Barrio La Asunción, Iztapalapa

The Barrio La Asunción is one of the most densely populated areas in Mexico City. It’s an ancient neighborhood of the half-town of Axomulco. It later became one of the barrios of colonial-era Iztapalapa de Cuitlahuac. Today we call those eight historic neighborhoods the Historic Center of Iztapalapa.

Like all of them, La Asunción has a modern chapel, once a visiting chapel dependent on the Parish of Saint Lucas. Unique among the eight chapels for its dedication to a Marian invocation, the chapel here is also one of the oldest. The neighborhood bought the land in 1907. The altar of an outdoor chapel was already in use here at that time. They then built a chapel of adobe. It remained until 1936 when work on the present chapel began.

The neighborhood has traditionally played a prominent part in the Semana Santa festivities.

The Capilla Del Barrio La Asunción is just a 3-4-minute walk from the front of San Lucas Evangelista, and the northern edge of the Macroplaza. The neighborhood extends with crooked streets and alleys for another few blocks north. Eventually the Eje 6 highway marks the transition to the Centro de Abastos. It’s not a neighborhood likely to draw busloads of visitors, yet. But for those in the area, it’s a curious part of the center, and one rich with personal histories.