Escandón is one of the colonias of

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

that were founded at the beginning of the 19th century on crop terrains that were formerly part of Hacienda de la Condesa, belonging to Condesa de Miravalle. This colony formed part of the Hacienda de la Condesa, being property of the family Escandón, who fractionated the terrains situated south of this. In 1841 it was sold to Antonio Batres and then sold to Estanislao and Joaquín Flores. The Flores brothers sold the

hacienda A ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman '' latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards ...

to Manuel Escandón's notary in 1869. When the Escandón family acquired the property it got fragmented in 1880, 1890 and 1891 to be put for sale in

lots Lot, LOT, The Lot or similar may refer to: Common meanings Areas *Land lot, an area of land *Parking lot, for automobiles *Backlot, in movie production Sets of items *A Quantity, great many of something, as in, "There are a lot of beetles," or "T ...

. The neighbourhood is divided in two: Escandón I and Escandón II due to its big extension. The first section is located from the Patriotismo Avenue and confines with the

Tacubaya Tacubaya is a Poverty in Mexico, working-class area of Mexico City in the borough of Miguel Hidalgo, D.F., Miguel Hidalgo. The ''colonia (Mexico), colonia'' Tacubaya and adjacent areas in other colonias are collectively referred to as Tacubaya. ...

neighbourhood; whereas the second section extends from the

Viaducto Miguel Alemán Viaducto Miguel Alemán is a crosstown freeway, opened in September 1950, that runs east-west across central Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of No ...

and confines with the

Condesa Condesa or La Condesa is an area in the Cuauhtémoc borough of Mexico City, south of Zona Rosa and 4 to 5 km west of the Zócalo, the city's main square. It is immediately west of Colonia Roma, together with which it is designated as ...

Neighbourhood. Escandón II has seen greater economic and social success. The neighbourhood still preserves some of the constructions that were built in the first half of the 20th century, particularly from architectural styles as: art decó, colonial Californian, and the

neocolonial Neocolonialism is the control by a state (usually, a former colonial power) over another nominally independent state (usually, a former colony) through indirect means. The term ''neocolonialism'' was first used after World War II to refer to t ...

. At the north, given the vicinity to the Tacubaya neighbourhood, some examples of constructions that correspond to the

eclectic architecture Eclecticism in architecture is a 19th and 20th century architectural style in which a single piece of work incorporates eclecticism, a mixture of elements from previous historical styles to create something that is new and original. In architec ...

can be appreciated. The greater part of the buildings constructed around the middle of the 20th century correspond to apartment buildings. As many other neighbourhoods founded in the first half of the 20th century, Escandón has several services and businesses that aim to attend the local population; some examples of this are the Jardín Morelos park and the market established in front of it. In recent times, the neighbourhood has experimented a development in real-estate activities because it is near neighbourhoods of medium-high and high economic levels, like

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

Nápoles The Nápoles family ( Portuguese for ''Naples'') is the name of a Portuguese noble family, whose roots lie in the Kingdom of Naples. History A claimed secondary branch of the royal Capetian House of Anjou, of the kings of Naples, the Nápoles ...

and del Valle.

Location

Colonia Escandón lies in an almost entirely flat terrain that skirts the Lomas of Tacubaya (belonging to the terrains of Lomas of Chapultepec) and the bank of the Lake of Chapultepec. It is delimited by the following avenues and neighborhoods: in the north by Eje 4 Sur ''Benjamín Franklin'', Baja California Avenue and

Colonia Condesa Condesa or La Condesa is an area in the Cuauhtémoc borough of Mexico City, south of Zona Rosa and 4 to 5 km west of the Zócalo, the city's main square. It is immediately west of Colonia Roma, together with which it is designated as ...

; south, by

and the Colonia

San Pedro de los Pinos San Pedro de los Pinos is a neighborhood located in center-west of Mexico City. Before being urbanized during the first half of the 20th century, the colonia was part of a vast farming area belonging to several ranches and haciendas. Location S ...

, along with the

Colonia Nápoles Colonia Nápoles is a '' colonia'' in Benito Juárez, Mexico City in the North central area of the metropolis. Along with Colonia Del Valle, it's among the most representative of Mid-Century neighborhoods of Mexico City. Location It is border ...

; to the east, by Nuevo León Avenue and Colonia Roma; and west by Revolución Avenue and Tacubaya. The neighbourhood is part of the Miguel Hidalgo delegation of

. In addition to the security and accommodation, the geographic location of the colony turns it into a good alternative for tourists in the large and agglomerated Mexico City; whether the city is visited by pleasure or by businesses, its roads of access connect it with a considerable quantity of tourist attractions and centres of businesses, that include two lines of system of metropolitan transport (or Metro), the Metrobús, Ecobici, as well as several routes of buses, included the Bicentenario line that runs along the Circuito Interior. Its excellent location has made real-estate prices to rise every day, particularly since the earthquake that happened on 19 September 2017 and because of its convenient location.

Division

Colonia Escandón is divided in two by Patriotismo Avenue. On the east side the streets bear the names Comercio, Agricultura and Minería as well as those of some social movements (such as Unión and Agrarismo) and of some professions ( Arquitectos, Ingenieros). On the west side, the names of the streets correspond to important figures in the history of

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

, such as

Salvador Alvarado Salvador Alvarado Rubio (September 16, 1880 – June 10, 1924) was a general and politician during the Mexican Revolution. He served in the Constitutional Army under President Venustiano Carranza. Alvarado was the Governor of Yucatán from Februa ...

and

José Martí José Julián Martí Pérez (; 28 January 1853 – 19 May 1895) was a Cuban nationalism, nationalist, poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, and publisher, who is considered a Cuban national hero because of his role in ...

. Other streets are named for significant dates, like 11 de Abril (11 April), or 28 de Agosto (28 August). Up until the end of the 20th century, the residents of each street organised parties on the corresponding dates where they put out flags and shared food.

History

Founded at the beginnings of the 20th century, the terrains that formed part of one of the most known

haciendas A ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards) ...

and of greater extension in the west zone of the

Valley of Mexico The Valley of Mexico (; ), sometimes also called Basin of Mexico, is a highlands plateau in central Mexico. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the Valley of Mexico was a centre for several pre-Columbian civilizations including Teotihuacan, ...

, the Hacienda de la Condesa, were oriented South. It is known that the outline and division of the terrains were made by the Escandón Barrón brothers, whose family kept an intense activity in the creation of fraccionamientos and the real-state business in

since the end of the

Porfiriato The Porfiriato or Porfirismo (, ), coined by Mexican historian Daniel Cosío Villegas, is a term given to the period when General Porfirio Díaz ruled Mexico under an Authoritarianism, authoritarian military dictatorship in the late 19th and e ...

. Located in the vicinities of the then populated neighbourhood of

, considered place of entertainment of the high society of the capital, Escandón was urbanized in a faster way on the west side, in which some

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

s were built. Beautiful residences of the final 19th century are conserved, of which a lot of have been destroyed to build high cost apartment buildings. The Colonia Escandón is considered as one of the neighbourhoods of greatest Mexican ancestry. With the end of the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

and the growth of

, the development and population of the rest of the colony began. In the decade of 1930, between the Insurgentes, Nuevo León and Benjamín Franklin Avenues and the Sindicalismo street, the first fraccionamiento (division) of Mexico City was established and named Insurgentes-Ejército Nacional, with houses in terrains that go from 140 to 380 square metres. The names of the fraccionamientos, as well as the streets', are due to the fact that it was created so that generals, colonels, and other revolutionary soldiers of high rank could have their houses, which made that this small zone renowned. In fact, some of their descendants still live in the same houses. The destruction of these simple and beautiful architectonic features is growing day by day, which has caused its inhabitants (some belonging to third or fourth generations) to unite to prevent big construction businesses from acquiring these houses to demolish them and build luxury apartment buildings that, due to its location, makes them highly demanded. One of the chalets of the Sindicalismo street has been demolished despite the protests and the protection of the INAH. Many famous personalities and celebrities have lived in Escandon. When the

Cristero War The Cristero War (), also known as the Cristero Rebellion or , was a widespread struggle in central and western Mexico from 3 August 1926 to 21 June 1929 in response to the implementation of secularism, secularist and anti-clericalism, anticler ...

ended, the Catholic church Espíritu Santo was the first to ring its bells. Its construction, dating from the beginning of the 20th century, and its inner decoration, are a national heritage object. It has been a neighbourhood of renowned artists, creators, publicists, lawyers and scholars. The characteristic small businesses that make of the neighbourhood a small village in the large and big Mexico City still survive thanks to the local support, however this 21st century is making the situation to change given the high demand of the zone, to which some people already call "the new

". Its inhabitants are protecting the original name.

Transport

The routes of the Network of Transport of Passengers (RTP) of the Federal District, that go through the neighbourhood, correspond to the routes of the Zona SurPoniente M-15, and are the Route 13-To and the Route 115-To. The nearest subway stations belong to the ones of the ''line 9'' of the Subway of Mexico City. Both are found in the Northern part of the neighbourhood and are the stations of Patriotismo and

Chilpancingo Chilpancingo de los Bravo (commonly shortened to Chilpancingo; ; Nahuatl: Chilpantzinco ()) is the capital and second-largest city of the Mexican state of Guerrero. In 2010 it had a population of 187,251 people. The municipality has an area of ...

, which is found in the limits of the Colonia Escandón with the Condesa and Roma. The stations of the Metrobús of the

Federal District A federal district is a specific administrative division in one of various federations. These districts may be under the direct jurisdiction of a federation's national government, as in the case of federal territory (e.g., India, Malaysia), or the ...

are located in the eastern part of the colony, in the Insurgentes Sur Avenue, in the Line 1 (Red Line); La Piedad and Nuevo León which is linked to Line 2 (Purple Line) that is situated in the northern part of the neighbourhood, which runs along the Benjamín Franklin Avenue. These stations are Nuevo León, Escandón and Patriotism. On 17 February 2010 the system Ecobici was inaugurated in the Federal District. The bike stations 77 (Choapan and Tamaulipas) and 83 (New León and Alfonso Reyes) are the nearest to the neighbourhood. On 7 November 2011 the plan of enlargement of the service Ecobici was officially announced, with new stations to be added to Escandón. Since March 2015, the fourth generation stations of Ecobici were installed. The roads were improved and new signals for cyclists were also installed. Until December 2015 there were 11 stations existing in the neighborhood: 7 in Escandón II and 4 in Escandon I. These stations correspond to the 166, 167, 170 and 172 in Escandón I and 168, 169, 171, 173, 175, 181 and 182 in Escandón II.

Places of interest

One of the main places of interest is the street José Martí, in which the Theatre Sandoval shows children plays; likewise, the church, the market and the cantina "El Fuerte de la Colonia", and small marisquerías and

breweries A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...

, that are evidence of a place of people of medium class. Also on the street José Martí and passing the Patriotism Avenue, the famous cantina "El León de Oro" can be visited. On Tuesdays, the open-air market is installed in the street of José Martí, and for the celebration of the Parroquia del Espíritu Santo a fair is installed with food and fair games. The street José Martí is the hallway of trade and food, therefore antojitos, juices, bakeries, or restaurants of Mexican food of greater preparation can be obtained. Often, on Sundays, the lateral lanes of the Patriotismo Avenue are closed, to allow cyclists to follow their way up to the Forest of Chapultepec. Also the Fiesta Inn Hotel is another landmark in the corner of

and Insurgentes Avenue, as well as the Angeles Hospital Mexico, which is on the street of Agrarismo. On the street of Sindicalismo, the Junior Fitness Center is found holding a wide variety of installations: 14

tennis court A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both Types of tennis match, doubles and singles matches. A variet ...

s, a semi olympic-size swimming pool, saunas, gymnasium, pool for kids, a

jacuzzi Jacuzzi is an American private company that manufactures and markets hot tubs, pools, and other bath products. It is best known for the Jacuzzi hydrotherapy products. The company is headquartered in Irvine, California. It is the largest hot tu ...

and a

squash Squash most often refers to: * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (plant), the fruit of vines of the genus ''Cucurbita'' Squash may also refer to: Sports * Squash (professional wrestling), an extr ...

room, among others. As part of the remodelling in all the colony during the period of Gabriela Cuevas Barrón, the construction of the "Faro del Saber Escandón", located at the center of the Jardín Morelos park began. The building harbours the following services: * Library * Cultural workshops * Social workshops The main aim of the institution is to approach the citizens to reading and cultural services of quality, with the creation of the building with a modern architectural style. As part of the programme, the park was modernized; they replanted the green areas, the children's playgrounds and some skateboarding facilities were built for the youth. In addition to the

, marisquerías have been installed through all the colony, one of the biggest is found inside the market, and the smallest, in front of the Hospital Angeles Mexico, in the street of Agrarismo. There is a small venue in the corner of José Martí and Minería called "El Vitaminas", where broths of beef are served with tortillas of handmade corn, which are not expensive. The Mexican Institute of the Audition and the Language can also be found on the street of Progreso.

Pulquerías

In Escandón I the

pulquería Pulquerías (or pulcherías) are a type of tavern in Mexico that specialize in serving an alcoholic beverage known as pulque. Established during early colonial rule, pulquerías remained popular venues for Mexican socializing until the mid-20th c ...

"El Pirata" is located, between the streets 13 de Septiembre and the street 11 de Abril, one block away from Viaducto Piedad, on the Patriotismo Avenue. Its interior still preserves the

sawdust Sawdust (or wood dust) is a by-product or waste product of woodworking operations such as sawing, sanding, milling and routing. It is composed of very small chips of wood. These operations can be performed by woodworking machinery, portable p ...

all over the floor,

tiles Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or ot ...

in the walls, a

jukebox A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that plays a user-selected song from a self-contained media library. Traditional jukeboxes contain records, compact discs, or digital files, and allow user ...

, the wooden barrels where the pulque is stored. The pulque is served in glass jars for those who are drinking it there or in plastic glasses for those who are taking-out. They offer curados made of oat and seasonal fruits. The different sauces offered in a

molcajete A ''molcajete'' (; Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl '' molcaxitl'') and ''tejolote'' (from Nahuatl ''texolotl'') are stone tools, the traditional Mexican version of the mortar and pestle, similar to the South American batan, used for grinding va ...

are also appreciated, especially the salsa borracha, prepared also with pulque, that is enjoyed as an appetizer.

Other places of interest

Another point of interest is the Sports Centre "Valle Escandón", in which sports-related and recreational activities are offered at low costs, as well as indoor football tournaments for all ages. It is a place to meet for the families that live in the neighbourhoods and its surroundings.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Escandon Condesa Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City Neighborhoods in Mexico City