Parque Abasolo

The Parque Abasolo is small neighborhood park and a favorite with residents of the area. With small playing fields and a kids’ area, it’s likely best known for its library. This is a regular meeting place for the youngest in the neighborhood. There’s also a regular contingent of adult and parent-focused events in the facility.

The playing fields are also notorious for occasional lucha libre bouts. These are organized by some of the neighborhood’s amateur and pre-professional groups. They’ll also appear on the grounds of the Mercado Martínez de la Torre. Rafael Martínez de la Torre first developed the Buenavista neighborhood in the 1870s.

Like the street to the immediate west, the park is named for Jose Mariano de Abasolo.

• Jose Mariano de Abasolo (1783–1816) was an independence activisit from Dolores in Guanajuato. He was a part of the first conspiracy groups meeting there. A wealthy man, he supported the Independence Movement but he wasn’t a soldier or fighter, yet. He did become captain of a regiment and later he was named a field marshal. He was captured and died, imprisoned, in Cádiz, Spain, in 1816.

The Parque Abasolo is passed regularly on the busy Avenida Guerrero. Often it’s one of the first sights back in the City after trips further afield. With exercise areas and lots of trees, it’s a haunt for the elderly and refreshing respite from traffic and concrete.