Colonia Tabacalera

Tabacalera
Neighborhood of Mexico City
Frontón México in the Ponciano Arriaga and De la República streets
Location of Colonia Tabacalera (in red) within Cuauhtémoc borough
Country	Mexico
City	Mexico City
Borough	Cuauhtémoc
Area
• Total	1.75 km2 (0.68 sq mi)
Population  (2010)
• Total	3,267[1]
• Urban density	1,866.86/km2 (4,835.1/sq mi)
Postal code	06030

Colonia Tabacalera is a colonia or neighborhood in the Cuauhtémoc borough of Mexico City, on the western border of the city's historic center. It was created in the late 19th century along with other nearby colonias such as Colonia San Rafael and Colonia Santa María la Ribera. From the early 1900s, it became a mixture of mansions and apartment buildings, with major constructions such as the now Monument to the Revolution and the El Moro skyscraper built in the first half of the century. By the 1950s, the area had a bohemian reputation with writers, artists, and exiles living there. These included Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara, who met each other and began planning the Cuban Revolution there. Today, the colonia is in decline with problems such as prostitution, crime, street vending and traffic. However, the area is still home to some of the many traditional Mexican cantinas that populated it in its heyday.