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| Tlalpan. Mexico City |
Tlalpan is one of the sixteen administrative boroughs of
Mexico City. It is the largest borough, with over eighty percent under
conservation as forest and other ecologically sensitive area. The rest, almost
all of it on the northern edge, has been urban since the mid-20th century. When
it was created in 1928, it was named after the most important settlement of the
area, Tlalpan, which is referred to as “Tlalpan center” (Tlalpan centro) to
distinguish it from the borough. This center, despite being in the urbanized
zone, still retains much of its provincial atmosphere with colonial era
mansions and cobblestone streets. Much of the borough’s importance stems from
its forested conservation areas, as it functions to provide oxygen to the
Valley of Mexico and serves for aquifer recharge.
The borough is
home to one of the oldest Mesoamerican sites in the valley, Cuicuilco, as well
as several major parks and ecological reserves. It is also home to a number of
semi-independent “pueblos” that have limited self-rule rights under a legal
provision known as “usos y costumbres” (lit. uses and customs). [Wiki]
"You can tell whether a man is
clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his
questions."
– Naguib Mahfouz
