In the early 1920s, Mexico City suffered a housing shortage as a result of internal migrants fleeing from uncertainty in the provinces caused by the
Mexican Revolution. To meet demand, the
Ayuntamientos of the
Distrito Federal passed various city ordinances in order to make it easier for private investors to develop urban subdivisions.— old families of viceregal Spanish lineage whose descendants participated in the initial sale of plots or kept portions as patrimony. These families, heirs to the hacienda model, found in urban development a way to transform land into urban capital. With large lots, large gardened yards, wide winding streets, gardened boulevards and scattered small shopping areas within walking distances from homes. The early settlers attracted to the area were young professionals and some of the nouveau riche revolutionaries, bureaucrats and the new business class of Mexico City. Smaller homes were built on the side streets while mostly large houses were built on Paseo de la Reforma and
Paseo de Las Palmas, the two main avenues. The name was changed to Lomas de Chapultepec from Chapultepec Heights in 1924 since foreign words were not allowed in the
rótulos used to advertise the new development. -catalogued property built in the
Colonial Californiano style. This mansion was on the market for an asking price of 75.88 million
Mexican pesos, or about US$6 million. Most of the early houses were built in the "
Colonial Californiano" style, with stone carvings around windows and doors and pitched roofs. Many of these early homes are catalogued and protected by the
Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes as they have been deemed a cultural patrimony. Later on,
Modern houses designed by notable architects such as
Luis Barragán,
Juan Sordo,
Ricardo Legorreta and
Enrique Norten were built. Many of the houses built during the era known as the
Mexican Miracle are still standing, and constitute the largest mansions in the western area of the city. The colonia grew in size, being mostly inhabited by the upper class and by wealthy immigrants that arrived in Mexico in the early 20th century. Today, Lomas de Chapultepec is inhabited by Mexican and foreign business professionals, celebrities, politicians and other wealthy individuals. In recent years commercial and business areas have developed on the edges of the neighborhood and there are also various
embassies located in the area. Sales in the northwestern part of Mexico City, which includes luxury areas like Lomas de Chapultepec, generally average US$1 million per house.
Use of "Lomas" in subsequent developments Starting in the early 1950s, capitalizing on Lomas de Chapultepec's success and the glamour of its name, other developers opened subdivisions further out into adjacent
Estado de Mexico with names including the
branding word "Lomas" (Spanish for hills). Some of the neighborhoods that stemmed from these expansions are
Lomas de Tecamachalco, Lomas de la Herradura, Lomas de las Palmas, Lomas Anahuac, Lomas Altas, Lomas de Bezares, Lomas de Santa Fe, Lomas de Vistahermosa and
Interlomas. Today, the area encompassing Lomas de Chapultepec and neighboring developments is sometimes incorrectly referred to as simply
Las Lomas, though locals specify which neighborhood they live in, be it Tecamachalco, Herradura, etc. ==Geography==