Mexican companies, famous operas, trades, Greco-Roman gods, cereals... if you pay attention to the names of the streets of the CDMX you can realize the care and creativity with which they were named. Illustrator Sophie Greenspan took on the task of recreating a map of the CDMX with her favorite nomenclatures for those who wish to travel through its themes.
Sophie Greenspan has lived in the CDMX for six years, the same years she has traveled by bike. Noticing along the way the curious themes of each area of the city, she conceived the creative project of illustrating the streets in early 2022. After researching and learning the stories of those who have lived in some of these neighborhoods, the result was 'Illustrated Map of Mexico City', a 90 x 60 cm poster that shows the variety of characters, industries and objects that give name to the roads of the capital.
Although it is impossible to fit this huge metropolis in a few centimeters, 'Illustrated Map of Mexico City' is a labor of love and obsession for these details. Below the illustrator tells us about her favorite parts.
"In and around the Arboledas del Sur neighborhood, the streets pay homage to soccer clubs: Atletico de Bilbao, Real Madrid, Club America, River Plate, Botafogo, Betis, Boca Juniors, and more. To its west is Chimalli (African countries), and Guadalupe (Japanese cities)".
"In the streets of the Crédito Constructor colony you can live among Greco-Roman gods such as Poseidon, Hera, Zeus, Hermes, Ceres, or Phoebus."
"Here are three of my favorite colonies. In Prado Churubusco, you can walk on the Milky Way and turn on Oso Menor to go through Cepheus, Orion, Pegasus, Perseus, Capricorn, and Leo among other constellations. In Emerald Farms you will navigate through cereals: Rye, Wheat, Oats, Tapioca, Corn, Rice. In Aculco you will contemplate new professions: Veterinarians, Physicists, Polyglots, Clockmakers, Botanists, Cosmographers, Diplomats, Sociologists, Anthropologists and Chroniclers among others".
"In Los Cedros you can visit great monuments such as Taj Mahal, Chinese Wall, Roman Colosseum, Arc de Triomphe, Pyramid of the Sun, Tower of Pisa, Egyptian Pyramids and more. Just to the east is the only area dedicated to women: Carmen Serdán. Here you will find Elvira Vargas, Teresa Vera, Maria Pistolas, Manuela Medina, Adelita, Candelaria Perez, Antonia Nava, Luisa Martinez, Josefa Ocampo, Faustina Benitez and more. There are more than 10,000 streets dedicated to men, but the ones dedicated to women are less than 1,000.
"The Industrial colony was founded in 1926, with a street nomenclature that celebrates Mexico's industrial advancement: large national companies and factories, such as Victoria, Tolteca, La Imperial, Excélsior, PEMEX, Buen Tono, La Ideal, Eureka, La Corona, and Larín."
"Located north of the Xochimilco canals, the streets of the Del Mar neighborhood are named after marine animals such as Trout, Dolphin, Turtle, Octopus, Conch, Piranha, Coral, Huachinango... all you need is an Ajolote. To the west is Colonia Miguel Hidalgo, named perhaps by some opera fan: Magic Flute, La Traviata, Barber of Seville, Aida, Carmen, Fidelio, Falstaff, Don Carlo, Faust, La Bohemia, Arabella, Marriage of Figaro, Boris Godunov, Elixir of Love, and more".
'Illustrated Map of Mexico City' by Sophie Greenspan is available from Mixed Media in silkscreen and digital print. @mixedmediapress - @sophiegreenspan
