Ciudad Satélite
Encyclopedia
Satélite is a Greater Mexico City
high-class suburban area located in Naucalpan
, State of Mexico. Officially the name corresponds only to the homonym neighbourhood, Ciudad Satélite, founded circa 1957. Over the las few decades it has expanded and it is now rather segmented socially and economically, distributed in a number of different neighbourhoods, although it has remained a predominantly middle class area.
The project was approved by the president Miguel Alemán Valdés
in 1948. The city was almost finished, but uninhabited in 1952. In that year people started to move in, because of the attractive prices.
Public Services as the phone lines were not finished yet in all circuits. People had to use public phones.
Ciudad Satélite by the 1970s, the population expanded vastly.
For some, the area can be divided into four parts: The south zone, which comprises from Las Américas neighbourhood, next to Naucalpan City Hall, Vista del Valle (after the famous Norwegian poet), Paseos del Bosque and El Mirador. Some even consider the neighbourhoods of San Mateo, La Florida and the Echegaray borough to be part of the South Zone of Satélite. The next zone would be the central-western zone. Technically, it consists of Ciudad Satélite, the core neighbourhood, Lomas Verdes
, Boulevares, Naucalli Park, and even La Concordia. The third area is the northern zone: Fuentes de Satélite, Santa Cruz del Monte, Bellavista, and Calacoaya neighbourhoods enter here.
Two more zones might be considered inside Satélite: the first one is called the far northern zone. The exclusion is explained because there is a huge low income zone (San Andrés Atenco) between the urban extension of what Satélite normally is considered and this neighbourhoods. The far northern zone includes neighbourhoods such as Alamedas, Santa Mónica Valle Dorado, Arboledas, Pirules and even Club de Golf Hacienda.
Finally, the last zone. Zona Esmeralda (Comprising Chiluca, Vallescondido and Sayavedra). This exclusion is easily explained because of the detachment between Satélite and Zona Esmeralda: several hectares of undeveloped grounds, Chamapa-Lechería highway and Madín dam divide the two urban extensions. Other factors are: a whole different urban concept and a higher income level.
These zones mainly belong to Naucalpan
, Tlalnepantla
, and Atizapán de Zaragoza municipalities.
Later, during the colonial period, the Shrine of Our Lady of Los Remedios was built when a Spanish officer found the religious figure under a maguey plant. It is said that the small virgin had been brought by Gonzalo Rodríguez de Villafuerte. The shrine, which divides the Satélite area from the popular zones of Naucalpan municipality, was built in the sixteenth century, and in the architectural compound we can find the well-known caracoles or Los Remedios Aqueduct.
Ciudad Satélite, the core neighborhood, started as a new urban concept in the mid fifties, when the roaring extension of Mexico City and the upcoming of a new and energetic middle class forced the development of whole new neighborhoods. The story of Las Torres de Satélite
, the Greater Mexico City landmark for the area, is related in another article. It has been said that the grounds (in the northwestern suburbs of the city, near the old highway to Querétaro) originally belonged to Mexican President Miguel Alemán Valdés
, who was in office from 1946 to 1952. He kept some acres and built a mansion in Doctors Circuit.
Architect Mario Pani created most of the urban design. The great novelty in Ciudad Satélite is the total absence (at least in the core neighborhood) of traffic lights, due to an ingenious street layout with "circuitos" or wide oval circuits where incorporation to other main roads allow to see if cars are coming. Each of Ciudad Satélite circuits has several streets with names of famous professionals relating to the circuit's name. The names of the circuits are the following: Centro Comercial (The Mall), Centro Cívico (Civic Center), Sculptors, Painters, Musicians, Mineralogists, Pedagogues, Scientists, Engineers, Teachers, Historians, Surgeons, Doctors, Geographers, Sailors, Playwrights, Orators, Missionaries, Architects, Poets, Novelists, Economists, Heroes, Jurists, Journalists, Diplomats, and the two external circuits (Circunvalación Oriente y Circunvalación Poniente). The urban design and the original pricing for the grounds was deliberately intended for segmenting the new city into three areas: middle class, upper middle class and high class. Novelists and Economists were the circuits with the highest ground prices, so it is not a surprise that the most spectacular manors were built there.
Many of Ciudad Satélite's houses were built in a functionalist
style, absent of any kind of decorative elements in the facade
. This also applies to the so-called Ciudad Satélite's cathedral, San Felipe de Jesús Sanctuary. This big, spectacular church features many functionalist style elements, as well as astounding paintings. Other styles present in the neighborhood are colonial, modernist (vintage Mexican architecture), and Spanish or Californian colonial style.
The next neighborhoods were developed in the next years, so the urban extension of Satélite area has been growing ever since.
Contemporary issues in Satélite include the big traffic problems (as this is a sleep-over zone, many people drive to Mexico City everyday), The decrepit state of many roads, new concerns of car robberies, violations on environmental regulations, saturation and oversupply of real estate due to new developments, and unauthorized commerce in residential-designed zones.
The Satélite Towers. This landmark stands in the middle of Periferico, Mexico City's main Freeway. Built by Mathias Goeritz
and Luis Barragán
and inspired in the painter Jesus Reyes Ferreyra's ideas, it is truly a great piece of architecture. Due to the unusual fact that nobody really owns the land over which they were built, they were not maintained by any government and had fallen into disrepair, until they were finally repainted in their original colors, which had been chosen by Barragán, and recovered their landmarking symbol in the late 90's.
Naucalli Park is a large extension of eucalypt
forest
devoted to the recreation of locals and other inhabitants of nearby areas. It used to be an ejido
(communal agricultural grounds) called "Ejido de Oro". An expropriation decree converted it into a park which has a jogging
circuit, many playground spots, monumental fountains, a convention center, an Agora (forum for art exhibits), a Culture House, the branch of a well-known Mexico City restaurant, an archery
training ground, a big forum for classical music concerts (The State of Mexico Symphonic Orchestra used to play here on Sundays) and an amusement park with animatronic dinosaurs.
Plaza Satélite
, built in the late sixties by the studio of the famous architect Juan Sordo Madaleno, is one of the biggest malls in Mexico City. It has undergone two full renewals and has all of the big department stores of the country, music stores, restaurants, boutiques, services and a big cinema complex.
Mundo E is a smaller, most middle to lower middle class tendered mall, with libraries, boutiques, another cinema complex, a fitness center and a couple of nightclubs.
Other smaller malls are: Heliplaza, Shopping Plaza and the commerces on Zona Esmeralda. A new and controversial big mall was built at La Cúspide (The Summit), which is the area's highest ground, offering sweeping views of Mexico City.
The Mall Circuit Zone (Circuito Centro Comercial) is Satélite's central commercial zone. Besides the big mall
, it includes several commerces such as restaurants, nightclubs, cafeterias, three different but excellent bookstores, banks, and all the usual suspects of a twenty first century suburb.
The Blue Zone (La Zona Azul) is a nostalgic pair of commercial blocks that have some of the first businesses that operated in the area. It is such a famous icon of Satélite that it is the local place for joy demonstrations after Mexican National Team's victories in soccer matches. A well-known ice cream and spicy fruit parlour is the main culinary attraction. There are of course other food options, a branch of a world class cafeteria and an old stationary store. The Blue zone is known for drag racing of motorcycles and custom tuned cars.
The Ruins of Acropolis. Originally built as an outdoor shopping mall. The Acropolis never obtained popularity and was abandoned. Nowadays it stands as one of the landmarks of ciudad satélite.
Luis Barragán
's sculptures can be seen in Arboledas neighbourhood. However, some monuments are in a decrepit state.
Parque de los Ciervos (Wild Deer Park) in Zona Esmeralda is a forest park where wild deers are raised. Picnic and playground facilities.
Faculty of Superior Studies at Acatlán. The area also houses a Universidad del Valle de Mexico
(UVM) university campus.
Some of Mexico's best known Olympic medallists lived or live here. Examples are Carlos Mercenario, Soraya Jiménez, Dolores Knoll and Fernando Platas. In the lower zone of Boulevares, almost next to Acatlán Town are the fields of the zone representative teams, such as: The Buccaneers (Bucaneros), the Cowboys (Vaqueros), the Black Dogs (Perros Negros), and the Redskins (Pieles Rojas). The second and fourth being the most famous outside Satélite.
There is also a local soccer football league: Liga de Fútbol Satélite.
Cultural exports from Satélite include: the members of the band Café Tacvba
, troubadour Fernando Delgadillo
and rock band Dildo
.
For more prominent "Satelucos", visit Satelín-Torres
' list:Satelín-Torres#Prominent .5B.5BSatelucos.5D.5D list.
Greater Mexico City
Greater Mexico City refers to the conurbation around Mexico City, officially called Mexico City Metropolitan Area , constituted by the Federal District—itself composed of 16 boroughs—and 41 adjacent municipalities of the states of Mexico and Hidalgo...
high-class suburban area located in Naucalpan
Naucalpan
Naucalpan, officially Naucalpan de Juárez, is a city and municipality located just northwest of Mexico City in adjoining Mexico State. The name Naucalpan comes from Nahuatl and means “place of the four neighborhoods or four houses. “de Juárez was added to the official name in 1874 in honor of...
, State of Mexico. Officially the name corresponds only to the homonym neighbourhood, Ciudad Satélite, founded circa 1957. Over the las few decades it has expanded and it is now rather segmented socially and economically, distributed in a number of different neighbourhoods, although it has remained a predominantly middle class area.
Definition
Satélite originally was conceived as a commuter bedroom community; developers hoped to maintain a green belt between it and Mexico City, but its rapid development (and rising property prices) made this untenable. However, popular culture, market segmentation, availability of services, and of as well as comings and goings of life in this area has helped to define Satélite as the cultural center of Mexico City. Ciudad Satélite became the core of a new suburban phenomenon that eventually included not only single-family dwellings but also apartment buildings, condominiums, and retail spaces. Some manufacturing also developed. This was a vast departure from the original concept (See History). But real estate developments through the ages have expanded completely the idea of any Greater Mexico City inhabitant about the word Satélite.The project was approved by the president Miguel Alemán Valdés
Miguel Alemán Valdés
Miguel Alemán Valdés served as the President of Mexico from 1946 to 1952.-Life:Alemán was born in Sayula in the state of Veracruz as the son of General Miguel Alemán González and Tomasa Valdés Ledezma...
in 1948. The city was almost finished, but uninhabited in 1952. In that year people started to move in, because of the attractive prices.
Public Services as the phone lines were not finished yet in all circuits. People had to use public phones.
Ciudad Satélite by the 1970s, the population expanded vastly.
For some, the area can be divided into four parts: The south zone, which comprises from Las Américas neighbourhood, next to Naucalpan City Hall, Vista del Valle (after the famous Norwegian poet), Paseos del Bosque and El Mirador. Some even consider the neighbourhoods of San Mateo, La Florida and the Echegaray borough to be part of the South Zone of Satélite. The next zone would be the central-western zone. Technically, it consists of Ciudad Satélite, the core neighbourhood, Lomas Verdes
Lomas Verdes
Lomas Verdes is a middle class neighborhood located in the county of Naucalpan de Juárez, in the state of Mexico. The community was developed in the late 1960s and is near Ciudad Satélite Lomas Verdes means "Green Hills" in Spanish, as the terrain had a set of smooth hills covered with green grass...
, Boulevares, Naucalli Park, and even La Concordia. The third area is the northern zone: Fuentes de Satélite, Santa Cruz del Monte, Bellavista, and Calacoaya neighbourhoods enter here.
Two more zones might be considered inside Satélite: the first one is called the far northern zone. The exclusion is explained because there is a huge low income zone (San Andrés Atenco) between the urban extension of what Satélite normally is considered and this neighbourhoods. The far northern zone includes neighbourhoods such as Alamedas, Santa Mónica Valle Dorado, Arboledas, Pirules and even Club de Golf Hacienda.
Finally, the last zone. Zona Esmeralda (Comprising Chiluca, Vallescondido and Sayavedra). This exclusion is easily explained because of the detachment between Satélite and Zona Esmeralda: several hectares of undeveloped grounds, Chamapa-Lechería highway and Madín dam divide the two urban extensions. Other factors are: a whole different urban concept and a higher income level.
These zones mainly belong to Naucalpan
Naucalpan
Naucalpan, officially Naucalpan de Juárez, is a city and municipality located just northwest of Mexico City in adjoining Mexico State. The name Naucalpan comes from Nahuatl and means “place of the four neighborhoods or four houses. “de Juárez was added to the official name in 1874 in honor of...
, Tlalnepantla
Tlalnepantla
Tlalnepantla could refer to one of two places in the Republic of Mexico:* Tlalnepantla de Baz, a town in the state of México.* Tlalnepantla, Morelos, a town and municipality in the state of Morelos....
, and Atizapán de Zaragoza municipalities.
History
The only pre-Hispanic facts known about the area are that once the Tlatilca culture lived in the area formed between Totolinga, Los Cuartos and Hondo rivers. (tucked inside the industrial zone of Naucalpan we can find a small museum).Later, during the colonial period, the Shrine of Our Lady of Los Remedios was built when a Spanish officer found the religious figure under a maguey plant. It is said that the small virgin had been brought by Gonzalo Rodríguez de Villafuerte. The shrine, which divides the Satélite area from the popular zones of Naucalpan municipality, was built in the sixteenth century, and in the architectural compound we can find the well-known caracoles or Los Remedios Aqueduct.
Ciudad Satélite, the core neighborhood, started as a new urban concept in the mid fifties, when the roaring extension of Mexico City and the upcoming of a new and energetic middle class forced the development of whole new neighborhoods. The story of Las Torres de Satélite
Torres de Satélite
The Torres de Satélite are located in Ciudad Satélite, in the northern part of Naucalpan, Mexico. One of the country's first urban sculptures of great dimensions, had its planning started in 1957 with the ideas of renowned Mexican architect Luis Barragán, painter Jesús Reyes Ferreira and...
, the Greater Mexico City landmark for the area, is related in another article. It has been said that the grounds (in the northwestern suburbs of the city, near the old highway to Querétaro) originally belonged to Mexican President Miguel Alemán Valdés
Miguel Alemán Valdés
Miguel Alemán Valdés served as the President of Mexico from 1946 to 1952.-Life:Alemán was born in Sayula in the state of Veracruz as the son of General Miguel Alemán González and Tomasa Valdés Ledezma...
, who was in office from 1946 to 1952. He kept some acres and built a mansion in Doctors Circuit.
Architect Mario Pani created most of the urban design. The great novelty in Ciudad Satélite is the total absence (at least in the core neighborhood) of traffic lights, due to an ingenious street layout with "circuitos" or wide oval circuits where incorporation to other main roads allow to see if cars are coming. Each of Ciudad Satélite circuits has several streets with names of famous professionals relating to the circuit's name. The names of the circuits are the following: Centro Comercial (The Mall), Centro Cívico (Civic Center), Sculptors, Painters, Musicians, Mineralogists, Pedagogues, Scientists, Engineers, Teachers, Historians, Surgeons, Doctors, Geographers, Sailors, Playwrights, Orators, Missionaries, Architects, Poets, Novelists, Economists, Heroes, Jurists, Journalists, Diplomats, and the two external circuits (Circunvalación Oriente y Circunvalación Poniente). The urban design and the original pricing for the grounds was deliberately intended for segmenting the new city into three areas: middle class, upper middle class and high class. Novelists and Economists were the circuits with the highest ground prices, so it is not a surprise that the most spectacular manors were built there.
Many of Ciudad Satélite's houses were built in a functionalist
Functionalism (architecture)
Functionalism, in architecture, is the principle that architects should design a building based on the purpose of that building. This statement is less self-evident than it first appears, and is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern...
style, absent of any kind of decorative elements in the facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
. This also applies to the so-called Ciudad Satélite's cathedral, San Felipe de Jesús Sanctuary. This big, spectacular church features many functionalist style elements, as well as astounding paintings. Other styles present in the neighborhood are colonial, modernist (vintage Mexican architecture), and Spanish or Californian colonial style.
The next neighborhoods were developed in the next years, so the urban extension of Satélite area has been growing ever since.
Contemporary issues in Satélite include the big traffic problems (as this is a sleep-over zone, many people drive to Mexico City everyday), The decrepit state of many roads, new concerns of car robberies, violations on environmental regulations, saturation and oversupply of real estate due to new developments, and unauthorized commerce in residential-designed zones.
Sights
Many of the old history of the area is seen in Our Lady of Los Remedios Shrine and its aqueduct. House watching has never been a popular activity, but certainly there are many interesting architectural details to be seen.The Satélite Towers. This landmark stands in the middle of Periferico, Mexico City's main Freeway. Built by Mathias Goeritz
Mathias Goeritz
Mathias Goeritz - August 4, 1990 in Mexico City) was a well-known Mexican painter and sculptor of German origin...
and Luis Barragán
Luis Barragán
Luis Barragán Morfin was a Mexican architect. He was self-trained.-Early life:Educated as an engineer, he graduated from the Escuela Libre de Ingenieros in Guadalajara in 1923 and was self-trained as an architect.After graduation, he travelled through Spain, France , and...
and inspired in the painter Jesus Reyes Ferreyra's ideas, it is truly a great piece of architecture. Due to the unusual fact that nobody really owns the land over which they were built, they were not maintained by any government and had fallen into disrepair, until they were finally repainted in their original colors, which had been chosen by Barragán, and recovered their landmarking symbol in the late 90's.
Naucalli Park is a large extension of eucalypt
Eucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
devoted to the recreation of locals and other inhabitants of nearby areas. It used to be an ejido
Ejido
The ejido system is a process whereby the government promotes the use of communal land shared by the people of the community. This use of community land was a common practice during the time of Aztec rule in Mexico...
(communal agricultural grounds) called "Ejido de Oro". An expropriation decree converted it into a park which has a jogging
Jogging
Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...
circuit, many playground spots, monumental fountains, a convention center, an Agora (forum for art exhibits), a Culture House, the branch of a well-known Mexico City restaurant, an archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
training ground, a big forum for classical music concerts (The State of Mexico Symphonic Orchestra used to play here on Sundays) and an amusement park with animatronic dinosaurs.
Plaza Satélite
Plaza Satélite
Plaza Satélite is a shopping mall located in the metropolitan area of Mexico City. It is located in Ciudad Satélite on Anillo Periferico. Its name comes from its location. It is the most important shopping mall in Mexico City's metropolitan area.- History :...
, built in the late sixties by the studio of the famous architect Juan Sordo Madaleno, is one of the biggest malls in Mexico City. It has undergone two full renewals and has all of the big department stores of the country, music stores, restaurants, boutiques, services and a big cinema complex.
Mundo E is a smaller, most middle to lower middle class tendered mall, with libraries, boutiques, another cinema complex, a fitness center and a couple of nightclubs.
Other smaller malls are: Heliplaza, Shopping Plaza and the commerces on Zona Esmeralda. A new and controversial big mall was built at La Cúspide (The Summit), which is the area's highest ground, offering sweeping views of Mexico City.
The Mall Circuit Zone (Circuito Centro Comercial) is Satélite's central commercial zone. Besides the big mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
, it includes several commerces such as restaurants, nightclubs, cafeterias, three different but excellent bookstores, banks, and all the usual suspects of a twenty first century suburb.
The Blue Zone (La Zona Azul) is a nostalgic pair of commercial blocks that have some of the first businesses that operated in the area. It is such a famous icon of Satélite that it is the local place for joy demonstrations after Mexican National Team's victories in soccer matches. A well-known ice cream and spicy fruit parlour is the main culinary attraction. There are of course other food options, a branch of a world class cafeteria and an old stationary store. The Blue zone is known for drag racing of motorcycles and custom tuned cars.
The Ruins of Acropolis. Originally built as an outdoor shopping mall. The Acropolis never obtained popularity and was abandoned. Nowadays it stands as one of the landmarks of ciudad satélite.
Luis Barragán
Luis Barragán
Luis Barragán Morfin was a Mexican architect. He was self-trained.-Early life:Educated as an engineer, he graduated from the Escuela Libre de Ingenieros in Guadalajara in 1923 and was self-trained as an architect.After graduation, he travelled through Spain, France , and...
's sculptures can be seen in Arboledas neighbourhood. However, some monuments are in a decrepit state.
Parque de los Ciervos (Wild Deer Park) in Zona Esmeralda is a forest park where wild deers are raised. Picnic and playground facilities.
Education, Culture & Sports
Satélite is known for being an area with an excellent educational circuit: some good private schools as well as a couple of public junior highs have their home here. School competition is officially low but is a big issue of pride for many "satelucos", to the extent of determining a particular state of mind for each and anyone of them. The most important educational center is an UNAMUnam
UNAM or UNaM may refer to:* National University of Misiones, a National University in Posadas, Argentina*National Autonomous University of Mexico , the large public autonomous university based in Mexico City...
Faculty of Superior Studies at Acatlán. The area also houses a Universidad del Valle de Mexico
Universidad del Valle de México
The Universidad del Valle de México or UVM is a private Mexican university founded in Mexico City in the year 1960. UVM enrolls students at several campuses throughout Mexico, and it holds accreditations from the Mexican Department of Education, COPAES accrediting board, and FIMPES...
(UVM) university campus.
Some of Mexico's best known Olympic medallists lived or live here. Examples are Carlos Mercenario, Soraya Jiménez, Dolores Knoll and Fernando Platas. In the lower zone of Boulevares, almost next to Acatlán Town are the fields of the zone representative teams, such as: The Buccaneers (Bucaneros), the Cowboys (Vaqueros), the Black Dogs (Perros Negros), and the Redskins (Pieles Rojas). The second and fourth being the most famous outside Satélite.
There is also a local soccer football league: Liga de Fútbol Satélite.
Cultural exports from Satélite include: the members of the band Café Tacvba
Café Tacvba
Café Tacuba is a band from Naucalpan, Mexico. The group is widely credited with being a pioneering group of the Rock en Español movement, which gained popularity in the early 1990s...
, troubadour Fernando Delgadillo
Fernando Delgadillo
Fernando Delgadillo is a Latin American musician and composer. He is considered a major representative of the Folk music genre in Mexico.-Biography:...
and rock band Dildo
Dildo
A dildo is a sex toy, often explicitly phallic in appearance, intended for bodily penetration during masturbation or sex with partners.- Description and uses :...
.
For more prominent "Satelucos", visit Satelín-Torres
Satelín-Torres
Satelín-Torres is an activist group aimed towards building up conscience around culture and identity in Ciudad Satélite.Founded in Ciudad Satélite in 2003 by visual artist Fernando Llanos and radio journalist Uriel Waizel. They were joined in 2004 by writers Melissa Suarez del Real and Lilián...
' list:Satelín-Torres#Prominent .5B.5BSatelucos.5D.5D list.
Links
- History of Naucalpan Municipality
- Plaza Satélite - History of Plaza Satélite shopping mall
- http://www.satelin-torres.org/paginas/index.php http://www.satelin-torres.orgSatelín-TorresSatelín-TorresSatelín-Torres is an activist group aimed towards building up conscience around culture and identity in Ciudad Satélite.Founded in Ciudad Satélite in 2003 by visual artist Fernando Llanos and radio journalist Uriel Waizel. They were joined in 2004 by writers Melissa Suarez del Real and Lilián...
, activist group focused on creating conscience around the identity of both Ciudad Satélite and being a "Sateluco". - - Restaurantes, bares, antros en la zona de Ciudad Satélite
- Bizarro Radio, Local Station from Satélite