The courtyard of a recently restored Mexico City vecindad, decorated for the annual Day of the Dead celebrations.
Photographer: Alejandro Cegarra/BloombergDesign
How Mexico City’s Vecindades Became Homes for the Working Class
The grandiose buildings were originally inhabited by European aristocracy, but their central courtyards later turned into spaces for communal living.
(This article is part of Bloomberg CityLab’s series exploring the iconic home designs that shaped global cities. Read more from the series. Get the next story sent to your inbox by subscribing to the CityLab Daily newsletter.)
In Spanish, the word “vecindad” means neighborhood — neutral and nonspecific.