🇲🇽 Mexico City (Ciudad de México), abbreviated as CDMX; is the capital and largest city of Mexico and the most populous city in North America.Mexico City is one of the most important cultural and financial centres in the world. It is located in the Valley of Mexico (Valle de México), a large valley in the high plateau in the centre of Mexico. The city has 16 subdivisions known as boroughs or demarcaciones territoriales.
Greater Mexico City has a GDP of $411 billion in 2011, which makes it one of the most productive urban areas in the world. The city was responsible for generating 15.8% of Mexico's GDP, and the metropolitan area accounted for about 22% of the country's GDP.
Mexico's capital is both the oldest capital city in the Americas and was founded by indigenous people. The city was originally built on an island of Lake Texcoco by the Aztecs in 1325 as Tenochtitlan, which was almost completely destroyed in the 1521 Siege of Tenochtitlan and subsequently redesigned and rebuilt in accordance with the Spanish urban standards. In 1524, the municipality of Mexico City was established, known as México Tenochtitlán, and as of 1585, it was officially known as Ciudad de México (Mexico City). After independence from Spain was achieved, the federal district was created in 1824.
1Economy Mexico City is one of the most important economic hubs in Latin America. The city proper produces 15.8% of the country's gross domestic product. According to a study conducted by PwC, Mexico City had a GDP of $390 billion, ranking it as the eighth richest city in the world and the richest in Latin America. Mexico City alone would rank as the 30th largest economy in the world. Mexico City is the greatest contributor to the country's industrial GDP (15.8%) and also the greatest contributor to the country's GDP in the service sector (25.3%). Due to the limited non-urbanized space at the south—most of which is protected through environmental laws—the contribution of Mexico City in agriculture is the smallest of all federal entities in the country.
In 2002, Mexico City had a Human Development Index score of 0.915, identical to that of South Korea. The top twelve percent of GDP per capita holders in the city had a mean disposable income of US$98,517 in 2007. The high spending power of Mexico City inhabitants makes the city attractive for companies offering prestige and luxury goods.
The economic reforms of President Carlos Salinas de Gortari had a tremendous effect on the city, as a number of businesses, including banks and airlines, were privatized. He also signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This led to decentralization and a shift in Mexico City's economic base, from manufacturing to services, as most factories moved away to either the State of Mexico, or more commonly to the northern border. By contrast, corporate office buildings set their base in the city.
1Retail Mexico City offers an immense and varied consumer retail market, ranging from basic foods to ultra high-end luxury goods. Consumers may buy in fixed indoor markets, in mobile markets (tianguis), from street vendors, from downtown shops in a street dedicated to a certain type of good, in convenience stores and traditional neighborhood stores, in modern supermarkets, in warehouse and membership stores and the shopping centres that they anchor, in department stores, in big-box stores, and in modern shopping malls. In addition, "tianguis" or mobile markets set up shop on streets in many neighborhoods, depending on day of week. Sundays see the largest number of these markets.
The city's main source of fresh produce is the Central de Abasto. This in itself is a self-contained mini-city in Iztapalapa borough covering an area equivalent to several dozen city blocks. The wholesale market supplies most of the city's "mercados", supermarkets and restaurants, as well as people who come to buy the produce for themselves. Tons of fresh produce are trucked in from all over Mexico every day. The principal fish market is known as La Nueva Viga, in the same complex as the Central de Abastos. The world-renowned market of Tepito occupies 25 blocks, and sells a variety of products. A staple for consumers in the city is the omnipresent "mercado". Every major neighborhood in the city has its own borough-regulated market, often more than one. These are large well-established facilities offering most basic products, such as fresh produce and meat/poultry, dry goods, tortillerías, and many other services such as locksmiths, herbal medicine, hardware goods, sewing implements; and a multitude of stands offering freshly made, home-style cooking and drinks in the tradition of aguas frescas and atole.
Street vendors ply their trade from stalls in the tianguis as well as at non-officially controlled concentrations around metro stations and hospitals; at plazas comerciales, where vendors of a certain "theme" (e.g. stationery) are housed; originally these were organized to accommodate vendors formerly selling on the street; or simply from improvised stalls on a city sidewalk. In addition, food and goods are sold from people walking with baskets, pushing carts, from bicycles or the backs of trucks, or simply from a tarp or cloth laid on the ground. In the centre of the city informal street vendors are increasingly targeted by laws and prosecution. The weekly San Felipe de Jesús Tianguis is reported to be the largest in Latin America.
The Historic Center of Mexico City is widely known for specialised, often low-cost retailers. Certain blocks or streets are dedicated to shops selling a certain type of merchandise, with areas dedicated to over 40 categories such as home appliances, lamps and electricals, closets and bathrooms, housewares, wedding dresses, jukeboxes, printing, office furniture and safes, books, photography, jewelry, and opticians. The main department stores are also represented downtown. Traditional markets downtown include the La Merced Market; the Mercado de Jamaica specializes in fresh flowers, the Mercado de Sonora in the occult, and La Lagunilla in furniture. Ethnic shopping areas are located in Chinatown, downtown along Calle Dolores, but Mexico City's Koreatown, or Pequeño Seúl, is located in the Zona Rosa.
Large, modern chain supermarkets, hypermarkets and warehouse clubs including Soriana, Comercial Mexicana, Chedraui, Bodega Aurrerá, Walmart and Costco, are located across the city. Many anchor shopping centres that contain smaller shops, services, a food court and sometimes cinemas. Small "mom-and-pop" corner stores ("abarroterías" or more colloquially as "changarros") abound in all neighborhoods, rich and poor. These are small shops offering basics such as soft drinks, packaged snacks, canned goods and dairy products. Thousands of C-stores or corner stores, such as Oxxo, 7-Eleven and Extra are located throughout the city.
1Tourist Industry Mexico City is a destination for many foreign tourists. The Historic centre of Mexico City (Centro Histórico) and the "floating gardens" of Xochimilco in the southern borough have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Landmarks in the Historic Center include the Plaza de la Constitución (Zócalo), the main central square with its epoch-contrasting Spanish-era Metropolitan Cathedral and National Palace, ancient Aztec temple ruins Templo Mayor ("Major Temple") and modern structures, all within a few steps of one another. (The Templo Mayor was discovered in 1978 while workers were digging to place underground electric cables).
The most recognizable icon of Mexico City is the golden Angel of Independence on the wide, elegant avenue Paseo de la Reforma, modeled by the order of the Emperor Maximilian of Mexico after the Champs-Élysées in Paris. This avenue was designed over the Americas' oldest known major roadway in the 19th century to connect the National Palace (seat of government) with the Castle of Chapultepec, the imperial residence. Today, this avenue is an important financial district in which the Mexican Stock Exchange and several corporate headquarters are located. Another important avenue is the Avenida de los Insurgentes, which extends 28.8 km (17.9 mi) and is one of the longest single avenues in the world. Chapultepec Park houses the Chapultepec Castle, now a museum on a hill that overlooks the park and its numerous museums, monuments and the national zoo and the National Museum of Anthropology (which houses the Aztec Calendar Stone). Another piece of architecture is the Palacio de Bellas Artes, a white marble theater/museum whose weight is such that it has gradually been sinking into the soft ground below. Its construction began during the presidency of Porfirio Díaz and ended in 1934, after being interrupted by the Mexican Revolution in the 1920s. The Plaza de las Tres Culturas, in this square are located the College of Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco, that is the first and oldest European school of higher learning in the Americas, and the archeological site of the city-state of Tlatelolco, and the shrine and Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe are also important sites. There is a double-decker bus, known as the "Turibus", that circles most of these sites, and has timed audio describing the sites in multiple languages as they are passed.
In addition, according to the Secretariat of Tourism, the city has about 170 museums—is among the top ten of cities in the world with highest number of museums—over 100 art galleries, and some 30 concert halls, all of which maintain a constant cultural activity during the whole year. Many areas (e.g. Palacio Nacional and the National Institute of Cardiology) have murals painted by Diego Rivera. He and his wife Frida Kahlo lived in Coyoacán, where several of their homes, studios, and art collections are open to the public. The house where Leon Trotsky was initially granted asylum and finally murdered in 1940 is also in Coyoacán. In addition, there are several haciendas that are now restaurants, such as the San Ángel Inn, the Hacienda de Tlalpan, Hacienda de Cortés and the Hacienda de los Morales.
1Mexico City is rated Alpha by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) which evaluates and ranks the relationships between world cities in the context of globalisation. Alpha level cities are linked to major economic states and regions and into the world economy.
Mexico City is the #44 city in the world according to the Global Power City Index (GPCI) which evaluates and ranks the major cities of the world according to their magnetism, or their comprehensive power to attract people, capital, and enterprises from around the world. It does so through measuring six key functions: Economy, Research and Development, Cultural Interaction, Liveability, Environment, and Accessibility.
Mexico City is the #59 city in the world according to the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) which evaluates and ranks the competitiveness of the major financial centres of the world according to a wide range of criteria – Human Capital, Business, Finance, Infrastructure and Reputation.
Mexico City is ranked #128 and rated C by the Global Urban Competitiveness Report (GUCR) which evaluates and ranks world cities in the context of economic competitiveness. C cities are international gateway cities. Mexico City has a population of over 9,209,944 people. Mexico City also forms part of the Greater Mexico City Metropolitan Area which has a population of over 21,804,515 people. Mexico City is ranked #50 for startups with a score of 8.385.
To set up a UBI Lab for Mexico City see: https://www.ubilabnetwork.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/UBILabNetwork
Mexico City is a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for Design see: https://en.unesco.org/creative-cities
Twin Towns, Sister Cities Mexico City has links with:
🇦🇩 Andorra la Vella, Andorra 🇹🇷 Bağcılar, Turkey 🇨🇳 Beijing, China 🇩🇪 Berlin, Germany 🇺🇸 Boston, USA 🇦🇷 Buenos Aires, Argentina 🇪🇸 Cadiz, Spain 🇻🇪 Caracas, Venezuela 🇨🇺 Cerro, Cuba 🇨🇳 Cheongwen, China 🇺🇸 Chicago, USA 🇪🇸 Coslada, Spain 🇵🇪 Cusco, Perú 🇹🇷 Esenyurt, Turkey 🇲🇽 Guadalajara, Mexico 🇲🇽 Guanajuato City, Mexico 🇨🇺 Havana, Cuba 🇹🇷 Istanbul, Turkey 🇰🇼 Kuwait City, Kuwait 🇺🇦 Kyiv, Ukraine 🇵🇹 Lisbon, Portugal 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, USA 🇪🇸 Madrid, Spain 🇳🇮 Managua, Nicaragua 🇺🇾 Montevideo, Uruguay 🇯🇵 Nagoya, Japan 🇵🇪 Paita, Perú 🇫🇷 Paris, France 🇪🇨 Quito, Ecuador 🇮🇸 Reykjavík, Iceland 🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 🇺🇿 Samarkand, Uzbekistan 🇨🇺 San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba 🇨🇷 San José, Costa Rica 🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea 🇨🇳 Shunyi, China 🇭🇳 Tegucigalpa, HondurasUNESCO Creative Cities for Design include: 🇯🇵 Asahikawa 🇹🇲 Ashgabat 🇦🇿 Baku 🇮🇩 Bandung 🇹🇭 Bangkok 🇩🇪 Berlin 🇪🇸 Bilbao 🇧🇷 Brasília 🇭🇺 Budapest 🇦🇷 Buenos Aires 🇿🇦 Cape Town 🇵🇭 Cebu City 🇲🇪 Cetinje 🇹🇭 Chiang Rai 🇨🇳 Chongqing 🇧🇷 Curitiba 🇺🇸 Detroit 🏴 Dundee 🇧🇷 Fortaleza 🇦🇺 Geelong 🇳🇮 Granada 🇦🇹 Graz 🇻🇳 Hanoi 🇫🇮 Helsinki 🇹🇷 Istanbul 🇱🇹 Kaunas 🇯🇵 Kōbe 🇩🇰 Kolding 🇧🇪 Kortrijk 🇲🇽 Mexico City 🇨🇦 Montreal 🇧🇭 Muharraq 🇯🇵 Nagoya 🇲🇽 Puebla 🇲🇽 Querétaro 🇫🇷 Saint-Étienne 🇨🇷 San José 🇰🇷 Seoul 🇨🇳 Shanghai 🇨🇳 Shenzhen 🇸🇬 Singapore 🇮🇹 Turin 🇪🇸 València 🇨🇳 Wuhan
🇲🇽 Cuauhtémoc 19.433
🇩🇴 Santiago de los Caballeros 19.459
🇲🇽 Azcapotzalco 19.467
🇲🇽 Naucalpan de Juárez 19.467
🇮🇳 Vasai-Virar 19.47
🇲🇽 Gustavo Adolfo Madero 19.497
🇲🇽 Chimalhuacán 19.428
🇲🇽 Venustiano Carranza 19.417
🇮🇳 Nallasopara 19.415
🇲🇽 Nezahualcóyotl 19.41
🇲🇽 Benito Juárez 19.402
🇲🇽 Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl 19.4
🇲🇽 Gustavo Adolfo Madero -99.109
🇲🇽 Venustiano Carranza -99.1
🇲🇽 Iztapalapa -99.083
🇲🇽 Zumpango de Ocampo -99.083
🇲🇽 Ecatepec de Morelos -99.049
🇲🇽 Nezahualcóyotl -99.023
🇲🇽 Ciudad Valles -99.017
🇲🇽 Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl -99.017
🇲🇽 Xochimilco -99.133
🇲🇽 Cuauhtémoc -99.133
🇲🇽 Ciudad Victoria -99.154
🇲🇽 Benito Juárez -99.158
🇲🇽 Tultitlán de Mariano Escobedo -99.167
🇲🇽 Azcapotzalco -99.183
🇲🇽 Tlalnepantla de Baz -99.194
Locations Near: Mexico City -99.1331,19.4319
🇲🇽 Cuauhtémoc -99.133,19.433 d: 0.2
🇲🇽 Venustiano Carranza -99.1,19.417 d: 3.9
🇲🇽 Benito Juárez -99.158,19.402 d: 4.3
🇲🇽 Azcapotzalco -99.183,19.467 d: 6.5
🇲🇽 Gustavo Adolfo Madero -99.109,19.497 d: 7.7
🇲🇽 Coyoacán -99.15,19.35 d: 9.3
🇲🇽 Iztapalapa -99.083,19.35 d: 10.5
🇲🇽 Naucalpan de Juárez -99.233,19.467 d: 11.2
🇲🇽 Nezahualcóyotl -99.023,19.41 d: 11.8
🇲🇽 Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl -99.017,19.4 d: 12.7
Antipodal to: Mexico City 80.867,-19.432
🇲🇺 Port Mathurin 63.417,-19.683 d: 18187.2
🇲🇺 Centre de Flacq 57.718,-20.2 d: 17593.9
🇲🇺 Mahébourg 57.7,-20.407 d: 17592.8
🇲🇺 Goodlands 57.633,-20.033 d: 17584.4
🇲🇺 Rivière du Rempart 57.633,-20.05 d: 17584.4
🇲🇺 St Pierre 57.517,-20.217 d: 17573
🇲🇺 Curepipe 57.517,-20.317 d: 17573.3
🇲🇺 Port Louis 57.5,-20.15 d: 17571
🇲🇺 Mauritius 57.499,-20.162 d: 17570.9
🇲🇺 Port-Louis 57.496,-20.165 d: 17570.7