Abstract

BENAVIDES MEZA, Héctor Mario. Tree cover of the Alameda Central of Mexico City: 1st part. Rev. mex. de cienc. forestales [online]. 2023, vol.14, n.75, pp.4-34.  Epub Mar 17, 2023. ISSN 2007-1132.  https://doi.org/10.29298/rmcf.v14i75.1294.

In January 1592, Luis de Velasco, viceroy of New Spain, requested the City Council of Mexico City to build a place for the recreation and leisure of the inhabitants of the capital of the viceroyalty. As a result of this request, a site was selected at the west of the city, called Alameda Central, and in April of the same year approximately 1 000 Populus alba, P. nigra, and Alnus trees were planted. Since its creation, the Alameda of Mexico City has met all the criteria currently defined for an urban green area, which include that the site must be owned by the city, be located within its geographical limits, and be for public use for the enjoyment of its inhabitants. In the initial years, there were many difficulties in the establishment and consolidation of the trees, mainly due to periodic flooding and to the salinity of Texcoco Lake. As centuries went by, the environmental conditions of the basin, the city and the Alameda changed, brining permanent challenges for its continuity. The activities that were carried out in this situation during the viceroyalty, the post-independence period, and the Second Mexican Empire are discussed, including the planting of various species such as Salix sp., Fraxinus uhdei, Taxodium mucronatum, and, subsequently, Ligustrum lucidum, Cupressus lusitanica and Eucalyptus sp.

Keywords : Urban trees; urban green areas; urban forest; urban tree species; New Spain; urban parks.

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