Tacubaya is an area of Mexico City located in the west, in the borough of Miguel Hidalgo, consisting of the colonia Tacubaya proper and adjacent areas in other colonias, with San Miguel Chapultepec sección II, Observatorio, Daniel Garza and Ampliación Daniel Garza being also considered part of Tacubaya.The area has been inhabited since the fifth century BCE. Its name comes from Nahuatl, meaning “where water is gathered.” From the colonial period to the beginning of the 20th century, Tacubaya was an separate entity to Mexico City and many of the city ’s wealthy, including viceroys, built residences here to enjoy the area ’s scenery. From the mid- 19th century on, Tacubaya began to urbanize both due to the growth of Mexico City and the growth of its own population. Along with this urbanization, the area has degraded into one of the poorer sections of the city and contains the “La Ciudad Perdida” (The Lost City ), a shantytown where people live in shacks of cardboard and other materials. Many of the mansions that were built here in the 19th century remain, such as the Casa Amarilla and Casa de la Bola, but most Mexico City residents are familiar with it due to its transportation hub on Avenida Jalisco where the Metro, Metrobus and many street buses all converge.This area was designated as a "Barrio Mágico" by the city in 2011.
History
Archeological evidence shows continuous human habitation here since between 450 and 250 BCE by the Chichimecas. This prehistoric settlement eventually divided into a ceremonial center in the north and housing in the south, showing signs of influence from the Teotihuacan culture. The Mexica first arrived in 1276 but then left in 1279, when they moved on to Chapultepec. Its original Nahuatl name was Acozcomac, later renamed Atlalcuihaya. The name comes from Nahuatl and means “where water is gathered.” The second name was Hispanicized to Tacubaya when the Spanish built a monastery here called San José de Tacubaya in the early colonial period.The area was important to the Spaniards in the early colonial period. After the Conquest, the Spanish founded several churches, monasteries and large mansions in this area.
