Coyoacán is one of the 16 delegaciones (boroughs) into which Mexico's Federal District is divided. Coyoacán also is commonly used to refer to the neighborhood at the heart of the borough. The name Coyoacán comes from Nahuatl Coyohuacan (IPA: kojoˈwaʔkaːn), meaning "place where they have coyotes".
Although geographically located in the center of the Distrito Federal, Coyoacán for many years has been considered to be in the southern end of Mexico City. As the southernmost boroughs of the city, especially Xochimilco and Tlalpan, have begun to grow, the view of Coyoacán as the south end of the city may begin to change.
In pre-columbian times Coyoacan was a town of its own and a major center of trade on the southern shore of Lake Texcoco. After the Spanish conquest Hernán Cortés made his residence there.
It remained a separate town until 1950, when it was swallowed up by the burgeoning conurbation of Mexico City. Centered on two busy squares, Jardín Centenario and Plaza Hidalgo, the district's main square, is a higher middle-class suburb, with certain bohemian and artistic undertones.
An important street in Coyoacán is Francisco Sosa which starts in Av. Universidad and ends in Coyoacán's main square. In this street are located big houses with beautiful colonial architecture. The street also has many academies of music, dancing, and some book-stores and cafés. The Italian Institute of Culture "Instituto Italiano di Cultura" is located in the number 77 of this street.
It was home to Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, and also to Leon Trotsky, and the houses they lived in are now both museums. It is served by Metro lines 2 and 3.
Coyoacán is a Sister City of Arlington County, Virginia, USA.
In Coyoacán
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