One day while attending World Studies class, Millie was learning about all the exciting places to visit in the world.  Millie called her travel agent and began to plan her trip.  

Hello, is this Destination Travels?  .... I'd like to plan a trip to Mexico City. Ruff.... ruff.... ruff.... ruff....

A trip was planned to Mexico City!

*Mexico City's 2021 population is 21,918,936

*It is the capital of Mexico and the most populated city in North America

There will be 5 main stops

1- Largest slum in the world

2. Catholic Church

3. Home of the President

4.  Garbage turned to biogas

5.  Underground shopping mall

Millie went home that night and packed her bags!

I need to pack....passports...dog bones...swimsuit...

As Millie flies into Mexico City, a brochure states some interesting facts about the city layout and how it is organized. 

*The city has 16 subdivisions

 known as boroughs or democratic territories

*There are 350 neighborhoods called colonias

As Millie looks out her plane window she sees the city layout below.  

In the brochure it says that this is Nezahualcóyotl,  one of the boroughs of Mexico City with a population of  one million people. Its street plans follow a usual layout — each home has a green space  and designed within mega-blocks.

Millie  sees other ways in which the city is organized. 

 Above is the rich neighborhood of Jardines del Pedregal, some houses have heliports. According to the brochure that Millie read, this part of the city is NOT as well designed because they are wealthier and do not have to plan for water shortages or conserve land.  

On the right is the Federal Neighborhood, and Millie recognizes the geometric city street pattern is common in the older parts of  Mexico City.  

Billy was a cousin that Millie hadn't seen in years. He had fallen on hard times and was living in the world's largest shanty town, or slum.  It's located in the barrio called Neza-Chalco-Itza or Neza for short. Living in the slum means you are in the lowest social class.  

A gift of bones for Billy, all the way from Iowa.  

Millie was curious to know how Billy lived.

What is life like for the lowest social class? 

Billy did not have a permanent home. Houses are built out of cardboard pieces, metal or whatever scraps they may find. There are 34 million people in Mexico  live in slums which many have  two rooms or less.  

The lower class slums do not have clean water, or running water.  There is no electricity.  There is no sanitation. Billy wishes he had a toilet, a shower and  garbage collection. And there is no protection from criminal activity.  

Millie hugging 

over the fence!

 The patron saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe is depicted as a darker-skinned version of the Virgin Mary, she appeared three times. And the spot where she appeared is where the basilica was built.  

Between 80% to 90% of Mexicans are Roman Catholic. This basilica is the 3rd  

                                                                 most visited Christian site in the world. 

                                                                 Twenty million people visit each year. 

                                                                 The old part was sinking, due to the weight.                                                                   Millie thought it was easy to tell the old                                                                             parts from the new  The New Basilica was built                                                          built in the 1970's.

Next Millie visits to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, located in Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo, a northern neighborhood of Mexico City

Pictures of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Old part that is sinking! 

New part, that has the 70's look!

Here is Millie outside her next stop, the National Palace, located in the Federal District which is a suburb

 of Mexico City.  

 The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his wife,  Beatriz.  His first wife

                                           died in 2003 due to                                                          lupus, he has 4                                                           sons. 

The National Palace is home to the president!

While touring the palace, Millie learned many things:

Government 

*The government is a Federal Republic which means they have elected officials.  

*All Mexican citizens age 18 and older are required by law to vote,         but it's rarely enforced. 

        *Mexicans living outside the country, including

         millions in the U.S., are now allowed to vote by 

            absentee ballot.

*        *There are 31 states.  

Important written document

*The Constitution of Mexico was first passed in 1917, and has had 227 amendments.  
                (U.S Constitution has 27)

*The Mexican Constitution was the first document in history that said every person has                 the right to an education.

* The first Monday in February. is Constitution Day.  There are large parades across

             Mexico, with marching bands, colorful costumes. It's one of the most important                 festivals in the country.

While touring the National Palace, Millie learned all about the Mexican Constitution.  

Visit a landfill where they turn garbage into biogas! 

Reduce pollution- stop #4 - ZEECO landfill

Mexico city is trying to improve the pollution situation through a public works program called the Climate Action Program. It's promoting industry that is reducing pollution and CO2 emissions.  ZEECO Landfill used to have 70 million tons of garbage piled 17 meters deep making it one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions.  Today it has a daily total 1,023 tonnes of waste that are  converted into energy and another 507  tons are made into  compost.

Executives of ZEECO touring landfill

ZEECO visit continued - Shanty towns usually spring up near landfills. The poor dig through garbage for food, materials or anything of value.  See picture on left.  These are pictures from the ZEECO landfill.

Sniff...sniff...

Another Climate Action Program is the Ecobici system.

Ecobici Cost

7-day card 300 pesos = $14.78 

3-day card for 180 pesos

1-day card for 90 pesos

*It is the biggest public bike system in Latin America.

*This is a public works program to reduce traffic and air pollution in the city

*452 cycle stations

*35 million trips made by 200,000 riders every year