Tlapacaloyan Casa de Cultura y Lavaderos Comunitarios

The Tlapacaloyan Casa de Cultura y Lavaderos Comunitarios began as a community laundry in the 1970s. Similar to those in Acalpixca, Xochimilco and famously in San Bartolo Ameyalco, the community center here took off as families in the area got more home washers. But those of stone are still in use here at least some of the time.

Tlapacaloyan, the Nahuatl name, even means “place of washing.” Importantly, the center continues to serve especially women and children from the neighborhood. And as a community center, programming is developed by precisely those same constituents. All of the programs are free to the public. It’s a neighborhood that used to be all farm fields bisected by canals, much like today’s Xochimilco. But today the Casa offers classes in music, art, dance, and many other creative and important activities.

While the Tlapacaloyan Casa de Cultura is on one particularly crooked corner of Barrio San Pedro, the entire neighborhood seems to be made up of similarly rugged corners and twisting alleys. It’s about five minutes walk from the neighborhood chapel. From the Macroplaza and San Lucas, it’s about 11-minutes walking. Those 11 minutes may be the most charming you’ll have all day.

Hours: Weekdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.