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Parque Tezontle

Photos courtesy of the Parque Tezontle Facebook page.

The Parque Tezontle is a shopping complex of some 220 stores just north of the Centro de Abastos. It’s something of a community center for the people of the Colonia Alfonso Ortiz Tirado (see below). Although, that’s in the modern sense of a center for entertainment, restaurants, and shopping.

The area is densely populated and historically related to the old chinampa cultures of the northern Iztapalapa peninsula. The shopping center is named for the Canal de Tezontle, today a major local street. The old canal connected to the west of here with the National Canal,

The Parque Tezontle opened in 2007 and was greatly expanded in 2015. Grupo Arquitech took part in both projects. The firm is responsible for many shopping centers in the Greater Mexico City region. Among these, the Metrópoli Patriotismo and the Parque Delta are just some of the most prominent.

The mall is not the biggest, but it offers a high level of quality and cleanliness. Shoppers also get frequent access to seasonal events, concerts, and presentations. For those desperate for chain restaurant food (it does happen), it’s not a bad option as many of the national and international eateries have a presence here.

Dr. Alfonso Ortiz Tirado

The Colonia which hosts the Parque Tezontle is named for Dr. Alfonso Ortiz Tirado (1893–1960). Tirado was roughly equally famous as an opera singer and as an orthopedic doctor. He was the personal physician of Frida Kahlo. He made enough money playing roles in L'elisir d'amore and Madame Butterfly that he was able to found the Children's Hospital formerly on Niño Heroes avenue in the Doctores neighborhood.