It was established in the late 19th century as one of the first formal neighborhoods outside of the city center and initially catered to the wealthy of the Porfirio Díaz era.

[2] The boundaries of the colonia are formed by the following streets: Sullivan and Parque Via on the south, Ribera de San Cosme to the north, Avenida Insurgentes on the east and Circuito Interior Melchor Ocampo on the west.

[4] All these streets join with the Ribera de San Cosme, a hectic corridor that forms the area's northern border.

[6] There are houses from the 1920s with geometric decorative features such as that on F. Pimental as well as Art Deco from the 1930s and 1940s on A. del Castillo Street and more modern styles from the 1950s.

[7] In 1669, the Franciscans converted the site into a charity collection center with the name of Santa María de la Consolación.

The parish church as a large collection of religious and colonial era art and has a Churrigueresque altarpiece from the 18th century.

[7] The Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Church was built in 1952 in a modern design by architect Francisco J. Serrano.

Despite the market, the park has suffered serious deterioration over the past 20 years due to crime, nearby prostitution and the proliferation of non-art street vendors.

[12] The Cuauhtémoc borough invested 5 million pesos for cleaning, repairs and the improvement of drainage and lighting,[4] and the homeless were expelled from the park in 2005, but area residents complain that the problems have returned.

In 1980, the rest of the remains here were exhumed in order to transform the area into the Juan Ruiz de Alarcón Cultural Center, conserving the neo colonial chapel by Charles Hall built in 1909 called the Capilla Britannica.

[3][6] The area is the colonia's only true park space, with the open air theater housing concerts and art exhibits.

[6] The Universidad del Valle de México building was a mansion built in 1901 in French style and initially used as a family residence when the area was still the Los Arquitectos colonia.

In 1953, German artist Mathias Goeritz established here the experimental museum called “El Eco,” which was designed as a space “dedicated to emotional culture.)

[4] Other important sites in the neighborhood include the Hilario Galguera gallery on Francisco Pimentel Street,[8] the Hotel Plaza on Sullivan Street (built in 1945 by Mario Pani),[6] the Museo Universitario de Ciencias y Arte (MUCA) on Circuito Interior and the Valle de Mexico Masonic Lodge, established in 1945 and currently has 5,000 members.

[4] It is a traditional neighborhood filled with mom-and-pop stores, workshops to repair anything from electronics to shoes, small eateries, many cantinas, shops that sell only fresh chicken, Chinese-Mexican cafes, and even men who come around to sharpen knives and collect scrap iron and newspapers.

It is celebrated with music, fireworks and foods such as pozole, enchiladas with mole sauce, quesadillas with squash flowers and atole.

[6] This caused many of the colonia's wealthier residents to move out, leaving behind Porfirian era mansions that are either abandoned, invaded by squatters or converted into tenements, despite the fact that 383 buildings in the area have been catalogued as cultural heritage sites.

The area has been called the “Broadway of Mexico,” as it is home to ten major theaters with show comedic and dramatic plays seven days a week with a seating capacity of over 6,000 people.

Prostitutes were supposed to stay only on Sullivan Street and Parque Via between the hours of 8pm and 1am, not drink alcohol, carry identification cards and be moderate in the dress in exchange for police tolerance.

It was this path Hernán Cortés used to escape on La Noche Triste[9] By the 17th century, enough of the lake had dried that the area was covered by farms.

[4] Some of the first non-farm elements that were constructed here were “tivolis” or recreation gardens with restaurants and other services to cater to those who wished to spend time outside the city.

To reach these homes and the tivoli gardens, mule-drawn trains were established along what is now Ribera de San Cosme.

[6] The first permanent city residents of the area were part of the upper classes that benefitted from the economic policies of Porfirio Díaz.

[8] In 1879, the arches of the Santa Fe Aqueduct, (constructed in 1779) were demolished as lead piping was installed to deliver potable water to many areas of Mexico City.

This road has a Baroque fountain that provided potable water to the area but this was demolished in 1879 when lead piping was introduced.

Some of these were later changed to the names of important people of the early 20th century such as Gabino Barreda, Guillermo Prieto, Ignacio Altamirano, James Sullivan and Thomas Alva Edison.

However, it lacked a number of features of the more upscale neighborhoods such as Colonia Condesa such as large parks and traffic medians and circles planted with trees.

[6] However, the area attracted a number of famous residents such as Conservative writer and philosopher Lucas Alamán, and Joaquín García Icazbalceta.

[6] One reason that the colonia declined was the building of Line 2 of the Metro along Ribera de San Cosme Avenue, making this street a main corridor for the city.

[24] For the first decade of the 21st century, there have been efforts to conserve the heritage of the colonial, rescuing various historic buildings, and improving the image of the area with the construction of new theaters.