Mexico city case study.

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Mexico City Case Study

Mexico City Background

Mexico City has a population of 9,800,000 (1995 Estimate) and has a Total area of 1,480 square kilometres or 571 square miles with an elevation of 2,239 metres/7,347 feet.

   

Introduction 

Now one of the largest urban centres in the world, Mexico City was built on top of the ruins of the once-powerful Aztec city Tenochtitlán, which was conquered by Spain’s Hernán Cortés in 1521. The Aztecs chose this site on the island of Tlateloco in Lake Texcoco for its defensive position. Spain’s new city, which would remain the proud capital of New Spain for 300 years, was laid out in a typical grid plan around a plaza. Like its predecessor, Mexico City thrived despite a harsh environment. Located in a basin and surrounded by mountains on three sides, the city has long endured flooding, devastating earthquakes, and a shortage of fresh water.

The cosmopolitan capital city dominates the economic, political, and cultural life of the nation, attracting tourists and immigrants alike. Its population is expected to reach 30 million by the year 2005, further aggravating the already severe housing, transport, and air-pollution problems. At the city’s centre is the expansive Plaza de la Constitución, called the Zócalo, once the site of the Aztecs’ centre of government and religion. Nearby, tree-lined boulevards and skyscrapers contrast with narrow streets and colonial buildings.

The growth of Mexico City

Mexico city had a population of 2,372000 in 1952 and in 1990 had a population of over 15 million, the graph below shows the growth since 1952.

Migration to Mexico City

Migration has played a major role in the growth of Mexico City. Most people came from the central and southern regions as can be seen from the diagram below, with the majority living close to the city. The migration had the effect in helping Mexico City become a mega city. Many of the migrants settled on new land outside the city centre, which initiated the growth of the city outwards.

The reason for the migration was mainly due to the prospect that people thought moving from rural areas like Puebla, to Mexico City. The migrants usually left rural areas in hope for finding a job in the city, raising money in a new job, which farming in rural areas such as Puebla did not achieve. This can be seen from the diagram on the next page showing all the push and pull factors which has resulted in the colossal migration, which has led to Mexico City becoming a mega city.

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As a result of the general pull factor of jobs and higher wage prospects the typical migrant would have been a young man, the eldest son who had decided to help the family by moving to the city to earn money and provide financial assistance to his family. This type of migration can be seen in the diagram below, with the population pyramid of Mexico city having a larger population of Males in the 20s to 30s, and to go with it a population ...

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