Parque de la China, Clavería

The Parque de la China is the centerpiece of the Colonia Clavería in Azcapotzalco. Today, the park teems with life and forms a solid part of the daily routine of Clavería residents. Originally called the Bosque de China, that name came directly from the Matsumoto family who began using the land during the later Porfiriato period.

Planted with trees, the neighborhood limits in the east once looked very different. In fact, the park began as an extensive tree nursery and garden. The acclaimed landscaper, Tatsugoro Matsumoto designed and planted the gardens on the grounds of Chapultepec Castle in 1906. That was just ten years after arriving in Mexico from his native Japan. Matsumoto soon found himself Mexico’s most prominent landscaper. Best known today for planting the first jacaranda trees, Matsumoto’s Brazilian imports stand beloved and ubiquitous across Mexico City. His former estate in Tizapán is today the El Batán ecological park.

The park is probably most famous today for hosting a monument to José José, a Clavería native. (See below for a short biography). The monument was formally dedicated in 2007. Sculptor Rogelio Fernández had unveiled a bust honoring José José only a year before in San Rafael. Commemorations honoring the singer at his death in 2019 were among the most heavily attended in living memory. The statue faces west to the Glorieta Clavería which competes as a slightly smaller neighborhood park.

The Parque de la China kiosk came about prior to a visit by José López Portillo. He was President of Mexico from 1976 to 1982. Since then, the park has settled in for a Sunday farm-goods and eco-products market. Prolifically planted with a variety of trees and plants the park requires a 15-minute walk north from Metro Cuitláhuac. It’s a must visit on a trip to Clavería and its busy main street.