Mexico City Essay Research Paper Mexico CitySite

Mexico City Essay, Research Paper

Mexico City

Site and Situation: Mexico City is the largest city in Mexico. It is located in the south central part of the country in the Disuto Federal (Federal District). Mexico City is situated in the Valley of Mexico, a highland basin at an elevation of about 2350 m and is bounded by mountains on three sides. Much of Mexico City is built on the former bed of Lake Texcoco which is spongy and prone to settling. It also lies along a major east and west geological fault line. Approximate distances from Mexico City to the following are; Toronto; 2030 miles, Los Angeles; 1550 miles, Vancouver; 2450 miles, and Paris; 5220 miles.

Historical Background: Legends relate that an eagle eating a snake landed on a cactus (Aztec) on a barren island near the southwest shore of Lake Texcoco and so began the marking for a new city. The Aztecs began the development of Tenochtitlan on a sacred site in 1325. On a nearby island another Indian group began Tlaltelolco in 1327. By the time the Spaniards arrived in 1519, Tenochtitlan had forcibly incorporated Tlatelolco and had been filled in the lagoon between the two towns. The Spaniards raised the Aztec capital and on that site began to erect Mexico City in 1521. The new Spanish city extended to the south and west as a gridiron of square blocks divided into house lots. Mexico City remained Spanish until Mexican independence in 1821. By 1920 the Mexican capital had 620,000 residents and was a modern city in all respects. In 1931 outlying towns were legally annexed, giving Mexico City the major sub districts and street pattern that characterize it today.

Population Growth Rates:

Population Growth Rates Cont’d:

Population In Mexico City Over The Last 50 Years

Quality of “Basic Needs”: The rapid growth of Mexico City has created several problems, one being an increasing inadequate water supply, and the sinking, by as much as 6 m of parts of the downtown area into soft lake deposits that underlie much of the city damaging buildings and disrupting some water and sewage lines. Given the tremendous size and population of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area and its dependence on the aquifer for almost three-quarters of its drinking water supply, the protection of ground water quality is of utmost concern. Wastes from domestic, industrial, and commercial activities contain a variety of human pathogens and toxic contaminants that may pose a hazard if not properly managed. The potential for these contaminants to leach into the ground water depends on many factors, such as the composition of soils and geologic materials, the depth of the water table, the recharge rate, and environmental factors that can influence the mobility or degradation of contaminants.

About 7 percent of the water is passed to 27 different treatment plants where it is treated, and this joins the remaining untreated water to make its way into the Tula catchment and from there to the Gulf of Mexico. Since the sewage lagoons and reservoirs, sewage plants, landfills, garbage tips and the black water canals are all situated on the aquitard which overlies the Mexico City aquifer, there is ample cause for concern that eventually there could be cross contamination of bacteria and chemicals from leachate and the contaminated surface waters into the underlying potable water supplies.

The atmospheric pollution in Mexico City is one of the most severe air pollution cases in the world. The pollution levels are often above air quality standards and therefore it is urgent to find strategies to control them. The most important air pollutants are ozone and it’s precursors (HC and NOx).

Level of Infrastructure: Major highways and railroads radiate from the city to all parts of the country. A huge international airport is located east of the city. Transportation within the city has been chronically congested, partly because of the narrow streets. Streets in Mexico City are in that of a gridiron pattern, square blocks, and plazas which reflects in part the plan of the Aztec capital on which the Spanish City was superimposed. The subway system of Mexico City open in 1970 and operates quiet rubber-tired trains on three lines of subterranean and surface track. The stations are particularly attractive and well lit. Supplemental water is obtained from distant sources outside the valley.

Acessment of Affluence and Poverty Levels: Poverty in Mexico City resembles poverty in any other developing country. Poor people in the city often work for low wages in factories set up by companies based in developed countries. Many live in conditions such as the example below.

The great inequality in the distribution of wealth is a sad feature that will accompany

Mexico City throughout its history. There is very little room for a middle class to develop. At the macro level, Mexico City was doing very good in the turn of the century, but this growth hid

many profound social problems.

Description of Social Fabric: Mexico city does have a crime problem, and is probably less safe than most large US cities. Street crime has exploded in the past four years amid economic turmoil, endemic police corruption, and the breakdown of authoritarian political controls. Worst of all for unwary visitors are taxi kidnappings, in which criminals steal a cab, pick up passengers, and force