Parque La Mexicana, Santa Fe

Photos: Lessing Hernández / Secretaría de Cultura de la Ciudad de México.

Built on about 30-hectares in the heart of Santa Fe, Parque La Mexicana is a welcome natural refuge in an area bristling with modernity. With time and patience, this plot was slowly converted for use as a private park.

The park was designed by architects Mario Schjetnan and Víctor Márquez. The concept is based on that of an urban park, Martin Luther King Park, in Clichy-Batignolles in Paris.

The project was carried out in two stages. The first included building a running track, bike lanes, artificial lakes, and a skate park. More than 3,000 trees were planted, and more than 180,000 square meters of lawns and gardens installed. Another 60,000 square meters is dedicated to the region’s indigenous species.

The on-site lakes are filled with rainwater which is also used to irrigate the rest of the park and artificial lighting is powered entirely through solar panels.

The next stage of development for the park is to include a few coffee shops, restaurants, and pet stores to make the entire place a bit more diverse and homely. Football and basketball facilities are also planned for some currently underused areas.

The planners who’ve participated in the Parque La Mexicana initiative fully intend to add surplus value to the broader Santa Fe community.  As a green space and outdoor recreation center, there’s no question they’ve succeeded.

Capital Bus stops here on the seasonal Reforma-Santa Fe route. The route runs only in December, July and August and during Semana Santa. The route explores a good deal of Santa Fe including multiple shopping centers and passengers get the same hop-on-hop-off experience as is available on the three primary Capital Bus Routes. The bus stops on the easternmost edge of the park, on the traffic circle.