Colonias of Mexico City
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In Mexico, the neighborhoods of large metropolitan areas are known as colonias. One theory suggests that the name, which literally means colony, arose in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when one of the first urban developments outside Mexico City's core was built by a French immigrant colony. Unlike neighborhoods in the United States, colonias in Mexico City have a specific name which is used in all official documents and postal addresses. Usually, colonias are assigned a specific postal code; nonetheless, in recent urban developments, gated communities are also defined as colonias, yet they share the postal code with adjacent neighborhoods. When writing a postal address the name of the colonia must be specified followed by the postal code and preceding the name of the city, for example:
-
- Calle Insurgentes 145
- Colonia Condesa, 06767
- México, D.F.
- Calle Insurgentes 145
Some colonias have identifiable attributes:
- Centro - Covers the historic downtown of Mexico City (centro histórico).
- Condesa - Artistic district notable by its Art Deco architecture.
- Roma - Beaux Arts neighbourhood next to Condesa, one of the oldest in Mexico City.
- Ciudad satélite - Upper middle class suburban residential neighbourhood.
- Del Carmen - Historic, countercultural neighborhood in downtown Coyoacán.
- del Valle - Cradle of many important people in México history like José López Portillo
- Las Lomas - Upscale residential neighbourhood.
- Nápoles - Next to colonia del Valle, on both sides of Insurgentes avenue.
- San Ángel - Historic residential and shopping area.
- Santa Fe - Financial and business district.
- Jardines del Pedregal Upscale residential neighborhood next to UNAM.
- Polanco - Shopping, business and tourist area.
- Tepito - Popular flea market.
- Tlatelolco - Site of the Plaza de las Tres Culturas and the Tlatelolco massacre. High-density residential neighborhood.
- Villa Coapa - Middle class residential neighborhood and shopping area.
- Zona Rosa - Shopping district and tourist area. Also a gay-friendly area.
