Nicole Arreola Podcast

Spatial inequality in Mexico City is a problem where people don't have equal access to opportunities like money and housing. It started when the Spanish colonized the city, forcing people to move from farming to the city. Today, some families live in poverty while others live comfortably. Ways to solve this include passing laws to protect workers' rights, rich people making donations, and government programs providing free resources. Decreasing spatial inequality in Latin America as a whole is also important. Hi everyone, and welcome to the first episode of the Latin America History Podcast. I'm your host, Nick Correola, and today we are going to be talking about spatial inequality in Mexico City. For those of you who don't know what spatial inequality is, spatial inequality is when two groups of people living in the same area don't have access to the same opportunities, like money, food, and housing. Spatial inequality didn't always exist in Mexico City. In the past, Mexico City was known as Tenochtitlan, a place where the Aztecs would farm, fish, and trade their food for money or goods. It wasn't until the Spanish came along that Mexico City started to look like the urban place that it is today. Because the Spanish took over Tenochtitlan and started making it more modern, people were forced to quit their jobs as farmers and move to the city to get new jobs. Those that didn't leave were struggling to make money to survive, and those that did leave got jobs and lived better lives. This is called urbanization. Today, urbanization in Mexico City still exists and is the reason why some people live better than others. For example, in the spatial inequality chapter of the textbook, it shows how two families living in Mexico City have such different lives. One of the families live in an old, run-down shack, surviving on rice and beans, while the other family lives in a large, modern house and enjoys healthy meals, such as chicken and beef. Sadly, this unequal distribution of resources, such as food and housing, is the reality of many families in Mexico City. Do you know of any ways that spatial inequality could be solved in Mexico City? If not, I will be talking about two ways that both the Mexican government and its people could do to help lower spatial inequality in Mexico City. Like Anna's character in the textbook, a lot of poor people working in Mexico City are not getting paid fairly for their hard work, which increases spatial inequality by keeping the rich rich and the poor poor. One way that the Mexican government could help is by passing a law to protect workers' rights and make sure that they are getting paid fairly. Another way that spatial inequality in Mexico City can be solved is by having rich people in Mexico City make donations, such as donating food and clothing items to the less fortunate in their communities. This is also good for the environment because these goods are being repurposed instead of being thrown away and contributing to waste in Mexico City, which is another side effect of urbanization. The last and most effective way that spatial inequality in Mexico City can be solved is through government efforts. These government efforts should not only make jobs, housing, and food more accessible to poor people, but should make these resources completely free through public programs funded by the government and its people. If these resources are free, then children won't have to work to help their parents and instead focus on school, which in the long run can help lessen the gap between the rich and poor. Now that I've told you a little more about spatial inequality and its solutions, can you think of one to two more solutions that can help decrease spatial inequality in not only Mexico City, but in Latin America as a whole? Make sure to leave your responses in the comment section below so that I could read them and respond. And thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Latin America History Podcast. I hope you learned something new about spatial inequality in Mexico City and are motivated to help. Also, please don't forget to share your thoughts in the comment section. Lastly, if you'd like to donate to reduce spatial inequality in Mexico City, click the link in the description for more information. Bye. Don't forget to follow us on social media for news regarding upcoming episodes. And I'll see you until the next episode. Bye.