It is located just north of Paseo de la Reforma, west of the historic center of Mexico City.

The colonia was created in the late 19th century after some false starts, and is named after the Monument to Cuauhtémoc which is a nearby landmark on Paseo de la Reforma.

Actions taken by residents have ensured that the area remains mostly residential, with commercial development limited to the strip along Paseo de la Reforma.

[9] When Paseo de Reforma closes for construction, protests or events, the streets on the colonia get jammed with diverted traffic.

Other lands in the north of the property were expropriated for the Ferrocarrill Nacional Mexico rail line, which was later used to build the Hospital de los Ferrocarrilles, today a unit of IMSS and the Jardín del Arte.

The colonia's name comes from the statue of Cuauhtémoc found on Paseo de la Reforma in this area, sculpted by Miguel Noreña.

[5][6] Since the mid-1990s, the colonia was supposed to receive a percentage of the income from parking meters installed in the area by the Cuauhtemoc borough, mostly to augment public security.

[12] Due to the earthquake-prone city, this tower was built with 96 dampers, which work like car shock absorbers to block the resonating effect of the lakebed and its own height.

The Mexican Stock Exchange is located on Paseo de la Reforma on the eastern half of the colonia.

It handles companies such as Cemex, Telmex, America Movil, Televisa, TV Azteca and Walmex.

Across Reforma from colonia Cuauhtémoc the Torre BBVA Bancomer (235m) is rising, which will be the tallest building in the city upon completion.