Is there any trace left of the maguey plants that gave Santa Cruz Meyehualco its name? We are standing in Pueblo Santa Cruz Meyehualco. It is one of the original settlements in Iztapalapa. The name Meyehualco comes from the Nahuatl language. It means place of the maguey plants.
Santa Cruz Meyehualco’s story shows the struggles of original settlements against urban sprawl. The village was founded by migrating Chichimecas in 1496. You can still see the village layout and main structures. Look for the arch off Calzada Ermita Iztapalapa. It marks the old town entrance. Just south of that is a typical plaza and the parish church.
The Parroquia del Señor de la Santa Cruz Meyehualco is the center of town. It is the old spiritual center. Tradition says it was founded in 1496. This is rather recent in ancient Iztapalapa. A Franciscan chapel may have been here in the 1530s.
The church we see today was started in 1797. It was expanded in 1954. The original walls were preserved. The southern bell tower dates from that rebuilding. The church is ornately decorated inside. It’s worth a look around. The church has a 16th-century figure of Christ.
The church retains much of its original atrium. Today, the atrium is the site of the kiosko. This is the traditional public center. Santa Cruz Meyehualco retains character lost in similar pueblitos. The crooked streets surround a charming business district.
These winding streets contrast with the Colonia Santa Cruz Meyehualco. This is directly to the north. About 3000 housing units were built here between 1958 and 1963. New residents were relocated from other parts of the city. Some families depended on the giant garbage dump. That dump is now Cuitláhuac Park.
Meyehualco was once divided into Huexotitlan and Texcalco neighborhoods. This used to be a division between rich and poor. People from one area could not marry those from the other. Today, the rivalry is friendly. All celebrate Meyehualco’s patron saint. This is Our Lord of the Cross on May 3. There is food and fireworks. Processions mark the day.
Throughout history, Santa Cruz Meyehualco’s agriculture was exploited. Its labor and volcanic stone were used for Mexico City. It remained independent until less than 100 years ago. In the 1940s, Meyehualco became a place to dump garbage. From then until the 1980s, tons of trash were dumped north of the village. This was an ecological disaster.
Parts of the dump were redeveloped starting in the 1950s. The Unidad Habitacional Santa Cruz Meyehualco housing complex began. This project included a municipal market. There is a mural dedicated to “El Hombre del Papel” here. Nearby are the Old and New Tianguis street markets. Much of the dump was converted into Cuitláhuac Park.
Historians work to save the town’s history. They want to maintain its identity. They face growing cultural imposition from the rest of the city. These people say that those in the modern neighborhoods do not know the local culture.
The best-known tradition is Carnival. It is a mix of tradition and modernity. Its origins are from no later than the 19th century. Carnival brings out the old rich and poor division. Today, other costumes are common. These depict modern popular culture. There are even politically-themed disguises. Preserving old ways is difficult. New cultural norms are being imposed.