THE STRUGGLE
Those who inhabited the area known as kilometer 14 lived in deplorable conditions, in sheet metal houses for which they paid rent, and without access to basic services. Motivated by parents from the Merici School, with the support of Priest Rodolfo Escamilla and encouraged by women, the community organized itself, facing hunger, police pressures, and detentions, and they won the land on which they built houses that would accommodate more than 200 families.
THE CONFLICT
This territory holds great significance in the struggle for the right to housing in Latin America. However, in the 1990s, urban growth and speculation about land values created a significant division among the cooperative members, leading to a group of dissidents separating from the project and initiating a process to obtain individual property titles.
THE FUTURE
Palo Alto retains a unique character: it’s a place where everyone knows each other and shares a common past history. However, conflicts arising from real estate speculation are growing, and the reality is that there is no way to predict the outcome waiting for this community.
KNOW THE COOPERATIVE
We are witnessing a crucial moment in the evolution of this cooperative, full of complexities, and the accelerated transformation of one of the largest and most populated cities in the world. Explore this illustrated map, which will remain as a space of memory of what Palo Alto is today.
