Colonias, or neighborhoods, are a recurrent feature in Mexican cities and larger towns. They are the basic geographical unit in Mexico City and in contrast to the delegaciones (the boroughs of the Mexican Federal District) they are always included in a persons address. However colonias do not have any administrative attributions, and as with most of the city’s organization, there is no standard for the size, population or basic infrastructure to qualify as a colonia. To complicate things further, Mexico City inhabitants may sometimes call a colonia what is actually a collection of official colonias.

The name, which literally means colony, arose in the late 19th, early 20th century, when one of the first urban developments outside the city’s core was inhabited by a French colony in the city.

It is easy to divide the city into sections that contain the various colonias:

North (Ciudad Satélite, Tlalnepantla, Valle Dorado, Echegaray)

An area of town that was developed specifically for the middle class around Ciudad Satelite (literally, “Satellite City”), this part of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) is in the surrounding state of Mexico. Laws are slightly different in Mexico State than they are in the Federal District, but the problems are basically the same. License plates from that area of the city say MEX-MEX at the bottom instead of DF-MEX. Neighborhoods in this area are generally middle class, like they were intended, and although there’s a lot of commercial activity (especially along Periferico Norte, Via Gustavo Baz, etc.), inside the residential areas it’s pretty suburban. One place that’s physically in this area, but culturally excluded, is the Club de Golf Hacienda, which is more exclusive and has a more typical golf club atmosphere. Perhaps the worst part of living in the north of the urban sprawl is Periferico Norte, which is, beyond the toll highway that surrounds the Northwest perimeter, the only access. Although you can find everything you could want in terms of stores and restaurants without leaving the vicinity, most offices, cultural and social life is much further south.

Northwest (Tecamachalco)

This area is considered more or less upper middle-class and it contains a relatively large Jewish community. Its feel is “concrete suburban”; that is, suburban without the gardens and green spaces associated with American Suburbia. Tecamachalco is generally an agreeable place to live, although, like the rest of the north of Mexico City, it is a little apart from the cultural life of town. There are enough stores and restaurants for essential shopping and a decent meal; nevertheless, Tecamachalco has relatively easy access to both Interlomas and Polanco, where both of these needs are more than amply met. Public transportation access is very limited.

Northwest II (Interlomas, Lomas de la Herradura)

Just like Tecamachalco, this area is considered Mexican upper-middle and middle class, although Interlomas is a lot newer. Interlomas also has the advantage of a lot of shopping areas, some restaurants, excellent gym and fitness facilities, and a lot of the “mall”-type lifestyle that makes for easy suburban living. Mexico City’s most modern hospital, the Angeles Interlomas is based there. La Herradura is a little neighborlier and a little greener, with its verdant hills and some parks. Access is a little annoying because you have to drive through Tecamachalco to get there from the center of town. It has the same problem regarding access to cultural venues and hip restaurants that Tecamachalco and the North have. The Anahuac, a small, private university for the wealthy is there. Public transportation access is very limited.

West (Bosques de las Lomas, Lomas de Bezares, Vistahermosa)

In order to capitalize on the success of Lomas de Chapultepec, these newer developments also have their share of office buildings, exclusive shopping malls, and the like. It’s access, via Reforma, is a little easier than Tecamachalco, Interlomas and Lomas de la Herradura and its residents consider themselves the social equals of the people who live in Lomas de Chapultepec. Most of the area has hired private “Bank and Industry” police officers to patrol their streets, such that the area is relatively safer than most. Once inside “Bosques” (as it’s generally called), the streets are quite wide and well paved and the surroundings pleasant.

West II (Lomas de Chapultepec)

Originally, “Chapultepec Heights” (as it was planned by its American developer) was to be the ultimate suburban development. It is still where Mexico City’s most expensive housing is. Accessibility is among the best because of the fact that it is near the north, south, and center of the MCMA, although the development of Bosques and Santa Fe have put a strain on the wide boulevards, Reforma, Palmas and Virreyes, which cross the area from east to west (heading out to Toluca). Its more or less central location has also meant that office buildings along the eastern edge of “Las Lomas” (as it’s generally called) have proliferated on both Palmas and Reforma avenues. El Bosque de Chapultepec (“Chapultepec Park”) is Mexico City’s largest park. It lines the southern border of the entire development, providing for a lot more green than you normally see in such an urban setting. Even though there are areas of Las Lomas that are deeply residential and quiet, it is very rare to see much cavorting at the community level.

West III (Santa Fe)

Mexico City’s newest addition to its massive urban sprawl, Santa Fe was actually built on a huge landfill. Currently, it is where some of the best office space in the City is to be found, with the head offices of GE, EDS, IBM, Daimler-Chrysler, Televisa, and other big shots. Santa Fe also has the Universidad Iberoamericana, a Jesuit university with a good reputation among the elites, as well as what is billed as the largest shopping mall in Latin America. Lately, a number of very good restaurants have established themselves along the main street, including the best Indian (as in the Asian subcontinent) restaurant in the City, and there is also a Sheraton Suites hotel in the immediate vicinity for visitors. The gated housing communities that have been built have followed the “townhouse” row-housing model and the security is very good within. In terms of apartments, these are generally upscale and some offer striking views of the Valley of Mexico, especially at night, since they are built along the incline of a hill that divides Santa Fe with Bosques de las Lomas. Road access is fairly good via Reforma and Constituyentes, although public transportation access is spotty.

Center-West (Polanco, Anzures)

Polanco is a mixture of commercial and residential areas with a lot of offices, boutiques and department stores. Upscale shopping malls and three of Mexico City’s best hotels (housed in skyscrapers that line the zone’s southern edge) are thrown in for good measure. It is centrally located with respect to the center, west, and northern parts of the City and it also has good access to Mexico City’s largest green area, Chapultepec Park. Besides excellent shopping and restaurants, Polanco also has a great cultural scene, being the home of both the Museo Rufino Tamayo and the Anthropological Museum. It also has a theatre, many cinemas and two of the most important musical venues in the City, the National Auditorium and the Hard Rock Live. Despite all this activity, Polanco is still fairly residential, although the anonymity of the Really Big City has eclipsed community life. Even more so than Tecamachalco, the area has a very large Jewish community (such that some people jokingly refer to it as “Polanski”) and Orthodox Jews are often seen leaving the synagogues that can be found there. Although parking is a problem and the traffic can get a little annoying in the afternoon, Polanco is an excellent choice to live for those who want an active urban lifestyle and can afford it.

Center (Zona Rosa)

The Zona Rosa, or “Pink Zone” because of its early reputation as a lighter version of other cities’ “red light” districts, used to be the best commercial and office area in the city. It’s residential aspects were also considered excellent for active urbanites who wanted to live in apartments and be close to what was still considered “downtown”, today’s Historical Center (“Centro Historico”). In many ways, it was what Polanco currently is. It still has a lot of prime office space and is very centrally located, but its access is often blocked by marches and demonstrations (called “manifestaciones”). If you can put up with that, as well as a higher crime rate than Polanco, the nightlife is great and the views of Reforma Avenue pretty striking.

Center-South (Condesa, Roma)

Currently the hippest part of town, all sorts of restaurants, bars and cafés are opening up in the Condesa area. There are some pretty nifty buildings because of the fact that the area was built up during the heyday of the Porfirio Diaz regime, which was known for its francophilia. The Roma-Condesa zone is definitely considered accessible because of its central location and easy travel to the south and west of the capital. Having said that, the area is sometimes blocked by demonstrations at the Ministry of Economy (exSECOFI), which has its headquarters at the western edge of the Condesa. Also, its central location (on top of the old lake bed) means that earthquakes are especially strong there. The Roma is also the place to find several important galleries and the “Casa Lamm”, a beautiful mansion where many interesting art, history and literature classes are currently given. The crime rate is a little higher than in Polanco and the place still hasn’t been completely “gentrified”, which means that many buildings are still not in the best conditions. Also, prices have risen since interest in the area bubbled among the “too-cool-for-you” crowd.