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México City , Mexico

Condominio Insurgentes

A jewel of the Mexico city skyline now slowly crumbles after surviving an earthquake. 

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Condominio Insurgentes Angelica Portales on Flickr (frozen-in-time)
Condominio Insurgentes vladimix on Flickr (Creative Commons)
Condominio Insurgentes Keizers on Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons)

When it was built in 1958 Mexico City’s Condominio Insurgentes were to be a shining jewel of residential and commercial space, but after an earthquake damaged the building’s structure it is a semi-abandoned, vertical ghost town.

Also known as the “Canada” building due to a large neon sign (the largest in the country for a time) which used to take up the height of the building, this former condo complex is now falling apart while accommodating a collection of illegal squatters and ne’er-d-wells. The 19-story building contains over 400 units which were once used to house lawyers, shoe stores, and wealthy families. This all came to an end after an earthquake in 1985 seemingly damaged the building’s foundation and its many tenants were forced to leave. Of course there were a number of stalwart building dwellers who stuck around but they were soon joined by drug dealers and squatters who quickly moved into the emptied building.

With no maintenance, the building’s modern facade was quickly populated with broken windows and peeling paint, a towering eyesore that none-the-less remains a busy hub for clandestine activity. However many in the building are far from despairing regarding the building’s future, petitioning to refurbish the building on the grounds that its continued survival is proof that the building is still sound. The survivor’s spirit is built into Condominio Insurgentes’ walls and seems to have leeched into its tenants as well. 

#earthquakes#crime#abandoned
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