Mexico City Travel GuideMexico City or "Ciudad de Mexico"Mexico City is often called simply Mexico by both Mexico City natives and tourists. But this can confuse newcomers who may think that Mexico City already encompasses the whole of Mexico. Actually, Mexico City is the capital city of the country of Mexico and is known to locals as Ciudad de Mexico. Mexico City is often officially written as Mexico City, D.F. – the acronym D.F. stands for Federal District. Mexico City has the biggest population among all of the cities of Mexico, inhabited by 8,720,916 residents as of 2005.
Alot of Spanish cultureThe city was built in the center of the country of Mexico, within the Valley of Mexico. It came to be called Ciudad de Mexico only in 1598. Visitors should know that it was initially the home of the ancient Aztec people, and later on inhabited by Spanish settlers. The influence of Spain on Mexico City, and the country of Mexico as a whole, is so pervasive that the Spanish language and culture have been deeply imbibed by Mexico City natives up to the present. Under the Spanish regime, Mexico City was granted great political importance because other territories of Spain (such as the Philippines in Asia) were governed using the City as the base of administration. Some structures that serve as reminders of the Spanish colonial influence on Mexico City are the Basilica of Guadalupe, and the Metropolitan Cathedral (the latter being a good example of Spanish baroque architecture.)
1968 Olympic GamesOne tragedy that has marked the history of this town as a sports event host city is the Tiatelolco massacre, where hundreds of students were murdered shortly before the opening ceremonies of the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. Still, Mexico City bounded back from this horrific event to eventually act as the host city of the 1970 FIFA World Cup, and the 1986 FIFA World Cup which fortunately proceeded smoothly without any major problems. This showed the resilience of Mexico City because shortly before the 1986 World Cup was conducted, the 1985 major 3-minute earthquake struck the town and left up to 20,000 Mexico City residents dead, and as many as 90,000 people homeless.
The economy is strong in Mexico CitySurprisingly, Mexico City used to be built on an island in the middle of a vast lake where the Valley of Mexico is now found. The lake, called the Lake of Texcoco, was eventually drained by the Spanish government to avoid floods which is why only a small portion of this lake still exists today. Despite the relative absence of this lake, which used to provide freshwater irrigation to crops planted by inhabitants, the town remains a vital economic engine of the country. Statistics show that it´s the 30th biggest economy of the world – a single city with a bigger GDP than entire countries such as Switzerland and Sweden. The rapid growth of Mexico City has lured many members of indigenous tribes from outlying areas to migrate to Mexico City in search of better opportunities for themselves and their families. Thus, tourists will discover that many residents speak a host of languages with no relation to theSpanish or English languages.
Mexico City is a huge modern cityDo take the time to visit this wonderful town and discover how it has progressed from Spanish colonial territory to a progressive and independent modern metropolis today.
This is just a little summary about the city Mexico City. Soon you can find reviews, forums, blogs and galleries.
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