In mid-1924, a very young Salvador Novo published "Plano de la Ciudad de México" in el semanario ilustrado de El Universal. It was, in his own words, a route "for the relief of walkers and the use of travelers with a special appointment of very delightful places to know and visit". In other words, the whole vibe of Local.MX. As Novo is one of our favorite chroniclers (and people) of Mexico City, we decided to follow this same itinerary. Our goal: to observe the changes the city has seen since then.
San Lazaro Station
This walk begins on a platform of the old San Lázaro railroad station, which no longer exists. In its place, today you can appreciate the metro station designed by the architect Félix Candela and the TAPO. Novo began his itinerary by questioning his reader and hypothetical passerby:
I have come to wait for you, O invisible traveler, at the station. Forgive me for not speaking to you in Fabla, like the books that made you decide to visit us. I did not know whether to go to Colonia or Buenavista, or to come to San Lazaro. You did well to choose this dock and to arrive during the day. Come down, smile, embrace me.
In San Lázaro, Novo took a wagon that led him down Moneda Street to the National Museum, which is today
Museo Nacional de las Culturas. What Novo saw is not far from what can be seen today. "All along the street are buildings with a past," he says, "half-sunken churches, labyrinthine houses and the Academy of San Carlos, with a bronze guardian donated to Mexico by Donatello. Novo invites the reader to enter the museum, where he finds an Aztec calendar. (When the Local team went to the museum to inquire about the whereabouts of this artifact, no one could give us any information).
The former Clock Street
The traveler continues along Moneda and turns right onto the old Calle del Reloj, today República de Argentina. Novo portrays a landscape very different from the one we see today. At that time, the Templo Mayor Museum had not yet been built. In fact, exploration excavations had not even begun. "It was in this place where the eagle appeared with the snake in his hands," Novo imagines. "Wonderful city!" he declares, exalted before the rich cultural scene of the Historic Center: "On the same street the first printing press, the first teocali, the Vanegas Arroyo publishing house, the Casa Cvltvra, the Librería Universal de Porrúa and that of Don Pedro Robredo, asylum of scholars, students' medicine cabinet".
Novo thought it was a no-brainer to visit the Cathedral at street level: "You already know too much about its origin and you know its history for me to repeat it to you. For this reason, he invites his readers to climb to the top: "There is an almost invisible door below and then the winding of a tiring staircase. From time to time, through a hole, we see the model of the Zócalo, the five train lines, the people. Look at Popocatépetl, look at Chapultepec... If only we would throw these bells into the air! Let's go down to be the ants that look ridiculous from above".
Once downstairs, Novo visits two of the most modern restaurants of that era. El Globo, whose first branch was on Bolivar and Madero, no longer exists. On the other hand, Sanborn's de los Azulejos, which Novo and his friends often visited, is still there. Novo takes advantage of the visit to mock his colleagues: "Here is the center. Nearby, the theaters, in front of the cinema, at the door, people. Besides, it is Saturday and literary men who write little, but who put their genius into the lives of others, gather here to eat.
Two malls
After lunch, Salvador Novo goes to the Alameda Central, although he is not very kind in his description: "Assaults are common. The newspapers say so, and in broad daylight. It is scarier at night and in the dark". It should be remembered that the Alameda retained this reputation until it was remodeled in 2012.
From the Alameda Central, Salvador Novo takes one of the streetcars that depart from the Zócalo to the Bosque de Chapultepec. Believe it or not, Chapultepec was then considered part of the periphery. Today the boundaries have expanded. Novo and his hypothetical companion pass by the Santa María la Ribera How different were those neighborhoods compared to today? The vibes seem to be the same: "All the girls open their umbrellas and go to the Alameda de Santa María or Parque Orizaba. Ah, life is good and it seems that López Velarde hasn't died yet!". By the way, Parque Orizaba is what we know today as Plaza Rio de Janeiro, located at Orizaba and Durango.
The old periphery
Finally, Novo and his passerby arrive at Chapultepec Forest. The chronicler portrays a typical scene of that time: "Two lovers repeat the eternal dialogue, each taking on a character. She gives him the universal affirmative. He gives her a particular look, also affirmative, and the result is an eclogical sorites. Then they take a boat for hours and she skims the water and puts on his hat. They get a snapshot of them in an instant."
If this last postcard, written 100 years ago, seems familiar to you, it is perhaps because some things never change. The names of streets and buildings change -some are born, others fall down-; the avenues and the people who visit them also change; governments and parties come and go. But the spirit of the city remains. Salvador Novo's invitation is to go out, explore and chronicle the city to get to know its spirit.
All quotes are taken from the book Los contemporáneos en el Universal (Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2016).
This article was originally published in April 2019 and updated in July 2024.