Glorieta Postal

The Glorieta Postal is perhaps one of the most unassuming of traffic circles in Mexico City. It doubles as an important neighborhood park. In fact, from the benches you should be able to see just about everyone coming and going. It’s just a few steps from the Metro Villa de Cortés. For alternative travelers, that can sound pretty inviting, as this Metro is essentially “locals only.”

This little glorietta and park can easily mark the first third of your journey to the Mercado de la  Postal. That’s an excellent place for lunch, and not a place to buy stamps like it sounds. The market is just a little further down the Calle Unión Postal which runs west from the Calzada just north of the Metro to the Parque Odesa. Head south in the park and exit at the southwest corner!

The Glorieta Postal is probably most famous today for a 2015 neighborhood intervention. A whole series of community meetings helped to  identify problems with the deteriorating little park. Surrounding streets were painted with crosswalks, trees and new benches were added, and the results are palpable. The central fountain was restored.

But the glorieta is also beloved for the nearly ten minutes set there in the 1963 film, El hombre de papel. Beyond the truly colorful range of characters, not to mention the self-talking ventriloquist dummy, it’s worth the cinematic trip. Our glorieta is shown at the close of the scene still hosting a rafter of neighborhood turkeys. The Glorieta Postal scene begins here, at about minute 1:39:30.