The Roma neighborhood is one of the most well-known and valued places by Chilangos, its relevance is found in the variety of its parks, restaurants, cafes, bars and above all, in its historical weight, since it has been one of the places that keeps memories of the Porfiriato era.
It is a town that is located in the center of the Mexican capital and is part of the heart of the Cuauhtémoc mayor's office, the site that houses a large number of treasures dating back to previous centuries. The history of this space has been long, its streets and buildings are a living example of the history of 20th century Mexico that has been mixed with current architecture.
Although there is a lot of talk about Rome, little is known about its origin, however, thanks to images from the media library of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) you can take a look at some parts of the place.
Rome was founded at the beginning of the 20th century by businessmen Edward Walter Orrin, Pedro Lascuráin and Cassius Lamm and the project was funded by the political elite of that time. The reason why it was given the name “Rome” was due to the fact that the ground where the first stone of the work was laid was long known as “the Paddocks of Romita”.
Since its inception, the beautiful buildings and wide avenues surprised the entire population, not for nothing have its streets and buildings with particular designs been reflected in a large number of Mexican films and some works of literature. According to the UNAM Institute for Social Research, his style stands out mainly for “its art deco, art nouveau and neo-gothic architecture, a situation that gives a feeling of having stopped in time”.
The same source details that this site, together with the Condesa colony, were created from the beginning to give home to the aristocracy close to Porfirio Díaz. In addition, it became an exclusive area of the upper classes, for this reason, beautiful mansions and luxurious houses began to be built.
The dictator's foreign aspirations did not remain only in the diplomatic sphere, since as part of the “order and progress” project it was agreed that Rome and the Countess would be planned to be a place of “dream” similar to the European colonies, specifically those of France, for this reason boulevards were designed and big chamellons “Paris-style”.
In this way, the colonies became the “mecca of the upper class”, since not only did they enjoy beautiful parks or impressive buildings, they also enjoyed services such as water and electricity, two resources that at that time, represented a great privilege, since not everyone had access to these means.
Some time later, at the time of the Mexican Revolution, Rome was inhabited by carrancistas and even Álvaro Obregón, leader of Venustiano Carranza's army, came to live for a while in that area. His presence on the site was so relevant that today there is an avenue that crosses the town with his name. Then came other development works that significantly modified the environment, mainly due to the change to a Neocolonial style.
According to information from the Cuauhtémoc mayor's office, the territory currently retains “more than a thousand buildings of the time, built with the influence of French culture”. It also stands out for numerous museums, markets and natural areas, among which the Pushkin Garden and Juan Rulfo Park stand out.
There is no doubt that Mexico City (CDMX) not only shines with its variety of symbolic monuments such as the National Palace, Chapultepec Castle, the Angel of Independence or the Palace of Fine Arts, it is also home to well-known colonies such as Polanco, Juárez, la Valle, Roma and La Condesa.
Thanks to the large investments that have been made in these sites, today they position themselves as tourist places that at the same time have exclusive areas. On the other hand, they also have several spaces to enjoy time with loved ones and appreciate old buildings.
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