The Pink Zone in Mexico City

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The Pink Zone or better known as, "La Zona Rosa” is a commercial site in the City of Mexico which is known for having all sorts of restaurants, bars, hotels, sex shops and fun commercial venues. “La Zona Rosa” was created around the 1950's, but did not receive much fame until 1970 because that was the year Mexico hosted the 1970 FIFA World Cup for the first time. Now “La Zona Rosa” is well known for being the place for many of the members of the LGBT community in Mexico. The Pink Zone’s history as a community began when it was developed as a residential area for rich foreigners. It was also a place where many people in Mexico City were looking to move away from the center of the city. In 1906 the four colonies that were established around the 19th century there became known as “Colonia Benito Juarez Garcia”, but the expansion of this area was delayed during the Mexican Revolution in 1910-1920. It was Rafael Martínez de la Torre who began the development of the Pink Zone. The next chapter in the area’s history was from the 1950s to 1980s. It was restored by artists, academics and the city’s elite who repopulated the zone, giving it an alternative status and attracted special restaurants and clubs for visiting politicians and other elites. It was during this time that the area received the name of “La Zona Rosa”. The name of this commercial site was given by Jose Luis Cuevas, a famous Mexican artist who was an important figure in the Mexican muralism movement. He mentioned that the commercial site was too reserved to be a red zone but too cheerful to be white zone, so it essentially became the Pink Zone. This upscale era of the pink zone ended in the 1980s, when many of the expensive businesses moved out; this was partly the effect of the 1985 earthquake that Mexico City endured. This allowed for many of the night clubs, prostitution and other crime to move into the pink zone.

Nonetheless, “La Zona Rosa” is considered today the largest and one of the most iconic areas in the Mexico City. The Pink Zone has over 200 businesses spread over sixteen blocks. The most visited and well known businesses are bars, places of entertainment, and “antros,” which is the name given to night clubs in Latin America. These bars, clubs, and other entertainment places mostly tailor to the young people. Even so, these businesses are usually marked with rainbow colored flags or other decorations on the front because the Pink Zone has become a sort of reunion spot for the LGBT community. Regardless of the reasons for going to the Pink Zone, the pink zone has become an important area for public history in Mexico