Mexico City

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This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer.

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Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, or simply México) is the capital and largest city of Mexico, with about 9.2 million inhabitants in 2020, and over 21 million in the metropolitan agglomeration. It is the most important economic, industrial, and cultural center of the country.

This city is located in the Valley of Mexico within the high Mexican central plateau, at an average altitude of 2,240 meters (7,350 ft), and has 16 boroughs or demarcaciones territoriales, which are in turn divided into neighborhoods or colonias. Greater Mexico City had a GDP of $411 billion in 2011, which made it one of the most productive urban areas in the world. The city was responsible for generating 16% of Mexico's GDP, and the metropolitan area accounted for about 22% of the country's GDP. If an independent country in 2013, Mexico City would have been the fifth-largest economy in Latin America.

View down the Paseo de la Reforma from the Chapultepec Castle. PHOTO CREDIT: Wikipedia Commons

Mexico City is the oldest capital city in the Americas and one of two founded by Indigenous people. The city was originally built on a group of islands in Lake Texcoco by the Mexica, later known as the Aztecs, around 1325, under the name Tenochtitlan. It was almost completely destroyed in a 1521 Spanish-led siege against the Aztecs and subsequently rebuilt in accordance with Spanish urban standards. In 1524, the municipality of Mexico City was established by the Spanish conquerors. Mexico City played a major role in the Spanish colonial empire as a political, administrative, and financial center. Following independence from Spain, the federal district was established in 1824.

After years of citizens demanding greater political autonomy, in 1997 city residents were given the right to elect both a head of government and the representatives of the unicameral Legislative Assembly. The city has several progressive policies, such as elective abortions, a limited form of euthanasia, no-fault divorce, and same-sex marriage. In January 2016, it ceased to be the Federal District (Spanish: Distrito Federal or D.F.) and is now officially known as Ciudad de México (or CDMX), with a greater degree of autonomy. A clause in the Constitution of Mexico, however, prevents it from becoming a state within the Mexican federation, as long it remains the capital.

As of 2010, the biggest municipalities in greater Mexico City, excluding Mexico City itself, were:

Ecatepec (1.6 million)
Nezahualcóyotl (1.1 million)
Naucalpan (833,000)
Tlalnepantla de Baz (664,000)
Chimalhuacán (602000)
Ixtapaluca (467,000)
Cuautitlán Izcalli (533,000)
Atizapan de Zaragoza (490,000)

## Religion[edit]

Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Villa de Guadalupe, site of the appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe. PHOTO CREDIT: Wikipedia Commons