercises, soccer tournaments and zumba. For all those lovers of water sports, in Iztapalapa there is the "Salvador Allende" Sports Training School, where swimming, diving and synchronized swimming classes are taught, in a well-kept and clean Olympic pool.

Health services

The government of Iztapalapa operates 16 small clinics known as Peripheral Clinics, whose purpose is to address the chronic lack of these services in the territory. Most of them are found in the most marginalized areas (Santa Catarina, San Lorenzo Tezonco and Santa Cruz-Quetzalcóatl). These outlying clinics provide basic maternal and child health care services, dental consultation, and acute illnesses. The Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) and the Institute of Security and Social Services for State Service Workers (ISSSTE) provide their family medicine and hospitalization services, each in four clinics. In addition, in 2005, the Government of the Federal District built the Mexico City Specialty Hospital in Tezonco, in order to provide highly specialized medical services to the population in the eastern part of the Federal District..

Within the health services of Iztapalapa, apart from the ISSSTE and IMSS Hospitals, there are also Hospitals that belong to the Government of the Federal District and which are: The General Hospital of Iztapalapa, located in A. Ermita Iztapalapa N º 3018, Col. Citlali, C. P. 09660 and tel 5429 3210 and the Pediatric Hospital of Iztapalapa located at Avenida Ermita Iztapalapa No. 780 Col. Granjas San Antonio. However, the demand for medical services is not yet fully covered in the Delegation.

The Delegation has 13.6% of the human resources that exist in all the medical units of the City, which in absolute numbers means that 2,974 people of the almost 22,000 that make up the personnel in this area attend to the inhabitants of this demarcation.

In relation to material resources, the Iztapalapa Delegation registers 16.7% of the censurable beds, having 386 of the 2,306 in the City. In other items referring to material resources, the Delegation has a greater or lesser participation.

There are Health Centers for each community and they have services such as free vaccination campaigns, contraceptive method services, consultations, and citizens can register with Seguro Popular, a free life insurance that makes consultations, for yes cheap, once again free, medicines and other services become more accessible to taxpayers.

The public health services of the federal district in coordination with the health jurisdiction IX Iztapalapa; they carry out health activities carrying out detections in the entire community at risk or who cannot go to a health unit, in which we can observe glucose intake, rapid prostate antigen test, mammography, cervical-uterine cancer tests and consultation general, dental consultation and vaccinations. In order to be able to bring everyone the right to health.

The health jurisdiction of Iztapalapa in comparison with the other jurisdictions has been by far one of the best and with a high number of services provided to the citizens of this delegation, it is worth mentioning that it provides one of the best services for the most vulnerable population. Proof of this was the massive program "doctor to your home" where highly trained doctors, dentists, nurses and social workers participated to provide consultations at no cost to older adults, people with disabilities and pregnant women, in order to guarantee and be able to carry the right to health to this population that needs it most.

On November 26, 2011, the Teletón Children's Rehabilitation Center was inaugurated, located in Bilbao N° 528, corner of Canal de Garay or Periférico Oriente, Colonia Bellavista (San Juan Estrella), Casa Blanca, Iztapalapa, Distrito Federal, C.P. 09860. with capacity for approximately 1000 children with different abilities.

The problem of water supply

Iztapalapa is the easternmost district of Mexico City. This complicates the provision of drinking water for the area. In Iztapalapa there are several wells for extracting water from underground aquifers. They are found around the Sierra de Santa Catarina. However, they are not enough to meet the demand for water. For this reason, a portion of the water obtained from the Cutzamala System (which carries water from the Balsas River basin to the Valley of Mexico) is destined for Iztapalapa; although it is not enough to solve the question. In the dry season, the scarcity of water is accentuated, especially in the upper parts of San Lorenzo Tezonco, Santa Cruz-Quetzalcoatl and Santa Catarina.

It is worth mentioning that data from the National Water Commission indicates that 4,870 liters per second are allocated to this demarcation, a volume greater than that recommended by the UN for each inhabitant; however, it is estimated that between 40 and 50 percent it is lost in leaks due to lack of infrastructure and leaks in homes. The lack of water in Mexico City is serious, in the case of the Iztapalapa mayor's office it is alarming. According to the local and federal authorities, more than 35 percent of the liquid is lost in leaks and clandestine intakes, to which should be added that in its latest work report, the Mexico City water system (SACM) estimated that only in 2011, the problem generated losses of more than 460 million pesos.

In 2010, inspired by the theme of water scarcity in the popular imagination, the filmmaker Alejandro Gerber Bicecci shot the film Vaho, where various stories about marginalization, adolescence and urban violence are interwoven, some of the locations of the film are emblematic places in the urban landscape of Iztapalapa, among which we can point out: The tianguis de las Torres, the whereabouts of Metro Constitución of 1917, the Vicente Guerrero Housing Unit, El Peñón del Marqués, the Braulio Rodríguez Elementary School and the Central Carga de Oriente, to mention a few.

Trade

Among the most important places of commerce and supply, there are the tianguis, which are the largest sector per unit, followed by the public markets, markets on wheels and finally the supply center; Considered as the meeting point between producers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers from all over the country, it is a place where more than 250,000 people come daily to satisfy the requirements of more than 20 million inhabitants of the Metropolitan Area. The diversity of fruits, vegetables, flowers, vegetables, groceries and cold meats make the Central de Abasto, which extends to 328 hectares, the most important commercialization center. There is also the La Nueva Viga fish and seafood market: It has 202 wholesale warehouses and 165 local flea markets. La Nueva Viga sells about 60% of the national production of scaled fish and 60% of molluscs and crustaceans, as well as other species of foreign origin. La Nueva Viga is after Tokyo, the largest fish and seafood market in the world. It started operating in February 1993.

Informal trade

This type of trade has partly faded the image of the demarcation, since it is established anywhere, where there is an opportunity, it has created a problem in public safety and pollution. In terms of contamination, they produce large amounts of garbage, which are not responsible for giving it its corresponding location, thus generating a very large problem of contamination and a bad appearance for the delegation.

The tianguis El Salado next to the Acatitla metro, in Iztapalapa is one of the main points of contamination produced by informal commerce, nobody is responsible for the tons of garbage that are produced by this tianguis, many of the neighbors who live where this street market is located, many times they clean the street, many of the residents of this area have tried to get the authorities to do something about it, but the authorities have not done what is necessary to control the contamination that produces this flea market.

Despite the ecological problems of this type of trade, it is for many people a source of family income without which they would be in great difficulty.

The items found in the tianguis are varied, they can be new or used, sometimes what is considered garbage here is for sale, although it is difficult to go out or enter the nearby units, it is an economical source important.

Another example is the tianguis de las torres on Saturdays and Sundays located on Av. Las Torres.

The tianguis de las torres is one of the largest in the city and you can find everything there: tools, toys, food, movies, spare parts, etc. One of the characteristics of the delegation is the innumerable amount of street markets and markets on wheels that there are. According to INEGI figures, more than 40% of the population of Iztapalapa is economically active and of that figure, 21% is engaged in informal work. However, the tianguis not only represent a source of income and consumption, they represent a strong neighborhood and housing identity.

During the last few years, the Santa Cruz Meyehualco flea market, located in the Santa Cruz Meyehualco Housing Unit, has been considered one of the five largest in the Federal District. According to INEGI, of the total economically active residents of the Unit, a quarter is engaged in informal commerce. The flea market is held on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays and occupies approximately 36 streets (the one on Tuesdays is the largest), it is very popular, since you can find any variety of products, from car parts (mostly stolen), to paca clothes, passing through chatter, used objects, used clothes, electronic objects, beauty (perfumes and cosmetics), personal hygiene, cleaning, school supplies and stationery, shoes, tennis, food, fried food, among many others. further.

Inside the tianguis, there is Mi Mercado de Santa Cruz Meyehualco, which plays an important role, since it influenced the opening and growth of the tianguis, as well as the attendance of the people. Most people don't know the history of the street market well, because it has been a long time since it was established and many merchants have annexed from different places and they don't know anything about its origin anymore, but the street market is not just a commercial space, but a space in which people play roles of identity, neighborhood solidarity and leadership.

Another street market that is located in Iztapalapa, on the border with Nezahualcóyotl, is San Juan-Pantitlán, located on Texcoco avenue, Juárez-Pantitlán and Juan Escutia neighborhoods, between Calle 7 and Adolfo López Mateos avenue, the which one, is set on Wednesdays and Sundays, where you can also find used things, chatter, personal hygiene and cleaning products, used and also new clothes, food stalls, chelerias, sale of fruits and vegetables, meat, things pantry etc.

Notable people of Iztapalapa

• Cuitláhuac, penultimate tlatoani mexica, who beat the Spaniards on June 30, 1521, on the day of the famous Triste Night in which the Spaniards and their Taxcal allies had to flee from Tenochtitlan.

• Los Angeles Azules, The Los Angeles Azules group was formed in the Iztapalapa delegation of the Federal District, Mexico, in 1976. They started playing their first notes on acoustic guitars and toy bongos, starting three brothers of the Mejía Avante family (Elías P., J. Alfredo and J. Hilario).

• Herminio Chavarría, Zapatista General from Santa María Aztahuacán, was assigned the assault on Santa Anita during the takeover of Mexico City; in this confrontation a bullet hit him right leg; he died in Cuautla on December 6, 1914. An avenue of the Ejidal Urban Zone of Santa Maria Aztahuacán bears its name.

• Manuel Cañas, Oriundo of the village of Santa Cruz Meyehualco, promoted as Colonel by Francisco I. Madero in 1910. When the General Zapata heard of Colonel Manuel Cañas' battle against the feds at the “Cerro de la Estrella”, I command him to call to give him the grade of General. Rumbo to meet Emiliano Zapata, Manuel Cañas was emboldened by a bull and died in Cocoyoc in 1915.

• Teófilo Cedillo, Born in the village of Iztapalapa on February 6, 1900. In 1923, he was appointed Municipal President of Iztapalapa. Among the works he performed is the road that gave access to the “Cerro de la Estrella”, where the party of the “Fuego Nuevo” is celebrated. In addition, he ordered the construction of a recreational park for families in the region to attend field days. The reforestation of the whole area was also carried out and the school “Teófilo Cedillo” was built, on land that some neighbors considered of the clergy, which led to a conspiracy against them and was killed on April 11, 1929.

• Juan Morales Rodríguez, Born in Iztapalapa on March 30, 1907. Despite the few economic resources it had and the lack of institutional support that prevailed in the country in those years, it was an athlete who could stand out in the harsh sport of athletics. The competencies he dominated were 10,000 and 5000 meters. Among its most important achievements are: Gold Medal in the 10 000 meters test in the 1953 Central American Games, held in El Salvador; silver medal in the 5000 meters within the same games; 7th place in the Los Angeles Olympics in 1932. At the time, Juan Morales was recognized by various personalities, such as Plutarco Elías Calles and the president of the Pascual Ortiz Rubio Republic. Juan Morales Rodríguez always ran with the name Iztapalapa.

• Manuel Maguey Cedillo, Born in Iztapalapa on November 26, 1913, from a very early age he learned to speak the Nahuatl language; he studied primary school in Enrique Laubscher and in his youth he joined the Conservatory of Music, where he studied violin. At the end of 1930, he was appointed secretary of the Iztapalapense Democratic Front and participated in the campaign of General Juan Almazán. In the year of 1973, he is elected president of the Pro-Archeological Patronate and Museo del Cerro de la Estrella. In 1975, together with Mr. Rafael Álvarez Pérez and Mr. Lic. Jorge de León, they get the first place in the TV contest “Mi Ciudad”. Subsequently, in the month of September 1975 he led the ceremony of the Pan-American Fire ignition, since Mexico was home to such games. In 1976 a museum was built in the Cerro de la Estrella and for approximately three years it was at the head of the museum, at a time it entered the Center for Anthropological Research of Mexico, where it had the opportunity to delve into the study of history and to disseminate through various conferences and publications in the main capital journals the history and customs of Iztapalapa, which was worth the recognition of the “Franty of Mexico” He died on 27 April 1991.

• Fidela Rodríguez, born in Iztapalapa in 1915, studied primary school at the “Enrique Laubscher” school and then entered high school 6 in San Ildefonso, at the same time he studied musical studies at the Conservatory. In 1936 he entered the National School of Teachers, completing his studies in 1941. Ten years she worked as a teacher at Emiliano Zapata school in Santa María Tomatlán and in 1951 she joined the “Enrique Laubscher” school. At the same time, he has participated in the choir of Fine Arts since 1943, acting in several important works such as soprano, presenting himself in the Manuel M. Ponce room and performing artistic tours inside the country. In 1962 he led the choir of the Iztapalapa Delegation.

• Hermilo Ramírez Valle, Born in Iztapalapa on January 13, 1937. In 1956 he entered the Academy of San Carlos to study Plastic Arts; he finished in 1960 with the highest honors. He was assistant to Augusto Escobedo and Ignacio Asunsola in his chairs in San Carlos. In 1960 he is commissioned to make several sculptures for Tlanepantla; he performs the statue “Cuitláhuac” which is displayed in the esplanade of the Cuitláhuac Garden of the Iztapalapa Delegation. In 1970 he made the statue of General Lázaro Cárdenas for Tamaulipas. In 1974 he made the monument of “Cuitláhuac” in Iztapalapa and the relief sculpture “Cuitláhuac: winner of the myth”. In 1978 he made the sculpture of Our Lady of Assumption in Puebla. In 1980 he participated in an exhibition in Montreal. In 1980, 1989 and 1990 he was commissioned to make the series of trophies for the “horse sickness” in Texcoco. In 1981 he is commissioned by the state of Hidalgo to make a statue of Zapata. During his career he participated in numerous collective and individual exhibitions.

• Lorenzo Alvarado, Born in Iztapalapa in 1906 and studied in San Carlos with Fidias Elizondo and Luis Ortiz Monasterio. He was a professor at ENAP and the University of Women. His thought evolved from acadesism to abstractionism. Among her works are: The Virgin of Los Angeles, La Piedad in Guatemala, Xicoténcatl in Tlaxcala and Un Cristo in San Antonio Texas.

• Billy Escobar, Born in Iztapalapa in 1992. Graduated in Communication and Journalism Sciences, he has had a great tour of digital media, until his retirement in 2019, combining his career as Technical Director in training football in different academies such as Liverpool Mexico and Atlas Mexico. In 2018 he is headlined as Scouting and Professional Game Analyst in Barcelona, Spain at MBP School of Coaches. In 2020 he dedicates himself to his sports career and is one of the Mexican trainers with the most future.

Sister cities

The delegation signed an agreement with 4 South American cities

• Porto Alegre, Brazil
• Guarulhos, Brazil
• Ocaña, Colombia
• Quito, Ecuador

In addition to having Letters of Intent of Twinning Agreements.

• Montevideo, Uruguay