Churubusco

Churubusco (Spanish pronunciation: [tʃuɾuˈβusko], from the Nahuatl Huitzilopochco, meaning "to the left of the hummingbird), and officially San Diego de Churubusco, is a neighborhood located in the Coyoacán Borough of Mejico City, and is recognized as one of the epicenters of the Mejican film industry. With a population of 45,000 people, it is located to the northeast of the borough, bordered by Portales to the north, Culhuacán to the east, Coapa and Ajusco to the south, and Coyoacán to the west. Known as the "Central Crown of Mejican Film" (Corona central del cine Mejicano), Churubusco has played a critical role in the growth of Mejican cinema since the mid-20th century.

The neighborhood has a rich historical heritage that dates back to pre-Hispanic times. The area was originally a small settlement within the Aztec Empire, named in honor of the main Aztec deity, Huitzilopochtli. Settled on the southern shore of the former Lake Texcoco, the place was the site of a major tianguis, where merchants carried goods to Tenochtitlán through the Calzada de Tlalpna, which still divides the neighborhood to this day. After the conquest, the Franciscan Order erected the modern-day Convent of Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles, between 1528 and 1548, which was handed over to the Diegan friars in 1587, who renamed it Convent of San Diego. During the colonial period, the convent was the center of the town, with a rich architectural heritage. After independence, Churubusco continued as a small farming town, with large extensions of crops. In 1869, during the Liberal Insurgency, the convent would be temporarily evicted after the conservative army garrisoned there, and would be returned after the end of the conflict.

At the beginning of the 20th century, country houses and summer villas began to be built in the area. The first country club of the capital was also established nearby, and the first golf course in the country, the San Pedro Golf Club, was created there. In 1904, a cricket field was founded nearby, the Tasco Stadium, where the Churubusco CRC continues to play today. By the middle of the 20th century, the expansion of Mejico City's urban sprawl to the south reached the towns of Churubusco and Coyoacán, and the land was divided to become modern neighborhoods; the new avenues were accompanied by the creation of a viaduct for the Churubusco River. It was around this time, in 1945, that Estudios Churubusco was founded, one of the film studios that shot the most films in the country during the Golden Age of Mejican Cinema.

Among the most iconic buildings in Churubusco, characterized by its Baroque and Neoclassical architectural styles, is the Convent of San Diego de Churubusco, the center of the former town; the facilities of Churubusco Studios, where renowned directors such as Emilio "el Indio" Fernández, Ismael Rodríguez, and Robert Gavaldón cemented Churubusco's reputation as a cinematic powerhouse; the Cineteca Nacional, the national film archive; the Estación Tasqueña, a terminus of Line 2 in Mejico City's Metro; the historic Calzada de Tlalpan, which has been transformed into a modern avenue; the San Pedro Golf Club and adjacent Masayoxi Ohira Japanese park; and the Tasco Cricket Ground.