In the 1960s, sand deposits became difficult to exploit because reinforcement of the walls became increasingly difficult and costly, so the mine owners began to sell the mines to the Federal District, which used it as landfill. This right of way gave rise to the Avenida Tamaulipas which connects with the road from Santa Lucia and the avenue Vasco de Quiroga. Today, in the south of the Calle 16 de Septiembre, one can see the outline of the path that requires them to leave the eastern ridge bordering the area and who once was a slum called Romita.

the old royal road to Toluca already had by then strong competition from road federal Toluca, which runs along the west ridge which had to be stopped to avoid the collapse of the road.

In 1953, after a derailment where several were killed in what is now the colony's Ocote Cuajimalpa, electric train service was withdrawn. Also, soil settlements were in danger of rupturing and further increasing soil pollution, which led to gases being released every so often. It was difficult to introduce artificial drainage lines due to the mechanical weakness of the soil.

As construction was taking place above a solid bedrock, the lack of natural drainage meant that potable water lines that were introduced were in danger of becoming contaminated by leachate that could not be removed from the soil.

Abrupt changes in ground level meant that the area had very limited potential for road building, as there was a natural barrier north of the neighborhoods that were being constructed, ravines were present to the east and west, and the Desert of the Lions national park was located to the south.

The diversion of the Tacubaya River during construction of the federal highway to Toluca, meant that no water source was left available to supply the river that feeds the area of Lomas, through the natural flow of water and drainage of the area by gravity.

The extraction of sand had the unfortunate consequence of creating a deep trench in the landscape, almost 4 km long by 2 km wide and in some places up to 100 meters in depth.Ī number of other land usage problems surfaced during this time period. The presence of sandbanks in the area was exploited in the 1930s to feed the growing construction industry in Mexico City. Several trees were removed during the construction of the tramline towards San Ángel. During the Porfiriato era, a steam tramline was built on the former royal road, which at first ended at Santa Fe, and later expanded to La Venta, Cuajimalpa, and San Ángel. This road was located on the present-day avenue that is known by the name of Cuajimalpa Arteaga and Salazar, traversing the Sierra de las Cruces mountains and continuing by the current route of the federal interstate highway that connects Mexico City to Toluca.

Santa Fe was situated along the route of the former royal road connecting Tacubaya to Toluca. The ruins of the hospital still exist in the area.Ĭolonial period and independence ĭuring the Spanish colonial era (late 15th century – early 19th century) and the first century of independent Mexico (early 19th century – early 20th century), the then town of Santa Fe had an open landscape of sand mining activity, which was divided between the towns of Santa Fe, Santa Lucia, San Mateo and San Pedro in Cuajimalpa. The current area of Santa Fe took its name from Santa Fé de México, the 16th century Pueblo Hospital of Santa Fe, founded by Vasco de Quiroga in 1532.

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