By Aubrey Wade

MANSION MAZAHUA

An indigenous community in the heart of Mexico City’s historical downtown.
"Mexico needs its indigenous peoples and these people need Mexico…" said Pope John Paul II on his 5th visit to Mexico City this summer. "For too long the indigenous peoples have been neglected by Mexican society" he pronounced during the historical canonization of Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, Mexico’s first indigenous saint. For many of those living in Mansion Mazahua these words fell on hopeful yet cynical ears.In the aftermath of the 1985 earthquake, which left an estimated 10.000 dead in Mexico City, the government campaigned on the need for secure housing for all the city’s residents but failed to deliver, in particular to the city’s poorest groups. Taking matters into their own hands, Mazahua Indians (Mexico State’s largest ethnic group) began moving into empty earthquake damaged buildings in the heart of the city’s historical downtown. Today 42 families squeeze into Mansion Mazahua, a crumbling colonial building, located just behind the Belles Artes museum - home to some of the country’s finest cultural treasures.
A woman in traditional dress comes down the stairway into the courtyard carrying her washing. She will join the other women below the images of the Virgin de Guadelupe and Jesus Christ at the communal taps.