Parque Hundido (official name is Parque Luis G. Urbina) is an urban park located in

Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican liberal politician and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. As a Zapotec, he was the first indigenous pre ...

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

Background

Its site was occupied by the brick-making company Ladrillera Nochebuena from the mid 19th century until the beginning of

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, when the brick company moved away and the site became an empty depression. By 1910, several species of trees were planted, creating the Nochebuena forest (''Bosque de la Nochebuena''). The area has been populated since late 18th century. However, the area was a collection of small towns and was, at that time, far away from Mexico City itself. In the late 1930s, having paved and widened Avenida de los Insurgentes, the city government decided to use the beautiful setting of the forest to create a new park. Its layout comprised gardens, walkways, a dual

jai-alai Jai alai (: ) is a sport involving bouncing a ball off a walled-in space by accelerating it to high speeds with a hand-held wicker ''cesta''. It is a variation of Basque pelota. The term ''jai alai'', coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also oft ...

/ fronton court, and fountains for visitors to enjoy. In the late 1940s, when modern urbanization began around the park, it became known as the "Chinese Park", since its landscaping evoked Chinese gardens, but this changed in 1972, when several reproductions of archaeological pieces were placed in various parts of the park, though the layout was barely modified. Six walking routes were traced: the highlands, the Zapotec, Mayan, Olmec, Totonac, and Huastec, with artistic reproductions of precolombian stone work; each route was marked with a distinctively colored line on the floor. Today, these routes are used by runners and joggers.

Features

The main attraction is a floral clock, created by a prestigious watchmaker Relojes Centenario. It is located at the center of the park, near a flag pole (the highest point in the park) and at the end of a wide staircase that leads to Avenida de los Insurgentes via a small plaza named Plaza Dolores del Río, a tribute to one of the great divas of Hollywood and the

Golden Age of Mexican cinema The Golden Age of Mexican cinema ( es, Época de Oro del Cine Mexicano) is a period in the history of the Cinema of Mexico between 1930 and 1969 when the Mexican film industry reached high levels of production, quality and economic success of its ...

. There is also an audiorama for up to 141 people, surrounded by lush vegetation, suitable for listening to classical music and poetry. It hosts a free cineclub that screens classic and contemporary Mexican and international film and events such as conferences, bingo games, some small-scale plays, workshops or jazz festivals. A special area is reserved for off-leash dogs. A chess area and some concrete seating structures are also found in the park. In recent years, the children's playground was upgraded, EcoBici stations were added, a bike track was added and a restrooms were added. The park is home to a large number of birds, squirrels and lizards. There are also a large number of cats which are fed and kept inside the park. The corner of Insurgentes Avenue and Porfirio Díaz Avenue, which is also part of the park, has been a busy rush-hour crossing since the

Mexico City Metrobús The Mexico City Metrobús (former official name Sistema de Corredores de Transporte Público de Pasajeros del Distrito Federal), simply known as Metrobús, is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system that has served Mexico City since line 1 opened on 1 ...

opened in 2006, and includes a fountain and a statue of

Vicente Guerrero Vicente Ramón Guerrero (; baptized August 10, 1782 – February 14, 1831) was one of the leading revolutionary generals of the Mexican War of Independence. He fought against Spain for independence in the early 19th century, and later served as ...

on a horse, that was a gift from the State of Guerrero to Mexico City. This corner has, since the 1970s, been a meeting point for weekly Sunday bike rides. The AC Bicycletero Movement meets under the statue of the hero of Independence of Mexico, and under the name of ''Biciperros'' still perform Sunday walks that are free to all.

Notes and references

Parks in Mexico City {{México-geo-stub