Colonia Doctores
Encyclopedia
Colonia Doctores is an official neighborhood
just southwest of the historic center of Mexico City
. It is bordered by Avenida Cuauhtémoc to the west, Arcos de Belen Street to the north, Eje Central
to the east and Eje 3 Sur José Peón Contreras to the south.
ayuntamiento
. The major streets such as Niños Heroes, Dr. Lavista, and Dr. Río de la Loza were laid out.
Originally the colonia was called "Hidalgo" but, as almost all of the streets here are named after famous physicians, the area became known as "Doctores," leading to its current official name.
In 1880, Ramón Guzmán, owner of an enterprise of streetcars pulled by mules, established a yard here for the maintenance and storage of his vehicles. Today the Procuraduría de Justicia del D.F. (Court house of the Federal District) is located in its place. A couple of decades later, a large part of this area was owned by the Compañía de Tranvías, also known as the Mexican Electric Transway, serving as a trainyard as well as housing workshops for the maintenance and repair of rail cars. This service began in 1900. Train engineers, who worked all hours, gave rise to vendors selling food, especially chicken soup ("caldo de pollo") in the late night and early morning hours. This tradition remains and the area is noted for its soup.
Doctores is home of "Arena México," one of the more important staging places of Mexican lucha libre
or professional wrestling
, located on Dr. Lavista. Every Tuesday and Friday night, fights are staged between "good" wrestlers and "bad" wrestlers who often represent the trials and tribulations of the country. It is the self proclaimed "cathedral" of Mexican lucha libre, sporting not only top names but those just beginning their wrestling careers.
and glasswork by Revueltas.
Located on Dr. Vértiz 12, on the corner of Arcos de Belén, it is one of the most prestigious law schools in Mexico, and second only to UNAM
in age. It was founded 14 July 1912, during a time when Mexico was in political turmoil, including student unrest against the regime of President Porfirio Díaz
. It offers degrees at both the bachelor's and master's levels for those seeking careers as lawyers and other aspects of juridical science.
and his new wife doña Carmen Romero Rubio
. They first used the house as a getaway as this area was just on the outskirts of the city at the time. In 1904, they decided to convert it into an educational center for working mothers and their children, known as the "Casa Amiga de la Obrera" (Friends House of the Working Woman). It is now the Escuela de Participación Social No. 1 (Social Participation School No. 1) primary school affiliated with UNESCO
.
, Gustavo Pérez, Irma Palacios, Jazz Moart and Joe Laville.
, Federico Cantú, Luis Nishizawa
, Francisco Zúñiga
, José Chávez Morado
, Salvador Pinoncelly and Tosia Malamud. The 1985 Mexico City earthquake
damaged many of the buildings's foundations requiring demolitions but their artworks were salvaged. The center sees the art as an integral part of the healing process. Inside the main entrance of the hospital is a mural called "Homage to rescue" by José Chávez Morado. It is 230 square meters etched in marble done between 1988 and 1999.
, and Colonia Narvarte. It is also known for its large numbers of cantinas
, cabarets and “hotels de paso”(hotels with hourly rates). However, most of the crime associated with this area is related to car theft and chop shop
s. For example, a Hummer
stolen from El Paso
, Texas
, was recently found intact on the streets here.
Colonia Doctores used to be the home to many “pulquerías”, bars or cantinas that serve pulque
to a mostly lower-class clientle. However, in Mexico City, these establishments have been heavily regulated because they were often seen as centers of vice. Due to this, and the increasing popularity of beer, very few pulquerías, such as "La Hija de los Apaches," on Dr. Lavista 186, still exist.
19°25′3.38"N 99°8′50.74"W
Colonia (Mexico)
In general, colonias are neighborhoods in Mexican cities, which have no jurisdictional autonomy or representation. It is plausible that the name, which literally means colony, arose in the late 19th, early 20th centuries, when one of the first urban developments outside Mexico City's core was...
just southwest of the historic center of Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. It is bordered by Avenida Cuauhtémoc to the west, Arcos de Belen Street to the north, Eje Central
Eje Central
The Eje Central is part of a system of roadways built by Carlos Hank González to make Mexico City more automobile-friendly....
to the east and Eje 3 Sur José Peón Contreras to the south.
History
The neighborhood was planned by Francisco Lascuráin in 1889, in an area called "La Indianilla". This name came from three indigenous women named María Clara, María Concepción and María Paula sold some of their land here to Father Domingo Pérez Barcia to build a small chapel. However, Lascuràin never followed through with his plans to construct the neighborhood. In 1895, The Mexican City Propiety Sindicate Limited proposed the plan to lay out the neighborhood anew, gaining approval of the Mexico CityFederal District buildings
The Federal District buildings are two buildings on the south side of the Zócalo in Mexico City divided by the avenue Avenida 20 de Noviembre. They house offices of the governing authority of the Federal District or Mexico City. The building to the west of 20 de Noviembre is the older one and has...
ayuntamiento
Ayuntamiento
Ayuntamiento In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . is the general term for the council of a municipality, or sometimes the municipality itself, in Spain and Latin America. Historically Ayuntamiento was often preceded by the word excelentísimo , when referring to...
. The major streets such as Niños Heroes, Dr. Lavista, and Dr. Río de la Loza were laid out.
Originally the colonia was called "Hidalgo" but, as almost all of the streets here are named after famous physicians, the area became known as "Doctores," leading to its current official name.
Sites of interest
General Hospital of Mexico
The Hospital General de Mexico was inaugurated on 5 February 1905 and covers seventeen hectares. Today, the hospital employs 6,000 professionals including doctors, nurses, technicians, paramedics and administrators. Each day, the hospital treats 3,000 outpatients, discharges about 112 inpatients, and performs 164 surgeries and other invasive procedures. It has 39 medical specialties in treatment, diagnostics and rehabilitation, providing care at the secondary and terciary level. The hospital also receives each year 1,163 medical students and 447 residents as well as 1,624 nursing students and other paramedical trainees. It is also a research hospital with 70 investigators, 27% of whom are members of Mexico's National System of Researchers (SNI), publishing about 158 articles each year.Arena México
Doctores is home of "Arena México," one of the more important staging places of Mexican lucha libre
Lucha libre
Lucha libre is a term used in Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking countries, for a form of professional wrestling that has developed within those countries...
or professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, located on Dr. Lavista. Every Tuesday and Friday night, fights are staged between "good" wrestlers and "bad" wrestlers who often represent the trials and tribulations of the country. It is the self proclaimed "cathedral" of Mexican lucha libre, sporting not only top names but those just beginning their wrestling careers.
Ex-Belén Prison
It was home to the old Belén Prison, which today is the Instituto Maria Isabel Dunde preschool and primary school that houses murals by Raúl AnguianoRaúl Anguiano
José Raúl Anguiano Valadez was a Mexican critical realist painter, draftsman, muralist, and engraver, as well as a member of the second generation of the so-called "Mexican School of Painting" in Mexican art, along with Juan O'Gorman, Judith Gutierrez, Jorge González Camarena, José Chávez Morado,...
and glasswork by Revueltas.
Escuela Libre de Derecho (Free School of Law)
Unam
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...
in age. It was founded 14 July 1912, during a time when Mexico was in political turmoil, including student unrest against the regime of President Porfirio Díaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
. It offers degrees at both the bachelor's and master's levels for those seeking careers as lawyers and other aspects of juridical science.
Porfirio Díaz mansion
On Doctor Jiménez street, is an old mansion that was a wedding gift for Porfirio DíazPorfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
and his new wife doña Carmen Romero Rubio
Carmen Romero Rubio
Fabiana Sebastiana Maria Carmen Romero Rubio y Castelló , second wife of Porfirio Díaz, President of Mexico.- Youth :...
. They first used the house as a getaway as this area was just on the outskirts of the city at the time. In 1904, they decided to convert it into an educational center for working mothers and their children, known as the "Casa Amiga de la Obrera" (Friends House of the Working Woman). It is now the Escuela de Participación Social No. 1 (Social Participation School No. 1) primary school affiliated with UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
.
Centro Cultural Estaciòn Indianilla
The Centro Cultural Estación Indianilla is located on Claudio Bernard Street in the colonia. This cultural center was opened in 2006 in what was an old workshop for the reparation of tram cars. The building had been in disrepair for a number of decades. It now houses exhibition space for modern and "alternative" art, taking advantage of the buildings tall ceilings and rooms built to accommodate railcars. In its basement, is the Frida de Juguete Arte Objeto Museum with pieces from artists such as Alberto Castro Leñero, Ángel Fermín Vizuet, Francisco ToledoFrancisco Toledo
Francisco Benjamín López Toledo is a Mexican graphic artist. He studied at the Escuela de Bellas Artes de Oaxaca and the Centro Superior de Artes Aplicadas del Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, Mexico, where he studied graphic arts with Guillermo Silva Santamaria...
, Gustavo Pérez, Irma Palacios, Jazz Moart and Joe Laville.
Centro Médico Siglo XXI (IMSS) (21st Century Medical Center-IMSS)
This facility was inaugurated in 1964, becoming the most important center for specialized medicine in the country. It is located on Cuauhtémoc Avenue in the far southwest corner of the colonia. The hospital houses about 30 works of art from fourteen different artists such as David Alfaro SiqueirosDavid Alfaro Siqueiros
José David Alfaro Siqueiros was a social realist painter, known for his large murals in fresco that helped establish the Mexican Mural Renaissance, together with works by Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco, and also a member of the Mexican Communist Party who participated in an...
, Federico Cantú, Luis Nishizawa
Luis Nishizawa
Luis Nishizawa Flores is a Mexican artist. His father, Kenji Nishizawa is Japanese with origins from Nagano prefecture and his mother, María de Jesús Flores is Mexican....
, Francisco Zúñiga
Francisco Zúñiga
thumbJosé Jesús Francisco Zúñiga Chavarría was a Costa Rican and Mexican artist, known both for his painting and his sculpture...
, José Chávez Morado
José Chávez Morado
José Chávez Morado was a Mexican painter and sculptor.- Biography :Morado was born in Silao, near the city of Guanajuato, where Diego Rivera was born, and like Rivera he is a well known and highly regarded painter and sculptor who became most famous for the murals he painted in Mexico in the first...
, Salvador Pinoncelly and Tosia Malamud. The 1985 Mexico City earthquake
1985 Mexico City earthquake
The 1985 Mexico City earthquake, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake that struck Mexico City on the early morning of 19 September 1985 at around 7:19 AM , caused the deaths of at least 10,000 people and serious damage to the greater Mexico City Area. The complete seismic event...
damaged many of the buildings's foundations requiring demolitions but their artworks were salvaged. The center sees the art as an integral part of the healing process. Inside the main entrance of the hospital is a mural called "Homage to rescue" by José Chávez Morado. It is 230 square meters etched in marble done between 1988 and 1999.
Government buildings
This area, especially the northern section, is home to a number of Mexico City's governmental offices, including:- Procuraduría General de Justicia del Distrito Federal, on Gabriel Hernández Street.
- Asesoría Jurídica Laboral, on Dr. Lucio St.
- Comisión de Derechos Humanos del Distrito Federal, on Doctor Río de la Loza St.
- Instituto Electoral del Distrito Federal, on Orozco y Berra St.
- Fondo de Seguridad Pública del D.F., on Gabriel Hernández St.
- Fondo para la Atención y Apoyo a las Victimas del Delito, on Gabriel Hernández St.
- Instituto de Formación Profesional del D.F., on Gabriel Hernández St.
- Sistema de Corredores de Transporte Público de Pasajeros del Distrito Federal (Metrobús), on Av. Cuauhtémoc.
Reputation
The area has a reputation of being high crime. It was ranked in the top 25 neighborhoods of the city for percentage of residents incarcerated. and it was ranked fourth in the top ten most “dangerous” neighborhoods, based on number of reported crimes per capita, behind Centro, Colonia del ValleColonia del Valle
Colonia del Valle is a neighborhood in the Benito Juarez borough of Mexico City. The city includes "...a great number of parks, vast and tree-lined streets, prestigious shopping malls, and some city landmarks..."...
, and Colonia Narvarte. It is also known for its large numbers of cantinas
Cantiñas
The Cantiñas is a group of flamenco palos , originated in the area of Cádiz in Andalusia . They share the same compás or rhythmic pattern with the soleá and are usually sung in a lively rhythm...
, cabarets and “hotels de paso”(hotels with hourly rates). However, most of the crime associated with this area is related to car theft and chop shop
Chop shop
In motor vehicle theft, a chop shop is a location or business which disassembles stolen automobiles for the purpose of selling them as parts. It may also be used to refer to a location or business that is involved with the selling of stolen or fraudulent goods in general, an example of the latter...
s. For example, a Hummer
Hummer
Hummer was a brand of trucks and SUVs, first marketed in 1992 when AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998 Humvee. In 1998, General Motors purchased the brand name and marketed three vehicles: the original Hummer H1, based on the Humvee; and the H2 and H3 models that were...
stolen from El Paso
El Paso
El Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, was recently found intact on the streets here.
Colonia Doctores used to be the home to many “pulquerías”, bars or cantinas that serve pulque
Pulque
Pulque, or octli, is a milk-colored, somewhat viscous alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey plant, and is a traditional native beverage of Mexico. The drink’s history extends far back into the Mesoamerican period, when it was considered sacred, and its use was limited to...
to a mostly lower-class clientle. However, in Mexico City, these establishments have been heavily regulated because they were often seen as centers of vice. Due to this, and the increasing popularity of beer, very few pulquerías, such as "La Hija de los Apaches," on Dr. Lavista 186, still exist.
External links
- http://www.mx-df.net www.mx-df.net
19°25′3.38"N 99°8′50.74"W