interesting observations, keep on traveling
very good post on one my favorite cities in the world. your comment about not many people walking, though, seems false to me. needless to say, mexico city has many varied neighborhoods, and although i haven't experienced the western side, el centro and many barrios off the reforma are packed and squeezed in with many, many pedestrians. but at night, yes, it is a different story.
lack of social trust/high poverty rate/seriously wanton criminals/etc., it puts you on your toes.
I found your text really interesting, so I translated into spanish and published it in my blog (felipeno.blogspot.com), hope you dont mind.
I linked to your blog.
Felipeno,
I feel extremely honored to have been translated into another language! Based on my fluent knowledge of Spanish, it seems like you did a faithful job. I would like to write more about some observations I had about Mexico City in a future essay.
Thank you so much!
Dear Corbusier:
I found your description of Mexico City most delightful. I am from Monterrey, which is the third largest city in Mexico, after Guadalajara. But I have traveled to Mexico City and it saddens me to say that the insecurity and social distrust that permeates its architecture in the form walled off houses and security gates and guards everywhere is also becoming normal in my city.
But I believe you caught Mexico at a very particular moment when the country, a very young 10 year old democracy, is undergoing incredibly fast changes in all aspects of life.
We are debating whether the Mexico we want for the future, whether we want a parliamentary or presidential democracy, our judicial system in Monterrey is beginning to have Oral Trials and is also beginning to use Jurisprudence, several other states are doing the same and our President Felipe Calderon is also pushing for judicial reforms, among many others of course, electoral system, federalism, anti-trust regulations and institutions, we have had an independent central bank for already 12 years or more, an independent judicial system for same number of years and we have enjoyed total freedom of expression for already 7 years, and there are also education, energy and fiscal and major judicial reforms awaiting and being discussed. All these things should eventually make Mexico a better place to live.
So the whole country is moving fast and changing fast and of course there are democratic and modern forces in our society that are driving us forward into the future and there are also forces that are resisting the changes and they are putting up a fight also.
I expect Mexico to change enormously in the next decade and I expect Mexicans will not need to leave their country as well and will find the jobs they need here as well. As the country advances in reforms, we become a little richer. We cannot compare our economy with that of the USA but our economy is the second largest in Latin America after Brazil and we are becoming ever more competitive. I am optimistic about our future.
There’s an international forum going in Monterrey right now, and social architecture is one of the issues they are discussing.
I will pay a little more attention to architecture after I read your excellent article.
I take some photographs of the city if you want to as well.
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