Neza Has Secretly Made Me Happy
On Guelatao going into Nezahualcóyotl
Rafael Zafra is studying English language writing with the ExpEnglish Blogging Program. A student in International Relations at UNAM in Mexico City, his posts in Spanish are published on eldefe.com.
Nezahualcóyotl or ‘’Neza’’ in its short form is a municipality of Estado de México in Mexico City where people are known for their ‘’unsophisticated attitudes.’’
They proudly write Nezahualcoyotl on their Taxis
This little city borders the east side of Mexico City. Honestly, I rarely talk about myself in Nezahualcóyotl with my friends or other people because I always feel they would deduce that I have some kind of bad manners or maybe I am some kind of uncivilized person if I go there. It’s a prejudice that I’ve just learned or picked up while growing up in this city.
When I mention Neza I can easily say many words related to it that I am sure other people would immediately understand. Words like “naco,” poverty, gangs, ugliness, rudeness, over-populated, unsophisticated, uncivilized, guns, horses in the middle of the street, pigs and chickens on the roofs, overgrown houses, lots of markets and no green areas. Some of them are true, some of them are false.
The truth is that my life is closer to Neza even today than anyone could imagine. I have always felt that I would hear at least some of the adjectives I mentioned above if I said something about me and Neza and that is why I hardly talk about it. I could talk about myself and my academic background at UNAM. Or about me and my family from Puebla but I would never say Neza is where I first lived when I came to Mexico City. It’s where I started my elementary school when I was 6 years old. Then me and my family moved to Iztapalapa but I still studied there.
Since then I can remember some places that have made me happy, although Neza has changed over the years and many places have disappeared since I left it. I could still easily find places and walk through its streets. It is not the place where I have established my relationships or my life so I may not have a real description of it, but its places have formed part of me.
The Hungry Coyote at the center of Nezahualcoyotl.
When I was a child I was taught at school that Nezahualcoyotl means ‘’hungry coyote’’ which I always related to its people in that they have got some sort of energy that has made them different and even special and formidable. Most of its people are hard workers living under difficult circumstances and who have`t had time to study. So, many of them are vendors and sellers and dealers in whatever, all of whom have built their own businesses. And that is why I don`t agree with those who say it is a poor part of the city. Certainly Neza has grown fast, strong and even wealthy.
The New Ciudad Jardín Bicentenario
The interesting thing about this little city inside the city is that it was built in the 1960’s after a lake started to dry up. It was what remained of the giant lake that covered what had been Mexico City. In spite of its growth (or because of it), Neza has been built without good urban infrastructure. That may be the reason it can look like is not a really beautiful place to live, but the truth is that its beauty remains in its energy and its people.
Interior Plaza Jardín, Nezahuacóyotl, from the opening story on eldfe.com
Unfortunately the danger still there, alongside all those big markets that cover whole kilometers and that clog avenues on a specific day of the week all around Neza. A specific day is set such that those big serpents of stands visit every part of the city and there you can find whatever you want. I remember my brother looking for a gun with the people he got along with and all of whom worked right there. There are usually many young people working there especially selling good clothes for reasonable prices. In that way the market become a place to hang out. Beer is actually sold on the street so going to those markets called ‘’tianguis’’ can be really fun.
A new really interesting project has been built where there used to be a giant garbage dumb with about 10 million of tons of trash. All the garbage from Mexico city used to be poured here in this despised part of my city.
The photos above are taken in places that used to look like this!
The government and some of the richest business men like Carlos Slim have built this new complex. Actually I did not even know they knew this part of the city exists.
Anyway, in this new project, called Ciudad Jardin, people can find those expensive stores that used to be far away from Neza, along with blocks of luxurious and expensive apartments and government buildings. I find that a little bit ridiculous because people always will prefer to buy their goods in their precious and crowded ‘’ tianguis’’ and they will always find there what they will never find in those expensive and boring stores. I guess they will prefer to build themselves their really big and shapeless houses with a couple of dogs living on the roof to living in spaces that could not be adapted.
Neza has secretly made me happy. Certainly I will never be able to talk about Neza without embarrassment but I will never forget that it is where I first got drunk when I thought that an ugly and unsafe night club was the funniest thing in the world, when I thought Polanco, Roma, Fuente de Diana or Valle de Bravo were simply the names of the streets near my school and not really luxury places in Mexico City. It is where I first kissed a girl and where I happily had my first real friends.
Definitely, I will never be able to hide the Neza part of myself.
Ya comencé a leer tu texto. Voy lento. Tienes un estilo, aún traducido al inglés. Me identifico con lo que cuentas porque una parte de mi vida reciente se desarrolló entre la Narvarte y Neza; entre Ecatepec y Neza; entre Chabacano y Neza; entre las Playas ( mi zona actual) y Neza. Y luego nada. Nada; pero desde entonces, de alguna manera, por algún vuelco del destino, termino regresando a Neza… o cerca de ahí.