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Mexico City

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: North American Geography

                      Mexico City
          Country         Mexico
           State          Federal District
        Municipality      Mexico City
          Founded
   Seat of the Government
   Capital of the Nation
     Head of government   Alejandro Encinas Rodríguez
            Area
           - City         km²
         Population
        - City (2005)     8,720,916
          - Density       5,741/km²
             Website: http://www.df.gob.mx

   Mexico City (Spanish: Ciudad de México, México D.F. or simply México,
   pronounced IPA: ['mexiko]) is the capital city of the nation of Mexico.
   The "Distrito Federal" is also commonly referred to as the "D.F." It is
   one of the largest cities in the world and is classed as a megalopolis
   as it encompasses one large city that has slowly engulfed other,
   smaller ones. It is located in the Valley of Mexico, a large valley in
   the high plateaus at the centre of Mexico, about 2,240 meters (7,349
   feet) above sea-level, surrounded on most sides by volcanoes towering
   at 4,000 to 5,500 meters (13,000 to 18,000 feet) above sea-level.

   Mexico City, as a municipality, was established in 1521 by Cortés in
   the middle of the now drained Lake Texcoco on the ruins of
   Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, and of its lesser-known
   twin city Tlatelolco. The municipality was abolished in 1928, and the
   name "Mexico City" can now refer to two things.

   Officially, the name "Ciudad de México" is used by the Distrito Federal
   (D.F.). The D.F. is a federal district serving as the capital of Mexico
   and which is administered by the Mexican Federal Government. The D.F.
   encompasses the historical centre of Mexico City, but is much larger
   than the historical municipality of Mexico City abolished in 1928. The
   urbanized area of Mexico City covers only the north of the D.F., while
   the south of the D.F. is made up of rural areas and mountains. Although
   the D.F. is not a municipality, the name "Ciudad de México" is used by
   Mexican authorities as a synonym for the Distrito Federal (Federal
   District).

   According to the Constitution of Mexico, Mexico City is the Federal
   District, (Distrito Federal). This is actually a fairly recent reform
   (dating from 1993) of Article 44 of the Constitution, and it was aimed
   at ending two centuries of quite sterile discussions (and occasional
   problems on jurisdiction) about whether one concept engulfed the other
   or even if one of the two entities really had any legal existence in
   lieu of the other. The complete text of the aforementioned reform also
   states that Mexico City is the seat of the Powers of the Union
   (Executive, Legislative and Judicial) and capital of the United Mexican
   States.

   In a broader meaning, "Mexico City" refers to the whole metropolitan
   area of Greater Mexico City. The metropolitan area extends beyond the
   limits of the D.F. and encompasses (as of 2000) 35 independent
   municipalities located in the State of México (Estado de México), to
   the north, east, and west of the D.F., extending as far north as the
   State of Hidalgo. The metropolitan area of Greater Mexico City had 17.8
   million inhabitants at the 2000 Mexican census. This means Mexico City
   is among the five most populated metropolitan areas in the world on par
   with Tokyo, New York City, Seoul and São Paulo.

   Mexico City, with its distinct mestizo culture, blending native Indian
   ( Nahuatl) and Spanish heritages, has in recent decades become one of
   the great financial, economic, educational, cultural, and tourist
   centers of the world.

History

   Public statue commemorating the foundation of Tenochtitlan
   Enlarge
   Public statue commemorating the foundation of Tenochtitlan

   The original Aztec city was established in 1325 as Tenochtitlan, and
   immediately became the centre of a growing Empire. Located on a small
   island on the middle of Lake Texcoco, the layout of the city forced the
   Aztecs to build artificial islands (chinampas) and create a series of
   canals to allow the growth of the metropolis. In fact, although the
   lake was salty, dams built by the Aztecs kept the city surrounded by
   clear water from the rivers that fed the lake. Two double aqueducts
   provided the city with fresh water; this was intended mainly for
   cleaning and washing.

   After centuries of pre-Columbian civilization, the Spanish conquistador
   Hernán Cortés first arrived in the area in 1519. He did not succeed in
   conquering the city until August 13, 1521, after a 79-day siege that
   destroyed most of the old Aztec city.

   In 1525 the rebuilt city served as the capital of the viceroyalty of
   New Spain and the political and cultural centre of Mexico. The
   importance of the city was such that the Captaincy General of
   Guatemala, Cuba, Florida, and the Philippines were administered from
   it. This colonial period culminated with the construction of the
   baroque Metropolitan Cathedral and the Basilica of Guadalupe.

   The outbreak of the War of Independence in 1810, and the eventual
   independence of the country in 1821 were unable to hamper the influence
   of the city even though it shook internal politics. The capital became
   host of the first ruler of the Mexican Empire, Agustin de Iturbide, and
   the year after he abdicated for the nation became a republic in March
   1823.
   Mexico City in 1628
   Enlarge
   Mexico City in 1628

   In 1824, the Mexican Federal District was established by the new
   government and by the signing of their new constitution, adapted off of
   the American one. Before this designation, Mexico City had served as
   the seat of government for both the State of Mexico and the nation as a
   whole. Toluca became the capital of the state of Mexico.

   The war with the United States led to an invasion into Mexico City by
   U.S. General Winfield Scott on Sept. 14, 1847, and obligated Mexico to
   cede the States of California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico
   and parts of Utah to the U.S. and recognize Texas as independent. The
   invasion culminated at the Castillo de Chapultepec (Chapultepec Palace)
   where young Mexican cadets (see Niños Héroes) fought helpless and
   outnumbered to keep the Americans from taking the symbolic castle. This
   event is remembered by a series of monolithic columns that bear their
   names at the base of the Castle. The short lived monarchy in 1864, led
   by Maximilian of Habsburg left its mark on the reconstruction of
   Chapultepec castle and other urban planning that was said to have been
   modeled after the Champs Elysee to help his wife Carlotta adjust to the
   city.

   A three decade long dictatorship under Porfirio Diaz left a French
   influence upon Mexico City. The stunning, gold Angel of Independence
   was built under his administration to celebrate the first centenary of
   the beginning of the War of Independence. Other urban highlights built
   at the time were the Palacio de Bellas Artes and the expansion of Paseo
   de la Reforma a la Champs-Élysées.

   Mexico City suffered from the Decena Trágica in February 1913. The
   Decena Trágica was a battle between Francisco I. Madero's forces and
   Felix Diaz's. The result was a massacre of civilians and a destroyed
   city.

   The post-revolutionary government of Mexico following the Mexican
   Revolution of 1910 reinforced the importance of the city which saw an
   important influx of immigrants during the rest of the 20th century.
   Most of the growth of Mexico City in population occurred in the late
   20th century. In 1950, the city had about 3 million inhabitants. By
   2000, the estimated population for the metropolitan area was around 18
   million.

Recent history

   Torre Latinoamericana, first Mexican skyscraper.
   Enlarge
   Torre Latinoamericana, first Mexican skyscraper.

   In 1968, the city hosted the Olympic Games, an event marred by the
   massacre of hundreds of students in what came to be known as the
   Tlatelolco Massacre. Another sporting event hosted by the city was the
   1970 FIFA World Cup, the final match of which took place in the Estadio
   Azteca.

   mexico city pic At 07:19 on September 19, 1985, the city was struck by
   an earthquake of magnitude 8.1 on the Richter scale which resulted in
   the deaths of between 5,000 (government estimate) to 20,000 people and
   rendered 50,000-90,000 people homeless. One hundred thousand housing
   units were destroyed, together with many government buildings. Up to
   USD $4 billion of damage was caused in three minutes. There was an
   additional magnitude 7.5 aftershock 36 hours later. USGS Earthquake
   Report. When Mexico City hosted the FIFA World Cup again in 1986, it
   was seen as evidence of its rapid recovery.

   During the 1990s, Mexico City continued to grow as an economic and
   cultural centre of international importance. The construction of new
   skyscrapers such as Latin America's tallest building, the Torre Mayor
   (a literal translation of which is Greater Tower), and World Trade
   Centre México (a remodelling of the Hotel de México, built in the
   1970's) and the never ending influx of immigrants made such development
   possible.

   Mexico City, as a municipality, had mayors (alcaldes, later known as
   presidentes municipales) until 1928 when the municipality (officially
   known as municipalidad de México) was abolished and its ayuntamiento
   (city hall corporation) disbanded. The municipality has never been
   recreated but in 1987 and 1993 local powers devolved from the federal
   government of Mexico to the inhabitants of the Mexican Federal District
   (Distrito Federal or D.F., within which lies the former municipality of
   Mexico City), and in 1997 the inhabitants of the D.F. were allowed for
   the first time to elect a Head of Government of the Federal District
   (Jefe de Gobierno del D.F.), who was previously appointed by the
   president of Mexico. Leftist leader Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas was the first
   elected Head of Government of the D.F. in 1997. The current (and
   fourth) Head of Government of the D.F. is Alejandro Encinas Rodríguez.
   The Head of Government of the D.F. is often presented to people outside
   of Mexico as the "mayor of Mexico City". Mexico City is an important
   financial centre of Latin America and virtually every foreign and
   domestic corporation has operations in the city. It produces 25% of
   Mexico’s $815 billion Nominal GDP ($1.1 trillion in PPP GDP) making
   Mexico City alone the 30th largest economy in the world. In addition,
   it is one of the most important cultural centers in the world boasting
   more museums than any other city. It has the fourth highest quantity of
   theaters in the world after New York, London and Toronto.

   On November 06, 2006, three small Semtex bombs exploded in the back
   door of the Federal Electoral Tribunal, the auditorium of the
   Institutional Revolutionary Party headquaters and a branch of
   Scotiabank. A number of unexploded devices were also found in a
   different Scotiabank branch and a Sanborns restaurant. Authorship of
   the attacks and their motive is unknown, though it has been speculated
   that a guerrilla group may be behind them.

Colonias (neighborhoods)

   In general, colonias are a recurrent feature in Mexican cities and
   larger towns. They are the basic geographical unit in Mexico City and
   in contrast to the delegaciones (the boroughs of the Mexican Federal
   District) they are always included in a persons address. However
   colonias do not have any administrative attributions, and as with most
   of the city's organization, there is no standard for the size,
   population or basic infrastructure to qualify as a colonia. To
   complicate things further, Mexico City inhabitants may sometimes call a
   colonia what is actually a collection of official colonias.

   Apparently the name, which literally means colony, arose in the late
   19th, early 20th century, when one of the first urban developments
   outside the city's core was inhabited by a French colony in the city.
   Some notable colonias are:
     * 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 - Middle to upper middle class suburban
       neighbourhood.
     * Del Carmen - Historic, countercultural neighbourhood 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 neighbourhood 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 neighbourhood.
     * Villa Coapa - Middle class residential neighbourhood and shopping
       area.
     * Zona Rosa - Shopping district and tourist area.

Attractions

   The National Museum of Anthropology.
   Enlarge
   The National Museum of Anthropology.

   Famous landmarks in Mexico City include the Zócalo (officially
   Constitution Square), the main central square with its time clashing
   Spanish-era Metropolitan Cathedral and Palacio Nacional, and ancient
   Aztec temple ruins Templo Mayor are 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 trademark golden
   Angel of Independence found 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. The Avenida de los Insurgentes, locally
   said to be the longest street in the world, goes 28.8 km (18 miles)
   from end to end of the city.
   The Torre Mayor, seen from the Chapultepec Castle
   Enlarge
   The Torre Mayor, seen from the Chapultepec Castle

   The Chapultepec park houses the Chapultepec Palace museum on a hill
   that overlooks the park and its numerous museums, monuments and the
   national zoo; the National Museum of Anthropology (which houses the
   Aztec Calendar Stone), the Bellas Artes Fine Arts Palace which is a
   stunning white marble theatre/museum whose weight is such that it has
   gradually been sinking into the soft ground below, the Plaza of the
   Three Cultures in the Tlatelolco neighbourhood, and the shrine and
   Basilicas of Our Lady of Guadalupe. 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, the city has around 160 museums, over 100 art galleries,
   and some 30 concert halls. In many locales (The Palacio Nacional and
   the Instituto Nacional de Cardiología to name a few), there are murals
   by Diego Rivera. He and his wife Frida Kahlo lived in the southern
   suburb of Coyoacán, where several of their homes, studios, and
   collections are open to the public. Nearby is the house of Leon
   Trotsky, where he was murdered in 1940. In 1983 The Church of Jesus
   Christ of Latter-day Saints built the scenic Mexico City Mexico Temple
   here because of the large number of members in the area.

   In addition there are several restored Haciendas that are now
   restaurants such as the San Angel Inn, Hacienda de Tlalpan and the
   Hacienda de los Morales, all of which are stunning remnants of Mexican
   glory and house some of the best food in the world.

Sports

   "Fútbol" (soccer) is Mexico's most popular sport and has a wide
   following in Mexico City. Several very well known teams, including Club
   América, Cruz Azul and Pumas, are based in Mexico City. The Aztec
   Stadium (Estadio Azteca), home of Club America is one of the world's
   largest stadiums with capacity to seat approximately 110,000 fans.
   Atlante, the city's fourth club, also plays there. Mexico City also has
   an Olympic Stadium in Ciudad Universitaria, which is home of the Pumas
   soccer team. Cruz Azul plays in the Estadio Azul, which is located
   within Mexico City as well.

   Mexico hosted the Football World Cup in 1970 and 1986. Azteca is the
   only stadium in the world to host the final match of the Football World
   Cup twice. The Estadio Azteca was witness to a slew of spectacular
   games from all the sides involved. The excitement of Mexican fans was
   evident through their overwhelming attendance and emotional support of
   the games.

   Baseball is also another popular sport with a growing fan base. Mexico
   City is home to the Diablos Rojos de Mexico (Red Devils) of the Liga
   Mexicana de Beisbol, with the team playing their home games at the Foro
   Sol Stadium. The Red Devils used to share the stadium with the baseball
   club "Tigres" until the club moved to nearby Puebla.

   Mexico City hosted the 1968 Olympic Games, winning bids against Buenos
   Aires, Lyon and Detroit.

   Mexico City hosted the 1955 Pan American Games and then the 1975 Pan
   American Games after Santiago and São Paulo withdrew.

   Starting with the 2005 season, NASCAR will hold annual Busch Series
   races at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Drivers Carlos Contreras, Michel
   Jourdain Jr., Jose Luis Ramírez, and Adrian Fernandez enjoy a
   homecoming with the race; all are from Mexico City originally.

   In 2005, Mexico City became the first city to host a NFL regular season
   game outside of the United States, and has also hosted several NBA
   pre-season exhibition games along with exhibition matches among MLB
   teams at the Foro Sol.

   Other sports facilities in Mexico City are the Palacio de los Deportes
   indoor arena and Francisco Márquez Olympic Swimming Pool.

Transportation

   Map of Mexico City Metro Network
   Enlarge
   Map of Mexico City Metro Network

   Mexico City is served by the Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metro, an
   extensive metro system (207 km), the largest in Latin America, the
   first portions of which were opened in 1969. One of the busiest in the
   world, the metro transports more than 4 million people every day,
   surpassed only by Moscow's (7.5 million), Tokyo's (5.9 million), and
   New York City's (4.9 million). It is heavily subsidized, and it is the
   cheapest in the world, each trip currently costing MXN $2 (around EUR
   0.13 or USD 0.19). A number of stations display Pre-Columbian artifacts
   and architecture that was discovered during the metro's construction.
   However, the Metro reaches only a fraction of the total inhabited area
   of the city, and therefore an extensive network of bus routes has been
   implemented. These are mostly managed by private companies which are
   allowed to operate buses as long as they adhere to certain minimal
   service quality standards.

   The city government also operates a network of large buses, in contrast
   with the privately operated microbuses, with fares barely exceeding
   that of the Metro. Electric transport other than the metro also exists,
   in the form of trolleybuses and the Xochimilco Light Rail line. The
   city's first bus rapid transit line, the Metrobús, began operation in
   June 2005 on Avenida Insurgentes. As the microbuses were removed from
   its route, it was hoped that the Metrobús could reduce pollution and
   decrease transit time for passengers.

   There are plenty of lime-green colored taxi cabs, which, while
   occasionally unsafe if taken randomly from the street instead of
   designated locales, are undeniably economical. Since late 2002, they
   have been joined by red and white taxis as part of a program to replace
   older vehicles with new ones. The freeway system is so dense that there
   is an ongoing project to complete a second level to the main ring road
   (the Periférico) that is currently already partially operational.

   Mexico City is served by Mexico City International Airport ( IATA
   Airport Code: MEX). The city has four major bus stations (North, South,
   Observatorio, TAPO), with bus service to cities across the country, and
   one train station, used for commercial purposes (intercity passenger
   trains are now virtually non-existent in Mexico). It was recently
   announced that a Tren Suburbano (suburban rail) will be built to serve
   the metropolitan area. There are also several toll expressways which
   connect Mexico City with several other major cities. The city does not
   have an expressway network that connects points within the city; all
   cross-city trips must be done on arterial roads. This is one reason why
   the city's streets are so congested.

   There is also a scheme, called Hoy No Circula ("day without a car"),
   whereby only vehicles with certain ending numbers on their license
   plates are allowed to circulate on certain days in an attempt to cut
   down on pollution and traffic congestion. The program groups vehicles
   by their ending license plate digits, and every weekday vehicles having
   any of the day's two "hoy no circula" digits are banned from
   circulating. For instance, on Fridays, vehicles with plates ending in 9
   or 0 may not drive. The scheme is controversial since it has resulted
   in many better-off households having two cars instead of one, reducing
   the program's benefits; also, newer vehicles are exempt from complying
   with the program, a move said to have been pushed by auto makers to
   boost sales of new vehicles.

Demographics

   Mexico City is home to a large community of immigrants - especially
   Europeans, largest European group are Spaniards, Jews (50,000), East
   Asian (600,000), Americans (500,000), Central American and Caribbean (1
   million), and South American (800,000), especially Argentines
   (470,000).

   There's also a large community of Arabs (especially from Lebanon). A
   proof of this is the well-known Centro Libanés (Lebanese Center). A
   sport and cultural Center aimed at the Lebanese community, though a lot
   of members of this Sports Club are not of Lebanese descent. The Center
   has two facilities, one two blocks away from Insurgentes and another
   near San Ángel. They include a large theatre, various pools, tennis
   courts, game rooms, party rooms, Lebanese cuisine gourmet restaurants
   and tracks with football fields.

Economy

   Mexico City is the financial centre of Latin America and virtually
   every foreign and domestic corporation has operations in the city. It
   produces an amazing 25% of Mexico’s $815 billion economy making Mexico
   City alone the 30th largest economy in the world, and the third largest
   economy in Latin America. Also the GDP per capita is among the highest
   in Latin America reaching $15,000 dollars per capita, such high income
   is reflected virtually anywhere from first world image in most of the
   city. This is also reflected in wages, even in simple jobs like
   cashiers and bank tellers, the wage differencial between Mexico City
   and most of Latin America can be three times higher. Other economic and
   social indicators are revealing: 50% of the habitants of Mexico City
   have access to the internet, 58% own a cell phone, with virtually each
   househould have a phone line, and while 17% of Mexicans nationwide live
   in poverty, 15% of the residents of Mexico City do. Since the downturn
   of 2001, the economic base has shifted strongly, as the manufacturing
   activities move to the state of Mexico (Mexico city suburbs) this
   figures hit the GDP growth of the DF (federal district) while the state
   of mexico keeps growing at a strong pace. Since 2005 strong consumer
   spending, goverment spending and lower cost mortgage is spurring the
   economy not just of the DF but also the State of Mexico. Another
   interesting fact 78 of the top 100 exporters and 67 of the 100
   importers are based in Mexico city metro area, the city exports to the
   rest of the world about $100 billon of dollars (about the same amount
   of imports, theres no reliable data), this is seen in all kind of
   imported goods available, from simple textiles, to luxury goods like
   Fendi, Louis Vuitton bags and Ferrari cars (the city hosts 2
   ferrari-maserati dealers), while in exports, range from cars made in
   izcalli, to bubble gum, pharmaceuticals and several consumer goods like
   toothpaste and soaps, exported to central and South America. The
   vehicle market remains bouyant, with the cars registered in Mexico City
   growing a strong 10% yearly since 2000, meaning that about 400,000 cars
   are added to the roads of Mexico City each year.

Urban Problems

   Extent of Mexico City within the Federal District as of 1994.
   Enlarge
   Extent of Mexico City within the Federal District as of 1994.

   As one of the largest urban areas in the world, Mexico City suffers
   from no shortage of the problems common to many large cities, including
   traffic, poverty, and pollution. This is perhaps exacerbated by
   Mexico's developing country status. This city has a high number of
   street children; some estimate as many as 50,000.

Pollution

   Mexico City has 7.9 million vehicles and 50 thousand factories, which
   release 24 thousand tonnes of pollutants per year. This has resulted in
   the city having the world's highest Ozone and Carbon Monoxide
   levels.The mountains and volcanoes surrounding the city trap polluted
   air in the city and contribute to the city's serious problem with poor
   air quality, although major strides have been made to improve the
   pollution situation in the past 20 years.

Crime

   Violent crime is also a major concern; in 2003, Mexico had the
   second-highest number of kidnappings in the world, with some 3,000
   reported cases. In taxis, a particular problem has arisen; individuals
   are sometimes kidnapped by unauthorized taxi drivers, in order to empty
   their bank accounts at ATMs. Victims are sometimes kept overnight in
   order to bypass daily withdrawal limits. Inside other transportation,
   mostly microbuses, pickpocketing is still a common activity, and Mexico
   City inhabitants take various levels of precaution to avoid being
   victims of this. As a general rule, if you are unaware of the route you
   are to take then you should only use official taxis from stands
   ("sitios") as these are closely regulated.

   Police reform has also been a focus of the government for the past
   decade; there is a general sense of distrust against the authorities,
   as conventional wisdom holds that all Mexico's police forces are
   corrupt one way or another. This issue came to a head in November 2004,
   when an angry crowd in Tláhuac was whipped up into a frenzy and burned
   two undercover federal police officers alive and seriously injured
   another, on rumors that they were kidnappers.

Education

   The library of National Autonomous University of Mexico.
   Enlarge
   The library of National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Universities

   Mexico City is the location of National Autonomous University of Mexico
   (UNAM). UNAM is North America's oldest university (established in 1551)
   and for many years was the source of many presidents of the country.

   Other universities in the city include the Metropolitan Autonomous
   University (UAM), the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), ITAM, ITESM
   (3 campi), Universidad La Salle, the Universidad del Valle de Mexico
   (UVM), Universidad Anáhuac, Universidad Iberoamericana and the American
   accredited Alliant International University.

Public schools

   The curriculum of Mexico City's public schools is managed by the
   federal level Secretary of Public Education. However funding is
   allocated by the government of Mexico City.

Politics

   El Angel de la Independencia monument in the heart of Mexico City at
   night
   Enlarge
   El Angel de la Independencia monument in the heart of Mexico City at
   night

   Because of its special situation as the home of the federal government,
   the local government of Mexico City has gone through several
   incarnations. Since independence, the city sometimes had an independent
   local government and other times (the greater part of the 20th century)
   was administered directly by the President of the Republic, who
   delegated his authority to a " Head of the Federal District
   Department", known more tersely as the regent.

   This kind of political organization caused much resentment among the
   inhabitants of the city because for many years they were deprived of a
   government that properly represented them. The most serious situation
   arose in 1988 when, despite having clearly voted for opposition
   candidates, the people of Mexico City were governed for six years by
   the party that won the federal presidency.

   Under these circumstances, political reform became inevitable. First a
   local legislative assembly was established, and people were able to
   elect their Head of Government (jefe de gobierno) for the first time
   (both institutions still had limited powers dependent on the federal
   congress and president).

   The first elected head of government was Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, a former
   presidential candidate (who was, according to many, cheated out of
   victory in the closely fought 1988 presidential election). Cárdenas
   resigned later to compete in the 2000 presidential campaign and left in
   his place Rosario Robles, who became the first woman to govern Mexico
   City.

   A measure of the democratic development in Mexico is that the current
   (2000-06) chief of government in the Federal District is Andrés Manuel
   López Obrador of the PRD, which has a left-leaning ideology (and even
   has some former members of the Communist Party among its numbers),
   while at the same time, the federal government has a conservative
   president, Vicente Fox Quesada.

   López Obrador was deprived of his constitutional immunity as Head of
   Government in the Federal District on April 7, 2005. With 360 votes
   (489 total) from the Chamber of Deputies, he was impeached because he
   failed to obey a judge's order to stop a road from being built. This
   event is popularly called the "desafuero". This issue created a
   political crisis, which was resolved by the judiciary's ultimate
   decision to refrain from prosecuting López Obrador.

   On July 29, 2005 López Obrador resigned and left office to be able to
   run for the Presidency in 2006. Alejandro Encinas was appointed López
   Obrador's substitute as Head of Government.

Gallery

   Auditorio Nacional (National Auditorium).

   Torre Latinoamericana, Once Highest skyscraper in Latin America.

   Palace of Fine Arts (Palacio de Bellas Artes)

   El Zócalo with Mexican Flag

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_City"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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