La Romita began as a pre Hispanic village that remained independent until the establishment of Colonia Roma and has remained semi-independent since. In the pre Hispanic period, the area was a small island called Aztacalco located near the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan surrounded by the shallow waters of Lake Texcoco. The name means "in the house of herons." After the Spanish conquered Tenochtitlan, renaming it Mexico City, Aztacalco was one of the areas that the indigenous were permitted to continue living.