For generations, the hills of Sierra de Santa Catarina, a chain of volcanic peaks on the eastern edge of Mexico City, have quietly disappeared under the pressure of quarrying and land exploitation. According to a recent report, this slow-motion destruction has stripped away vegetation, altered the natural landscape, and left visible scars across the range, which spans the boroughs of Iztapalapa and Tláhuac.
These hills were once valued for their volcanic rock and soil, materials commonly extracted for construction in the sprawling capital. Over the decades, that extraction has taken a heavy toll, eroding slopes, destabilizing terrain, and reducing green space in an area already under strain from rapid urban growth. Iztapalapa and Tláhuac are among the most densely populated and environmentally vulnerable boroughs in Mexico City, making the loss of natural buffers like these hillsides especially significant for local ecosystems and residents.
The ongoing degradation raises concerns not only about environmental damage but also about the long-term risks facing nearby communities, including potential landslides and the disappearance of natural spaces that once offered some relief from the dense urban environment surrounding them.
To see the full photographic documentation and details behind this decades-long transformation, read the original report from La Jornada.
Source: Explotación destruyó por décadas cerros de la sierra de Santa Catarina de Iztapalapa y Tláhuac (jornada.com.mx). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: James St. John, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).