[3] The name "Atocpan" is from Nahuatl and means "on fertile soil" The community is located in the northwest of the borough, on the highway between Mexico City and Oaxtepec, Morelos.

[7] Many of these small businesses have networked to find ways to buy the more than twenty ingredients most moles need, such as chili peppers from Zacatecas, eliminating the need for middlemen.

[1] Seventy years ago, life in San Pedro Atocpan was similar to just about any other rural community growing corn and beans.

In the 1940s, one family had the idea of making the long trek to Mexico City proper to sell some of their mole at the La Merced Market.

With the paving of the main road (now the Mexico City-Oaxtepec highway) and the introduction of electricity in 1947, it became easier to make and transport mole to the city.

The Parish of San Pedro Apostol is a Franciscan church that was dedicated on 28 August 1680 and declared a national monument in 1933.

The other church, Señor de las Misericordias (Lord of Mercies) is a modern building, dedicated to an image of Christ that is venerated in all of Milpa Alta.