Utopia Papalotl

The Utopia Papalotl is one of Iztapalapa’s most beautiful urban parks. This one came to be on an unremarkable piece of land. It was taken over by the City government some 15 years ago from a menacing  and sprawling auto parts yard. The location is on the famous Avenida de las Torres at the intersection with the Ermita Iztapalapa, one of the main east-west thoroughfares.

La Ford, as it was known, became a park in 2009. A swimming pool, library, and children’s areas weren’t quite enough to keep it going though and it fell into some neglect.

Today, it’s one of the most beautiful of the 12 Utopias. Views of the Tetecon Volcano and the rest of the Sierra de Santa Caterina are plainly visible from most parts of the park. Just east of the Pueblo Santa Cruz Meyehualco,the Utopia is often visited along with other places in the Meyehualco area. 

The new Utopia Papalotl takes its name from the Nahuatl word for butterfly. It’s home to Iztapalapa’s only butterfly garden, and a unique orchid farm. These play a vital role in disseminating interest in the area’s increasingly important ecological role and biosphere reserve. (The chain of volcanos to the south is today understood as an important rainfall catchment area.)

For young people, the park is probably best known for the swimming pool with water slides. But there are also:

• An outdoor fitness center and boxing gym
• Yoga classes
• A complete dance hall
• Jogging track
• Arts workshops
• Auditorium

Vital to the communities of Reforma Politica, and the surrounding area, today the park just keeps getting better. By taxi, it’s about 15 minutes directly east of Metro Constitución de 1917.