Quetzalcoatl Cablebús Line 2, Mercado D.U. Quetzalcoatl

The Quetzalcoatl Cablebús station on Line 2 is unique for having been built with its own market, the Mercado Quetzalcoatl, just downstairs. The two are named for the giant Desarrollo Urbano Quetzalcoatl. It’s technically three whole neighborhoods in Iztapalapa. These spread out northward from the slopes of the Xaltepec Volcano (visible in the photo above).

• Quetzalcoatl is often translated literally to mean “the plumed serpent.” Its allegorical meaning is closer to “Wisest of Men.” Broadly revered across much of ancient Mesoamerica, the deity completes the ancient pantheon, along with the other important gods Tlaloc, Tezcatlipoca, and Huitzilopochtli.
• The station logo is a synthesis and stylization of the serpent found on the famous temple at Teotihuacán.

Today, the Quetzalcoatl neighborhood is far better connected to the rest of the City. The Quetzalcoatl Cablebús station sees to that. But it’s also home to some 65,000 residents.

In fact, the market replaced an older fixed tianguis that had been on the same site for as long as anyone could remember. It just made sense then to put the Cablebús station in what was, for many, already the commercial and social center of town. The station hails from just a block north of the Quetzalcoatl Utopia, in development at this writing. The Utopia program is revitalizing Iztapalapa city parks with a renewed emphasis on culture, organized sports, and classes.