
The city has several progressive policies, such as elective abortions, a limited form of euthanasia, no-fault divorce, and same-sex marriage. Ever since, left-wing parties (first the Party of the Democratic Revolution and later the National Regeneration Movement) have controlled both of them. After independence from Spain was achieved, the federal district was created in 1824.Īfter years of demanding greater political autonomy, residents were finally given the right to elect both a head of government and the representatives of the unicameral Legislative Assembly by election in 1997. Mexico City was the political, administrative, and financial center of a major part of the Spanish colonial empire. In 1524, the municipality of Mexico City was established, known as México Tenochtitlán, and as of 1585, it was officially known as Ciudad de México (Mexico City). It was almost completely destroyed in the 1521 Siege of Tenochtitlan and subsequently redesigned and rebuilt in accordance with the Spanish urban standards. The city was originally built on a group of islands in Lake Texcoco by the Mexica (Azteca) in 1325 as Tenochtitlan. Mexico's capital is both the oldest capital city in the Americas and one of two founded by indigenous people. If it were an independent country in 2013, Mexico City would be the fifth-largest economy in Latin America. The city was responsible for generating 15.8% of Mexico's GDP, and the metropolitan area accounted for about 22% of the country's GDP. Greater Mexico City has a GDP of $411 billion in 2011, which makes it one of the most productive urban areas in the world. According to the most recent definition agreed upon by the federal and state governments, the population of Greater Mexico City is 21,804,515, which makes it the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the world, the second-largest urban agglomeration in the Western Hemisphere (behind São Paulo, Brazil), and the largest Spanish-speaking city (city proper) in the world. The 2020 population for the city proper was 9,209,944, with a land area of 1,495 square kilometers (577 sq mi). The city has 16 boroughs or demarcaciones territoriales, which are in turn divided into neighborhoods or colonias. It is located in the Valley of Mexico in the high central plateau, at an altitude of 2,240 meters (7,350 ft).

Mexico City is one of the most important cultural and financial centers in the world. It is one of the country's 32 federal entities. Mexico City (Spanish: Ciudad de México, locally ( listen) abbr.: CDMX Nahuatl: Altepetl Mexico) is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. Area of Mexico City that includes non-urban areas at the south Historic center of Mexico City, Xochimilco and Central University City Campus of the UNAM
