Ciudad Satélite

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Satélite Towers

Satélite is a Greater Mexico City mid-class suburban area located in Naucalpan, State of Mexico. Officially the name corresponds only to the homonym neighbourhood, Ciudad Satélite, founded circa 1957. However, popular culture, market segmentation, availability of services, and of course idiosyncrasy as well of comings and goings of life in this area has helped to define Satélite as a huge area of Greater Mexico City's northwestern suburbs.

1 Definition
2 History
3 Sights
4 Education, Culture & Sports
5 Links

[edit] Definition

Satélite has many concepts within. As said earlier, Ciudad Satélite is the main neighbourhood or "core" of the entire area, which started as a different urbanistic concept (See History). But real estate developments through the ages have expanded completely the idea of any Greater Mexico City inhabitant about the word Satélite.

The project was approved by the president Miguel Alemán Valdés in 1948. The city was almost finished, but uninhabited in 1952. In that year people started to move in, because of the attractive prices. Public Services as the phone lines were not finished yet in all circuits. People had to use public phones. Ciudad Satélite didn't start to be massive populated until 1970's.

For some, the area can be divided into four parts: The south zone, which comprises from Las Américas neighbourhood, next to Naucalpan City Hall, Vista del Valle (after the famous Norwegian poet), Paseos del Bosque and El Mirador. Some even consider the neighbourhoods of San Mateo, La Florida and the Echegaray borough to be part of the South Zone of Satélite. The next zone would be the central-western zone. Technically, it consists of Ciudad Satélite, the core neighbourhood, Lomas Verdes, Boulevares, Naucalli Park, and even La Concordia. The third area is the northern zone: Fuentes de Satélite, Santa Cruz del Monte, Bellavista, Calacoaya, Alamedas and Santa Mónica neighbourhoods enter here.

Two more zones might be considered inside Satélite: the first one is called the far northern zone. The exclusion is explained because there is a huge low income zone (San Andrés Atenco) between the urban extension of what Satélite normally is considered and this neighbourhoods. The far northern zone includes neighbourhoods such as Valle Dorado, Arboledas, Pirules and even Club de Golf Hacienda. Finally, the last zone. Zona Esmeralda (Comprising Chiluca, Vallescondido and Sayavedra). This exclusion is easily explained because of the detachment between Satélite and Zona Esmeralda: several hectares of undeveloped grounds, Chamapa-Lechería highway and Madín dam divide the two urban extensions. Other factors are: a whole different urban concept and a higher income level. However, the inhabitants of Zona Esmeralda are also considered "satelucos", although that term is applied by the actual people that live there to a certain type of people who wander around through the streets in upgraded cars and a high-volumed popular tune. In the heart of Satélite, La Zona Azul, a couple of mainly commercial streets, this parade is most remarked on a Friday afternoon.

These zones mainly belong to Naucalpan, Tlalnepantla, and Atizapán de Zaragoza municipalities.

[edit] History

The only prehispanic facts known about the area are that once the Tlatilca culture lived in the area formed between Totolinga, Los Cuartos and Hondo rivers. (tucked inside the industrial zone of Naucalpan we can find a small museum). Later, during the colonial period, the Shrine of Our Lady of Los Remedios was built when a Spanish officer found the religious figure under a maguey plant. It is said that the small virgin had been brought by Gonzalo Rodríguez de Villafuerte. The shrine, which divides the Satélite area from the popular zones of Naucalpan municipality, was built in the sixteenth century, and in the architectural compound we can find the well-known caracoles or Los Remedios Aqueduct.

Ciudad Satélite, the core neighbourhood, started as a new urbanistic concept in the mid fifties, when the roaring extension of Mexico City and the upcoming of a new and energetic Middle Class forced the development of whole new neighbourhoods. The story of Las Torres de Satélite, the Greater Mexico City landmark for the area, is related in another article. It has been said that the grounds (in the northwestern suburbs of the city, near the old highway to Querétaro) originally belonged to a Mexican president: Miguel Alemán Valdés, who was in office from 1946 to 1952. He kept some acres and built a huge manor in Surgeons Circuit. Architect Mario Pani created most of the urban design. The great novelty in Ciudad Satélite is the total absence (at least in the core neighbourhood) of traffic lights, due to an ingenious street layout with "circuitos" or wide oval circuits where incorporation to other main roads allow to see if cars are coming. Each of Ciudad Satélite circuits has several streets with names of famous professionals relating to the circuit's name. The names of the circuits are the following: Centro Comercial (The Mall), Centro Cívico (Civical Center), Sculptors, Painters, Musicians, Mineralogists, Pedagogues, Scientists, Engineers, Teachers, Historians, Surgeons, Doctors, Geographers, Sailors, Playwrights, Orators, Missionaries, Architects, Poets, Novelists, Economists, Heroes, Jurists, Journalists, Diplomats, and the Two external circuits (Circunvalación Oriente y Circunvalación Poniente). The urban design and the original pricing for the grounds was deliberately intended for segmenting the new city into three areas: middle class, upper middle class and high class. Novelists and Economists were the circuits with the highest ground prices, so it is not a surprise that the most spectacular manors were built there. Many of Ciudad Satélite's houses were built in a functionalist style, absent of any kind of decorative elements in the facade. This also applies to the so-called Ciudad Satélite's cathedral, San Felipe de Jesús Sanctuary. This big, spectacular church features many functionalist style elements, as well as astounding paintings. Other styles present in the neighbourhood are colonial, modernist (vintage Mexican architecture), and Spanish or Californian colonial style.

The next neighbourhoods were developed in the next years, so the urban extension of Satélite area has been growing ever since.

Contemporary issues on Satélite include the big traffic problems (as this is a sleep-over zone, many people drive to Mexico City everyday), The decrepit state of many roads, some new concerns on car robberies, violations on environmental regulations, saturation and oversupply of real estate due to new developments, and unauthorized commerces in habitational designed zones. The three municipalities in which this area sprawls are governed by the National Action Party (Mexico) (PAN), creating which has been called "The blue corridor".

[edit] Sights

Many of the old history of the area is seen in Our Lady of Los Remedios Shrine and its aqueduct. House watching has never been a popular activity, but certainly there are many interesting architectural details to be seen.

The Satélite Towers. This landmark stands in the middle of Periferico, Mexico City's main Freeway. Built by Mathias Goeritz and Luis Barragán and inspired in the painter Jesus Reyes Ferreyra's ideas, it is truly a great piece of architecture. Due to the unusual fact that nobody really own the land over which they were built, they were not maintained by any government and had fallen into disrepair, until they were finally repainted in their original colors, which had been chosen by Barragán, and recovered their landmarking symbol in the late 90's.

Naucalli Park is a large extension of eucalypt forest devoted to the recreation of locals and other inhabitants of nearby areas. It used to be an ejido (communal agricultural grounds) called "Ejido de Oro". An expropriation decree converted it into a park which has a jogging circuit, many playground spots, monumental fountains, a convention center, an Agora (forum for art exhibits), a Culture House, the branch of a well-known Mexico City restaurant, an archery training ground, a big forum for classical music concerts (The State of Mexico Symphonic Orchestra used to play here on Sundays) and an amusement park with animatronic dinosaurs.

Plaza Satélite, built in the late sixties by the studio of the famous architect Juan Sordo Madaleno, is one of the biggest malls in Mexico City. It has undergone two full renewals and has all of the big department stores of the country, music stores, restaurants, boutiques, services and a big cinema complex.

Mundo E is a smaller, most middle to lower middle class tendered mall, with libraries, boutiques, another cinema complex, a fitness center and a couple of nightclubs.

Other smaller malls are: Heliplaza, Shopping Plaza and the commerces on Zona Esmeralda. A new and controversial big mall is being built at La Cúspide (The Summit), which is the area's highest ground.

The Mall Circuit Zone (Circuito Centro Comercial) is Satélite's central commercial zone. Besides the big mall, it includes several commerces such as restaurants, nightclubs, cafeterias, three different but excellent bookstores, banks, and all the usual suspects of a twenty first century suburb.

The Blue Zone (La Zona Azul) This nostalgic pair of commercial blocks have some of the first businesses that operated in the area. It is such a famous icon of Satélite that it is the local place for joy demonstrations after Mexican National Team's victories in soccer matches. A well-known ice cream and spicy fruit parlour is the main culinary attraction. There are of course other food options, a branch of a world class cafeteria and an old stationary store. The Blue zone is known for drag racing of motorcycles and custom tuned cars.

The Ruins of Acropolis. Originally built as an outdoor shopping mall. The Acropolis never obtained popularity and was abandoned. Nowadays it stands as one of the landmarks of ciudad satélite. Locals are proud of the unique style of the acropolis architecture.

Luis Barragán's sculptures can be seen in Arboledas neighbourhood. However, some monuments are in a decrepit state.

Parque de los Ciervos (Wild Deer Park) in Zona Esmeralda is a forest park where wild deers are raised. Picnic and playground facilities.

[edit] Education, Culture & Sports

Satélite is known for being an area with an excellent educational circuit: some good private schools as well as a couple of public junior highs have their home here. School competition is officially low but is a big issue of pride for many "satelucos", to the extent of determining a particular state of mind for each and anyone of them. The most important educational center is an UNAM Faculty of Superior Studies at Acatlán. The area also houses a UVM university campus.

Some of Mexico's best known Olympic medallists lived or live here. Examples are Carlos Mercenario, Soraya Jiménez and Fernando Platas. In the lower zone of bulevares, almost next to Acatlán Town are the fields of the zone representative teams, such as: The Buccaneers - Bucaneros -, the Cowboys - Vaqueros -, the Black Dogs - Perros Negros - and the Redskins - Pieles Rojas -. The second and fourth being the most famous outside Satélite. There is also a local soccer football league: Liga de Fútbol Satélite.

Cultural exports from Satélite include the members of the band Café Tacvba, troubadour Fernando Delgadillo and rock band Dildo. Also the Mexican cinema's golden age child star Evita Muñoz 'Chachita' and actress Ninel Conde. For more prominent "Satelucos", visit Satelín-Torres' list:[1] list.