The Names of Mexico City’s Streets

There are neighborhoods in Mexico City in which the names of streets are not the result of historical or random developments.  The street names, in the areas I have in mind, are organized by themes and with the exception of an occasional interloper, each street within that area falls into the chosen category.  The large upscale section of Polanco is a splendid example.  There the streets have the names of novelists, of scientists, of poets, with a few politicians thrown in—in effect the streets are named after writers of many different kinds.  Polanco is literate!

   Almost twenty years  ago I spent many hours walking through that neighborhood, taking note of the intersections.  I even took snapshots of many crossing street signs.  I still have a very long list of intersections, but I threw out the poorly done pre-digital black and white photos.  My intention was to make a selection of crossings and create a brief conversation between the two authors, imagining what they might say to each other.  A few would be easy, the intersection of Newton and Galileo, for example, but many would challenge one’s imagination.  Try to envisage an exchange between Poe and Homer or between Plato and Dickens, a conversation between Shakespeare and Madame Curie, not to mention one between Spencer and Euler.  I may one day tackle that formidable problem, but not just yet.

   Here I want to acquaint you with our own neighborhood, never going beyond an easy walking distance from the house—my little camera, a Canon PowerShot 800 IS with a really good zoom—strapped to my belt.  I have not yet graduated to do photographing with a cell phone.
   We not only live on Atlanta, but the streets in our immediate neighborhood are all of them the names of United States Cities.  Here is a small sample; there are more.

Other streets in our neighborhood are named after artists.  There are a great many of those, ranging further South, beyond easy walking distance.  Herewith  a few samples.

And if you walk in a Northerly direction, you will be crossing a whole cluster of American States.  Again, just a sample and, as above, in no particular order.

Come visit and see for yourself!