Many Mexican cities and towns began as Indian communities. The plaza is still the center of city life, even in large cities. In the evenings and on Sunday afternoons, the people gather in the plaza to talk with friends or to listen to music. The city centers are filled with high-rise buildings, and modern houses and apartment buildings occupy the suburbs. But older parts of towns and cities have rows of homes built in the Spanish colonial style.
Small balconies extend from some windows.
This gardenlike area of the house may have a fountain, flowers, vines, and pots of blooming plants. All of the large Mexican cities have grown very rapidly because people have moved there from the rural areas to find jobs and a better life. As a result, many cities suffer from serious social and environmental problems. Houses in many of the poor sections are made of scraps of wood, metal, and whatever other materials can be found. Most of them lack electricity and running water.