Las Lomas (Mexico City)
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Lomas de Chapultepec is a residencial neighborhood in Mexico City in the delegación (borough) of Miguel Hidalgo. It dates from around 1930, but its original name was Chapultepec Heights, home to some of the biggest mansions and wealthiest people in Mexico. It is located in northwestern Mexico City and is residential, although in recent years commercial and business areas are found in the area too. Its main entrance is by Paseo de la Reforma, just crossing Periférico.
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[edit] History
Las Lomas was founded in the 1930's as an expansion of Mexico City. It was originally created to house the mansions of the wealthy and powerful people of Mexico City, and was mostly built arround Paseo de la Reforma and Paseo de Las Palmas, to nearby avenues.
The Houses were built to imitate the styles and sizes of the houses in Pedregal (another neighborhood in Mexico City - located in the south, whereas lomas is in the northwest-) and mostly as a fresher and more secluded upscale neighborhood. Many of the houses built during that time - including the house of Mexico's richest man (Carlos Slim Helú)- are still standing in the area and constitute the largest mansions in the entire Lomas Area.
As time went Las Lomas expanded at an almost exponential rate. First came Lomas de Chapultepec, then it expanded into the nearby Estado de Mexico in the form of Lomas de Tecamachalco, Lomas de la Herradura therefore crossing the boundaries of Mexico city into another state and then into other surrounding area, which included Lomas Altas and Bosques de Las Lomas (which started after President Lopez Portillo build his gigantic estate - nicknamed La Colina del Perro - in the area).
Soon other areas followed, and as time went by Lomas became more affordable than it was originally intended. The houses were no longer gigantic mansions, but regular houses (which must be specified are still a lot larger and expensive than houses in any other parts of the city) and the are grew in size tremendously, being mostly inhabited by the upper class and the European immigrants that arrived in Mexico During that time.
During the 1990's and 2000's Lomas expanded at an almost ridiculous rate. Nearby landfills were demolished and turned into new "Lomas" neighborhoods (Interlomas mainly) and the nearby Section of Santa Fe became the main business center of Lomas as well as the quarters of most Universities in the City.
Today, Lomas occupies a large section of the city, is largely, if not entirely upscale, haas about 10 universities, a very large business disctrict and is mostly secluded from the rest of the city.
[edit] Geography
Las Lomas is located in the northwestern of Mexico City and was mostly created around thick, dense forests, which is why the area is rich in trees and plant life.
The area was constructed mostly without planning and pretty much grew randomly, which is why the entire area looks like a giant labyrinth in which it is very easy to get lost.
Being that it is a residential, upscale neighborhood, most people own cars, and there is very little public transportation in the form of buses. There is no subway and the nearest one is located at about 20-30 minutes by car.
[edit] The Name "Lomas"
Because the original "Las Lomas" constituted only a small neighborhood, further urban upscale developments in the surrounding areas expanded the Lomas area into several other new, nerby neighborhoods, all of which took the name "Lomas" - spanish for hills -to indicate they were part of the "Lomas" complex and concept. Some of the neighborhoods that stemmed from these expansions are Bosques de las Lomas, Lomas de Tecamachalco, Lomas de la Herradura, Lomas de las Palmas, Lomas Anahuac, Lomas Altas, Lomas de Bezares, Lomas de Santa Fe and Lomas de Vistahermosa, with Lomas de Chapultepec being the name of the original "Las Lomas".
Nowadays, the entire area encompassing the original Lomas and all other neighborhoods is colloquially called "Lomas" by outsiders, even though the people living in "Lomas" specify which part of Lomas they live in, be it Tecamachalco, Herradura, etc.
Mostly the name Lomas has come to signify wealth and status in contemporary Mexico City society, being that only few people can afford to live in the area.
