“Fasting coyote” What a curious name. It is the meaning of Nezahualc\u00f3yotl in Nahuatl. Today, we stand in Ciudad Nezahualc\u00f3yotl. This city and municipality in the State of Mexico bears a proud name.
Nezahualc\u00f3yotl was more than a name. He was the Acolhua poet and king of nearby Texcoco. The city carries his legacy. It was built on the drained bed of Lake Texcoco.
Imagine this area before the 20th century. It was underwater. Lake Texcoco covered this land. Drainage projects in the early 20th century revealed new land. The government sold this land privately. The area became an independent municipality in 1963. Basic services arrived later.
Nezahualc\u00f3yotl’s heraldry features an Aztec glyph. It depicts a coyote’s head. The tongue sticks out. A collar symbolizes royalty. The municipality authorized the current coat of arms in the 1990s. It includes this glyph.
Ciudad Neza has grown immensely. It now houses over one million people. Many live in what were once considered slums. Most residents migrated from other parts of Mexico.
Nezahualc\u00f3yotl, the city’s namesake, ruled Texcoco. Texcoco allied with the Aztec Triple Alliance. Drainage of the Valley of Mexico lakes began in the colonial period. Projects aimed to eliminate flooding in Mexico City. The Lake Texcoco area became federal property in 1912. Efforts to drain the lake continued until the 1930s.
Early settlements lacked infrastructure. People sought public services in the 1940s. Dams and tunnels diverted potable water. Formal neighborhoods began to emerge.
The area was known for a bird species. It was called the chichicuilote-atziztizuilotl. This bird inhabited the Valley of Mexico lakes. It is now nearly extinct.
The population grew rapidly in the 1950s. People immigrated from across Mexico. They sought opportunities in Mexico City. By 1954, 40000 people lived here.
In 1960, the idea arose to create a new municipality. The area had 80000 residents then. The State Legislature created the municipality of Nezahualc\u00f3yotl on April 3 1963.
Becoming a municipality helped secure essential services. Water, pavement, and streetlights arrived in the 1960s and 1970s. Land titles were complicated. Regulation occurred in the mid-1970s through the 1990s.
By the early 1980s, public buildings were constructed. Hospitals, schools, and a Museum of Archeology appeared.
The city continued expanding in the 1980s. New neighborhoods and shopping centers emerged. Urban growth required a dedicated municipal committee.
In the 1990s, the Ciudad Deportiva and Universidad Tecnol\u00f3gica de Nezahualc\u00f3yotl were established. The population exceeded one million by 1995.
Nezahualc\u00f3yotl has produced notable athletes. These include Humberto “La Chiquita” Gonz\u00e1lez.
The city has modern civil constructions. These include the municipal palace and Casa de Cultura. Monuments to Nezahualc\u00f3yotl, Cuauht\u00e9moc, and Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla stand in front of the municipal palace. They are located on the Plaza Uni\u00f3n de Fuerzas.
Since 2013, the city has its own cathedral. It is officially called the Cathedral of Jes\u00fas Se\u00f1or de la Divina Misericordia. The cathedral contains a chapel and bookstore. It also features exterior altarpieces. The Lord’s Prayer is inscribed in six languages.
The main cultural center is the Centro Cultural Jaime Torres Bodet. It houses workshops, exposition halls, and a library. The Centro de Informaci\u00f3n y Documentaci\u00f3n de Nezahualc\u00f3yotl compiles information about the city.
The Parque del Pueblo covers 8.5 hectares. It includes an artificial lake and a zoo.
The Ciudad Deportiva was built in 1990. It sits on the edge of the former Bordo de Xochiaca landfill. Sports facilities include volleyball, tennis, and soccer fields.