A hundred years ago, in June 1925, a new neighborhood began to take shape in Mexico City – one that would become one of the most iconic and architecturally unique areas in the country – La Condesa.

Real estate entrepreneur José G. de la Lama announced the sale of lots in a newly planned residential district called Colonia Hipódromo, built over the grounds of the former horse racetrack (hipódromo) in the Condesa area.

The old racetrack was planned as a luxurious escape for Mexico City’s elite. It opened in November 1910 – the same month the Revolution began, launching a nationwide struggle against the very social inequalities the racetrack symbolized.

This new neighborhood, however, wasn’t designed like most others in the city.

Architect José Luis Cuevas broke away from the typical grid system common in Mexican urban planning. Instead, he created a grand circular boulevard, originally named Avenida del Hipódromo – now known as Avenida Ámsterdam.

It’s a winding loop that curves back on itself, lined with trees and shaded walkways, giving the neighborhood its distinct, almost European feel.

A city searching for identity

In the aftermath of the revolution, Mexico’s new leaders were trying to forge a sense of national identity. Intellectuals and politicians wanted to reconnect with Mexico’s cultural roots, especially through architecture.

Under the influence of cultural reformer José Vasconcelos, the government even offered tax breaks to architects who adopted the neocolonial style – a revival of Mexico’s baroque and colonial past. But this attempt largely fell flat with modern architects.

At the same time, influential thinkers were publishing works about Mexican identity and its place in the world. Then, in 1925, a major global event would shift everything: the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris.

Enter: Art déco

The Paris exhibition in 1925 introduced the world to a bold new style: art déco. Although the name wasn’t officially coined until 1966, the style quickly caught on across architecture, fashion, furniture, and graphic design.

It was sleek, symmetrical, geometric – and it embraced both modern materials and ancient motifs.

One surprising influence was the 1922 discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb by British archaeologist Howard Carter, which sparked a worldwide obsession with ancient civilizations and their symbolism.

Mexico, already searching for a way to connect its modern ambitions with its indigenous roots, found the perfect answer in Art déco.

Mexican architects began designing solid, monolithic buildings adorned with decorative elements inspired by pre-Hispanic cultures, like grecas (geometric motifs), masks, and stepped patterns.

This blending of futuristic elegance and indigenous heritage defined a new architectural language.

The Art déco boom in Mexico City

The boom in Art déco architecture coincided with Mexico City’s rapid growth in the 1920s and 1930s. As large estates and ranches were broken up to make way for new residential neighborhoods, architects had room to experiment.

They used modern materials like granite, marble, brass, aluminum, etched glass, and Portland cement, often paired with beautiful custom typography that still delights design lovers today.

Neighborhoods like La Condesa, Roma, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, Santa María la Ribera, and Doctores soon filled with elegant buildings in the new style. The most prominent architects of the era left a lasting imprint on the urban landscape.

While much of Mexico City’s art déco heritage has sadly been lost to time, demolitions, and modernization, pockets of this architectural treasure remain – especially in Colonia Hipódromo, the neighborhood first announced in 1925.

According to a 2015 study by researcher Carolina Magaña, while only a few dozen Art déco buildings remain scattered across central Mexico City, the highest concentration is still in the area once built over the old horse racetrack.

A legacy that still enchants

Art déco became the signature style of a hopeful, modern Mexico in the 1920s and 1930s.

Today, walking through the leafy streets of Condesa and Hipódromo is like stepping into a glamorous chapter of the city’s past—a place where modern ideals met ancient inspiration, and where architecture became a statement of identity, elegance, and ambition.

For visitors and locals alike, these buildings are more than just homes or offices – they are monuments to a time when Mexico looked to the future while honoring its roots.