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Oh, here is my question: Just outside of Mexico city, what does it look like? Is it desert? Steppe? Shrubby forest? What? This isnt becasue I am goin there, just because it is something I have always wanted to know.
I've never been there but I've seen pictures, and it's sort of hard to get a gauge on the natural landscape of Mexico City given it's choking urban density for miles upon miles that mask most vegetation. Plus, I'm not that knowledgable really on topographical categories and definitions. From what I've seen, I'd say it sort of seems to resemble San Antonio from a landscape perspective, but with less trees. Here's a link that may help:
What does San Antonio look like? Anyway I don't think it is a desert, maybe more of a steppe, maybe it is shruby forest like the kind that is found in the lower elavations of New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado?
going north east from the city to Toluca you encounter mountains with evergreens. Going south from the city to Cuernavaca you again encounter mountains and evergreens. It is very lush as you enter Morelos. Going north west to Teotihuacan it is flat, barren, a steppe.
It's been awhile since I been there, 10 years maybe. For one thing remember Mexico City is huge, spread out. It's built on a lake and relatively high altitude, like Denver. Very very polluted.
On the outskirts of Mexico City, hmmm, I remember clapboard slums, people living on hills sides in tin shacks (there is a saying, in America the rich live in the mountains, in Mexico the poor live in the mountains).
But you are talking about geography - like the previous poster said, it ranges from barren volcanic to very green. Geography changes dramatically with altitude and from one side of a ridge to another.
I live in the southwest corner of Mexico City where there remains some of the original woods of the region. They are composed primarily by oaks, which are drought decidious, so when our dry season is at it's peak, combined with the year's coolest temperatures (late January) they have the traditional fall colors of the mid latitudes. They drop their leaves completely by the beginning of March, some of them (if near a water spot like a small river) will recover their leaves by the end of that month, however half of them at least wait until late April or early May, when the real first heavy thunderstorms of the rainy season occurr. This type of vegetation, together with madrones, ash trees, cypresses and other very local trees (such as "ahuejote" or "tepozan") used to cover much of Mexico City (not the lake region of course), even the now surrounding almost-desert landscape north of the city used to be greener, with sparse stands of oaks or riparian woodlands. Now you only see brazilian pepper (introduced from Peru by the Spaniards) and some crops surrounding the city to the North and East where there used to be marshes, lakes, praries and woods... The only part of the original ecosystems that remain almost intact since colonial times is in the south and west borders of the Federal District (Where Mexico City lies), and is mostly evergreens (Fir trees and pines, some oaks), because of the high altitude. The city proper however is forested by introduced trees (jacarandas, ficus, eucaliptus), because they're cheaper and are low-maintenance I think, since our oaks take a long time to grow and we absolutely lack good landscaping policies... there are only a few major parks (Chapultepec, Alameda), and only a tiny lake region left (Xochimilco). The south had an area that was a lava field called "El Pedregal" with some cacti and shurbs... it's now the National University campus plagued with eucaliptus (similar to Balboa Park in San Diego) and a residential area... The city used to be traversed by many rivers, but since the 1960s they have been slowly turning them into streets (For example, there are avenues called "Avenida Rio Churubusco" meaning Churubusco River Avenue, because indeed it used to be a river). Really, Mexico City looks very grey and the pollution is heavy during Winter and Spring (the dry season), but diminishes in the rainy season (May-October). If you come in February or March you'd think this is a desert, it never rains. If you come in July or August is almost like a rainforest, rain every day... If you come in November, December or January it will be either clear as anything or overcast and drizzly because of a cold front that leaves snow in the nearby mountains... The only good thing that remained intact about Mexico City was the climate (mild temperatures year round and moderate rainfall, 33 inches anually), but since 1980/90 it's gone because of the global warming (and our dismal urbanization is a good example of why it is happening) we rarely see morning frost in winter (I've been told that it even snowed every 15 years or so, the last one in 1967 and light or near frost in the morning was very common), we have heatweaves of 30ºC (86ºF) for many days in May, when the normal highs are of 80ºF (the warmest month of the year, before the daily rains) and it's raining heavier than ever in summer (flashflooding and hailstorms are now a common sight in August). Right now however, is "unusually" average for late March: clear and nicely warm (75º evenings, with 45º mornings).
We moved to Texas some years ago what a dissapointment, we have now built a home at the foot mountains in Monterrey Mexico..you can never compare the two countries, other wise I still back in the states. If you want peace and tranquility and lower prices this is the place to be.I have the same size house that I had back in Houston Texas and my taxes were around $4,000, here we reside in a good subdivison, I pay in taxes, ready for this? sixty bucks a year...
The nice thing about it,and I'm still in shock, not like back home if you defualt on your taxes the US gov, will start proccedings in confiscating your home. Such is not the case here, the only catch you can't sell your home until you pay the Mexcian gov...easy! the seller pay you and you have more then enough to pay your taxes.
We have learn how to buy and get around from both gov's I'm not a lawyer but If I can help pls let us know....
No body back home belived that I wrote a book, I used to be always in hurry back home.
This small town we now reside in is 30 miles from Monterrey is quite unique they all seem related and call each other cousins. The local parish priest comes over once a month to have dinner with us. Back home all I ever got was the ans machine from our pastor. God Bless
Built on a lake?? Maybe about 400 years ago....but its all dried up now.
...obviously
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