Iztacalco

Iztacalco, with an area of 21.8 km ², the smallest of the 16 districts ( delegaciones ) of Mexico City.

Location

Iztacalco bordered to the north by Venustiano Carranza, in the northwest corner of Cuauhtemoc, to the west by Benito Juárez, to the south by Iztapalapa, and to the east by the city of Nezahualcóyotl in the State of México. The historic core of Iztacalco consists of the seven neighborhoods ( Colonias ) Santa Cruz, La Asunción, San Miguel, Los Reyes, Zapotla, San Francisco Xicaltongo and Santiago.

Attractions

Other attractions in the district include the Parque Urbano Escuela Ecological, Centro de Desarrollo Deportivo " Magdalena Mixhuca " with the Palacio de los Deportes, and the former monastery of San Matías.

Meaning of the name

The name comes from the Nahuatl and offers in terms of its significance for interpretation. The most common and more probable version says that Ixtacalco "Salt House " ( ixtatl = salt; calli = house, co = Nachsilbenstelle ) means. Other interpretations suggest that the name Iztacalco "place of white houses " ( Iztac = white; calli = house; -co = place) means. The first translation of the verb " ixtatl " so far seems accurate, as the place originally " Ixtacalco " said. The spelling changed only in the second half of the 20th century, when the words of indigenous origin were converted with an "x " in the second place generally on the letter "z".

History

Due to its location of a lake located in the Valley of Mexico, the area of Iztacalco was settled much later than the other areas of Mexico City. Its first inhabitants were engaged in the production of salt, which is also addressed in the arms of Iztacalco in which the separation of water and the mineral is shown.

The place was probably one of the last places that reached the Aztecs on their way to Tenochtitlan. In the pre-Hispanic era Iztacalco was a place under the leadership of the ruler of Texcoco, an ally of the Aztecs.

After the Spanish troops had conquered Tenochtitlan, located Franciscan missionaries settled in Iztacalco and built the monastery of San Matías. The population of the town was one of the time less than 300 people.

Until the early 20th century Iztacalco remained a rural area, which was marked by gardens that are mainly flowers and vegetables were grown. The first industrial areas settled in the middle of the 20th century in Iztacalco, which soon became a popular location for various companies due to its proximity to the historic center of Mexico City. The annexation took place in 1955 and today the county is home to some of the most dangerous neighborhood of the Mexican capital.