Lomas de Chapultepec

Lomas de Chapultepec
Neighborhood of Mexico City
Lomas de Chapultepec facing from Periférico towards Bosques de las Lomas.
City	Mexico City
Borough	Miguel Hidalgo
Population (2005)
• Total	20,440

Lomas de Chapultepec is a colonia, or officially recognized neighborhood, located in the Miguel Hidalgo borough of Mexico City. It dates back to the 1920s, when it was founded with the name Chapultepec Heights. Home to some of the biggest mansions in the city and many high-net-worth individuals, it has gained a reputation of exclusivity. Its main entrance is through Paseo de la Reforma.

In the early 1920s, Mexico City suffered a housing shortage as a result of internal migrants fleeing from uncertainty in the provinces caused by the Mexican Revolution. To meet demand, the Ayuntamientos of the Distrito Federal passed various city ordinances in order to make it easier for private investors to develop urban subdivisions. Also beneficial was Article 27 of the 1917 Constitution, which was used to promote agrarian land reform and indirectly encouraged the construction and emergence of new urban developments when it prompted the change of land-use of the properties surrounding the capital. A total of 26 to 32 colonias were built as a direct result, one of which was Lomas de Chapultepec.

In September 28, 1921 the corporation, Chapultepec Heights Company, was formed with the objective of developing the land acquired from the Hacienda de los Morales (also known as Rancho del Huizachal de Alberto Cuevas Lascuráin). The company was founded by five investors (two Americans, two Mexicans and one Briton) who were able to buy the 687 hectares of the ex-Hacienda for about one cent per square meter.

In 1922, Chapultepec Heights was planned by José Luis Cuevas Pietrasanta in the "Garden City" fashion. With large lots, large gardened yards, wide winding streets, gardened boulevards and scattered small shopping areas within walking distances from homes. The early settlers attracted to the area were young professionals and some of the nouveau riche revolutionaries, bureaucrats and the new business class of Mexico City. Smaller homes were built on the side streets while mostly large houses were built on Paseo de la Reforma and Paseo de Las Palmas, the two main avenues.