Roma: The District the Earthquake Saved · 1
The District That Only Came Alive After It Fell
Ep.1 · Why go to Colonia Roma
FitTrip Editor · 2026.07.21
Colonia Roma is a planned residential district in central Mexico City, laid out in the early 20th century during the Porfiriato as a European-style neighbourhood for the wealthy. It was a modern elite quarter with Parisian boulevards and running water, but on 19 September 1985 a magnitude 8.0 earthquake collapsed or damaged more than 460 buildings in Roma alone, and the population fell from 95,000 in 1970 to 35,000 by 1995. Paradoxically, post-quake restrictions on new construction ended up preserving the surviving historic buildings, and the lowered rents drew artists who revived the area from the 2000s. It is now famous for cafés, murals and food, and at the same time the front line of a gentrification dispute. Roma Norte anchors a 3–4 hour half-day walk.
Mexico City has a district named Roma. But what made it what it is today was not prosperity — it was collapse. The great earthquake of 1985.
A district that dreamed of Paris
Colonia Roma was laid out in the early 20th century during the Porfiriato as a European-style residential quarter for the wealthy Fact. It was a modern elite neighbourhood with Parisian boulevards and running water Fact. Like Shinsekai, then, this district did not grow naturally but was drawn from the start as a planned city (Ep.2) Estimate.
What the collapse saved
On 19 September 1985 a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck Mexico City. In Roma alone more than 460 buildings collapsed or were damaged, and the population fell from 95,000 in 1970 to 35,000 by 1995 Fact. And here the paradox begins — the restrictions on new construction brought in after the quake happened to preserve the surviving historic buildings Fact. Once new apartment blocks could not go up on the fallen sites, the old buildings that had survived simply stayed (Ep.5).
Revival, and dispute
The lowered rents and beautiful architecture drew artists, and from the 2000s Roma revived as a district of cafés, murals and food Fact. But that revival is now producing the opposite problem — it has become the front line of a gentrification in which the people who revived it are pushed out (Ep.9) Estimate. This series walks those layers in order.
FAQ
- Where exactly is Colonia Roma?
- In central Cuauhtémoc borough, Mexico City, broadly split into Roma Norte (north) and Roma Sur (south). With neighbouring Condesa it is a flat, walkable residential district reached by metro and on foot.
- Do I need a whole day?
- No. A 3–4 hour half-day walk anchored on Roma Norte is enough. Add the squares, markets and cafés and a half day fills naturally.
- Who is it for?
- Travellers who like modern architecture, the layers of a city, cafés, food and murals. But this district is in the middle of a gentrification dispute right now (Ep.9), so how you walk it carries weight.
Checklist
- Plan a 3–4 hour half-day anchored on Roma Norte
- A flat residential district — good to walk together with Condesa
- 1985 quake → new-build limits → paradoxical preservation is the skeleton
- Now a gentrification front line — how you walk it matters (Ep.9)
See the full course on FitTrip →