Monday, September 7, 2015

2. Context

Mexico / Queretaro

México

México is a nation with a vast cultural wealth and strong social contrasts and contradictions. The country is composed of a variety of ecosystems, climates, languages and traditions. México, is home to Carlos Slim, one of the richest men in the world, but also home to over 53 million poor people; representing 46.2% of the total population.

In Mexico, the contrasts among neighborhoods and across society are unsettling. Some neighborhoods may have similar rates of HDI (Human Development Index) of countries like France or Canada, while other Mexican villages may have the violence rates of Honduras, the educational levels of Syria, or the poverty level of Mauritania.

Queretaro 1770

Querétaro

During the Empire of Tenochtitlan (1325-1521), the State of Queretaro was part of the great Chichimeca, the land of the nomadic tribes that had not been defeated by the powerful Aztecs, Otomi or Tarascos located nearby.

Later on, cattle ranches, industrious people and religious missioners populated this area. The population increased after the discovery of silver mines in the city of Zacatecas 400 kilometers away from Querétaro.

The exchange of goods and constant flow of passengers also increased due to the Mexico-Zacatecas road, also know as  “Camino Real” and “Silver Route”. This also increased the importance of the villages situated at intermediate points; including Queretaro.
Queretaro, 210 kilometers north of Mexico City was one of the stops along the Colonial route. This is one reason why Querétaro once a small unimportant town during the sixteenth century, became a relevant city in the nineteenth century.

Due to its privileged geographical position, Queretaro became a strategic location. Soil fertility and the benign climate, gave Queretaro a reputation as one of the most beautiful and lavish places of the “New Spain”.

El Camino Real / Queretaro 1778

Querétaro Nowadays

Thanks to its strategic location and proximity to Mexico City, Queretaro became an industrial city hosting major international companies such as Bombardier, Santander Bank, Kellogs, Eurocopter, Procter and Gamble, etc. This industrial hub caused the acceleration of its urbanization and metropolitan growth since the 1980s. Queretaro has over 20 industrial parks that manufacture airplanes, helicopters, software and auto parts.

Because of this industrial booming, the state of Queretaro is placed third nationally in terms of demographic growth, as it recorded a population increase of 26% between 2000 and 2010. During the last decade, the state population grew from 423.831 inhabitants, to reach 1,827,937 people.

This growth is largely due to the arrival of new inhabitants searching for safer settings and job opportunities.



Urban Growth
El Tepetate and La Otra Banda (The Others)
In the late sixteenth century the Viceroy Luis de Velasco granted a license to manufacture cloths. Today this area is known as “El Tepe” or “La Otra Banda” (the others) and is located on the riverbank on the northern part of Queretaro.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries epidemics of cholera and leprosy sickened the population of the city and the indigenous inhabitants were the main victims. This area quickly became the poorest neighborhood in Queretaro.

El Tepetate neighborhood was the city limit and its name is given because of the porous and abundant stone found in that area. This area became an informal commerce location, as it was a meeting point for horsemen with goods to sell in Queretaro.

The first formal buildings in the Tepetate area were made of stone and adobe, but were smaller in scale compared to the structures in the City Centre. In the area existed mainly orchards and agricultural land.  A couple of watchtowers were built in the area as an entry point in the city.


During the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz, the train station was built in this area (1904). This area became the entryway to Queretaro and soon after, these commercial services were found in this place. Along with commerce, canteens and prostitution proliferated.

Old Train Station & the Watch Tower

Further Reading (Issuu):





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