It is immediately west of Colonia Roma, together with which it is designated as a "Barrio Mágico Turístico" ("Touristic Magic Neighborhood").

While longtime residents complain about noise, crime and other disturbances, the overall reputation of the area continues to grow and attract more restaurants.

[9] Mexico City was affected by the 8.1 magnitude 1985 offshore earthquake; many buildings survived and are now examples of Art Deco architecture, as well as innovative modern designs, which give it an overall urban touch.

[2][3] Many buildings date back to the 1920s, such is the case of the Condesa DF hotel, housed in a 1928 apartment complex; though the art deco style was predominant through to the 1940s.

[12] Overlooking Parque España in the Colonia Roma area is a mansion that belonged to Fernando Torreblanca, personal secretary to Álvaro Obregón, and Hortensia Elias Calles.

The mansión is now the Fideicomiso Archivos Plutarco Elías Calles y Fernando Torreblanca (FAPECyFT), which houses many documents related to the country's history after the Mexican Revolution.

The rest of the old hacienda had been parceled into residential units, but due to environmental laws the same could not be done for the old horse track.

It was then decided to make that area into a park to serve as a focus for the new neighborhood, as well as to give added green space in a city which lacked it.

[16] The park has been recognized by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH), as part of the heritage of the entire city.

The gallery ceased operations in 2009 due to financial problems, but the buses are still used for theater and other art projects.

This family owned these rather large expanses of land in what is now western Mexico City until the second half of the 19th century.

[11][21] When the last of the direct descendants of the couple died, the land was divided and some of it was acquired by a new owner, María Magdalena Dávalos de Bracamontes y Orozco, the Countess of Miravalle.

[11][21] The colonia was officially established in 1902, although it had been in existence for some time before that, being home to a number of upper-class urban supporters of President Porfirio Díaz’s regime.

When the Mexican Revolution broke out, many in the neighborhood were under siege by the lower classes and the horse track eventually closed.

[11] Around the same time a bullring was also built, financed by notable people such as Lucas Alamán and called El Toreo.

Many of these earlier residents had an artistic bent, such as Agustín Lara, a composer of romantic ballads, flamenco dancer Pilar Rioja and painter Juan Soriano.

In the 1920s, large wave of Jewish immigrants into Mexico, mostly Ashkenazis from Eastern Europe settled in the city, many in this colonia.

[2][22] In the first half of the 20th century, it was tradition here to go every Sunday to La Coronación church on the corner of Antonio Solá and Parque España to hear mass.

[8] The low rents and wide spaces attracted a new generation of young people to the area who came to live.

Most of the restaurants today are located from Avenida Mazatlán to Insurgentes and on Alfonso Reyes to Juan Escutia and are estimated at 120.

[8] The newer restaurants introduced a new element to dining in Condesa, tables set out on the sidewalk, a rarity as late as the 1990s.

These restaurant also tend to be more informal and cater to younger crowds with more noise and music than traditional venues and decorated with local artwork.

[22] The influx of new people and business also brought in some negative elements such as parking problems, trash, transients, noise, crime and overload of the areas drainage and other infrastructure.

Over the years, many of the buildings’ uses were changed without regulation which put strains on the drainage, electrical system and water in some places.

[8] A recent drive to allow bars to stay open later was rejected by residents, and there are demands to review the licenses of establishments which generate noise and around which crimes have happened.

[25] In the 1930s and 40s many Jewish residents moved from downtown Mexico City to Condesa, where Yiddish was the unofficial language of Parque México, the local park.