Transcript Mexico City ppt.

An artistic depiction of the southern tip of the Valley of Mexico. The lake basin sits at
more than 5000 feet of elevation and is surrounded by highlands, including volcanic
mountains to the east, south and southwest. In this environment, pre-Columbian
civilizations built large urban centers; the latest and largest was Tenochtitlan, built by the
Aztecs or Mexica as they are also known.
Earliest Spanish map of Tenochtitlan, the Mexica’s island
Our old friend the climograph. ATR stands
for annual temperature range which is the
difference between the coldest and
warmest months. Tropical climates have
low ATRs.
Another map of Valley
of Mexico. You read
about chinampas in the
article by West. Some
chinampas still exist.
However, one aspect of
the growth of Mexico
City was the draining of
the lakes and
chinampas.
Black = urban area
Dotted = lake area
The Gran Canal is
critical for draining
sewage and storm water
out of the valley.
Subsidence means sinking. The map shows that much of the area of Mexico City is sinking.
The lowest amount of sinking (4-5 meters) in the central city is near Mexico City’s main
plaza, known as the Zocalo.
The Zocalo
Where they raise and
lower this gigantic flag
everyday.
Floor of the plaza of Tenochtitlan.
Another
shot from
the Zocalo.
Bottom of Lake Texcoco in 1881
Subsidence makes
drainage incredibly
difficult, especially
during the wet
summer months.
Water
Drain
Bordo, one of the dumps you read about in
the article “Letter from Mexico City”, is
closing.
What happens to old
dumps? They
become upscale
shopping and
residential
developments. You
read about Santa Fe
in the article
mentioned in the
previous slide.
Water quality in
Mexico City
The article
reports on a
study, by some of
the people
seated at the
table, that found
that some areas
in the city have
high quality water
But not the area of the press
conference.
Recent campaign to
increase bicycling in
Mexico City as a means
to promote alternative
transportation.
Cycling on
streets
blocked off to
automobiles
in the centro
historico, or
historic
district.
A larger effort
to combat
automobile
emissions. Hoy
no circula
sabatino is a
restriction on
Saturday
driving in
Mexicio City
Enforcement
In a city of
more than 20
million
inhabitants,
there are a
lot of taxis
drivers, many
of whom
were not
supportive of
the driving
restrictions.
Some of the drivers sought exceptions to the
restrictions.
Mexico City’s stunning
architectural diversity
Stuning images
from Avenida de
la Reforma.
Mexico City’s
main commercial
thoroughfare.
Avenida de la
Reforma.
On La Reforma
Mexico’s national
monuments compete
for space with
monuments to
international finance.
This is how I begin every morning
in Mexico. A visit to the juice shop.
…where the
juices can cure all
of your ills.