This work is a critique to the stigmatisation of trash as something we should not live close together with. Due to this derogative conceptualisation of waste together with the inherent characteristics of landfills, Mexico City’s government implemented a “far and out” policy locating the final disposal areas distant and out from the city. Then, the proposal is the opposite approach: a local waste management system. So waste that usually ends kilometers away is handled in the community where it was produced in order to lengthen the life cycle of materials. The project is developed in Xochimilco for the challenges regarding the door-to-door collection of waste in this municipality. The local system focuses in the sorting process; being the most inefficient part of the current system as this activity is primarily executed by informal workforce. Besides, the type of waste that the community is able to manage completely locally is organic materials which are the principal element of the system for the regeneration of wetlands.

[pt] A periferia urbana sul da Cidade do México apresenta atualmente um padrão de crescimento conhecido como cidade difusa, em que a dispersão urbana e mistura de atividades urbanas e rurais põem em interdito a dualidade campo-cidade com a que havia sido tratado tradicionalmente o limite no marco de planejamento territorial; e merece o reconhecimento de seu possível rol na promoção do desenvolvimento sustentável deste centro povoado, à luz de uma consolidação urbana futura e de sua vizinhança com sistemas naturais frágeis. Trata-se, pois, de um espaço que deveria ser planejado partindo do reconhecimento destas novas dinâmicas e em que a metodologia de desenvolvimento e design regenerativos, criada à luz do paradigma da sustentabilidade ecológica, poderia ser útil para definir delineamentos que orientassem o ordenamento sustentável deste território. Esta metodologia reconhece o lugar de intervenção e seu caráter único (essência), como as bases fundamentais do processo de definição de estratégias que permitiriam fomentar seu desenvolvimento regenerativo a partir de projetos arquitetônicos ou urbanos. Não obstante, apesar da metodologia propor um marco de trabalho que compreenda o lugar a partir do reconhecimento dos padrões presentes, não fica claro como, em função dos mesmos, se pode determinar os que são centrais e definem, por sua vez, seu caráter único. Ante este vazio metodológico para definir a essência de um lugar a partir do entendimento de seus padrões, e considerando-se que, de acordo com a teoria de sistemas complexos, a compreensão das relações entre os elementos de um sistema permite entender sua estrutura e determinar por sua vez, aqueles que seriam centrais para a organização das dinâmicas presentes, se identificou a metodologia Matriz de Influência como uma possível ferramenta para compreender as relações dos elementos de um sistema a partir da detecção dos níveis de influência dos mesmos. Em função do anterior, se colocou como objetivo desenhar uma ferramenta metodológica que permita detectar os padrões da periferia urbana da Cidade do México que poderiam definir a essência do lugar situado em este território e promover seu desenvolvimento regenerativo; para o qual foi criada uma versão da Matriz de Influência adaptada ao estudo dos padrões e foi expandida a análise objetiva e subjetiva da metodologia de Desenvolvimento e Design Regenerativos. Finalmente, a ferramenta proposta foi testada no Santa María Tepepan, Xochimilco, com o objetivo de determinar sua essência. / [en] Mexico City s south urban periphery is now characterized by a growth pattern known as dispersed city, where urban dispersion and mixing of urban and rural activities, calls into question the rural-urban duality with which the territorial planning had traditionally treated this fringe. It also merits recognition for its possible role in promoting the sustainable development of this city, especially considering its future urban consolidation and its proximity to fragile natural systems. Thus, it is a space that should be planned keeping these new dynamics in mind, and where the regenerative development and design methodology, created under the paradigm of ecological sustainability, could be useful to define guidelines that orient the sustainable development of this area. This methodology recognizes the place itself and its unique character (essence), as the fundamental bases of the project, hence useful in defining the strategies for its regenerative development through architectural or urban projects. Even though the methodology proposes a framework for understanding the place of implementation recognizing its present patterns, it is not clear how to determine the core patterns that define the place’s unique character. To address this methodological void and define the essence of a place on the bases of an understanding of its patterns, and considering that, according to the theory of complex systems, the compression of relations amongst the elements of a system permits us to understand and determine those which are central to the present organizational dynamics; it has been identified the methodology called Influence Matrix which permits leads to the understanding of the relationallity of the elements of a system by detecting their own level of influence. Hence, the proposed objective was to design a methodological tool to detect the patterns of the southern urban periphery of Mexico City that could define the essence of a place located within this territory, and therefore promote its regenerative development. This methodological tool was based on a version of the Matrix of Influence, adapted to the analysis of patterns and on an expanded objective and subjective analysis from the Regenerative Development and Design methodology. Finally, the proposed tool was tested in the town of Santa María Tepepan, Xochimilco, to determine its essence. / [es] La periferia urbana Sur de la Ciudad de México presenta actualmente un patrón de crecimiento conocido como ciudad difusa, en donde la dispersión urbana y mezcla de actividades urbanas y rurales, pone en entredicho la dualidad campo-ciudad con la que había sido tratado tradicionalmente este borde en el marco de la planeación territorial; y amerita el reconocimiento de su posible rol en la promoción del desarrollo sustentable de este centro poblado, a la luz de una consolidación urbana futura y de su cercanía con sistemas naturales frágiles. Se trata pues de un espacio que debería planearse partiendo del reconocimiento de estas nuevas dinámicas y en donde la metodología de Desarrollo y Diseño Regenerativos, creada a la luz del paradigma de la sustentabilidad ecológica, podría ser útil para definir lineamientos que orienten el ordenamiento sustentable de este territorio. Esta metodología reconoce el lugar de intervención y su carácter único (esencia), como las bases fundamentales del proceso de definición de estrategias que permitirían fomentar su desarrollo regenerativo a partir de proyectos arquitectónicos o urbanos. No obstante, si bien es cierto que la metodología propone un marco de trabajo para comprender el lugar a partir del reconocimiento de los patrones presentes, no queda claro cómo en función de los mismos se pueden determinar los que son centrales y definen a su vez su carácter único. Ante este vacío metodológico para definir la esencia de un lugar a partir del entendimiento de sus patrones, y considerando que de acuerdo a la teoría de los sistemas complejos, la comprensión de las relaciones entre los elementos de un sistema permite entender su estructura y determinar a su vez los que son centrales para la organización de las dinámicas presentes; se identificó la metodología Matriz de Influencia, como una posible herramienta que permitiría justamente comprender las relaciones de los elementos de un sistema a partir de la detección de los niveles de influencia de los mismos. En función de lo anterior, se planteó como objetivo diseñar una herramienta metodológica que permita detectar los patrones de la periferia urbana Sur de la Ciudad de México que podrían definir la esencia de un lugar emplazado en este territorio y promover su desarrollo regenerativo; para lo cual se hizo una versión de la Matriz de Influencia adaptada al estudio de patrones y se amplió el análisis objetivo y subjetivo manejado en el marco de la metodología de Desarrollo y Diseño Regenerativos. Finalmente, la herramienta propuesta fue probada en el pueblo de Santa María Tepepan, Xochimilco, con miras a determinar su esencia.

My thesis examines the discourse of Mexico in the works of three twentieth-century American authors-Cormac McCarthy, Jack Kerouac, and Katherine Anne Porter-in order to analyze representations of Otherness in modernism and postmodernism. I seek to destabilize the dividing line between these periods as well as to show how representation in postmodernity has become more problematic due in large part to the proliferation of consumer culture. Though the Mexico that McCarthy employs in Blood Meridian and the Border Trilogy (All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, and Cities of the Plain) escapes many stereotypes, his Mexico is merely a staging ground that he uses to examine postmodern questions of philosophy while deconstructing myths such as the Old West and Manifest Destiny and reflecting on the ramifications of World War II. Therefore, McCarthy elides Mexico by using its Otherness as a mirror that enables reflection on the Self. Kerouac too is interested in using Mexico to solve U.S. problems. In On the Road, Kerouac's fictional counterpart, Sal Paradise, searches for the authenticity missing from middle-class American life by ultimately turning to the "authentic" Mexico. Though he is able to distinguish between simulations and reality in his own cultural context, once south of the border Sal misrecognizes what is a hypperreal Mexico for supreme authenticity. By contrast, when Katherine Anne Porter crosses the border, she is quick to identify corruption and revolutionary failure in Mexico. When pieces such as "Xochimilco" and "María Concepción" are placed alongside that of the work of Diego Rivera, a leader in the Mexican muralist movement, it becomes clear that Porter essentializes her Mexican subjects with the specific political goal in mind of furthering the revolution. Additionally, by crossing the generic lines separating fiction and non-fiction, Porter approximates what could be called a postmodern form of ethnography. Yet all of her representational strategies are tempered, especially in her last Mexican story, Hacienda, by an awareness that representations of Other cannot be other than flawed.

Living celebration of death: The Day of the Dead in contemporary Mexican society Mgr. Petra Ponocná Abstract This work deals with perceptions of The Day of the Dead feast in the urban society of Mexico City in the context of official ideology of Mexican cultural nationalism. Dissertation was founded on fieldwork in Mexico City in two different locations, namely delegación Cuauhtémoc and delegación Xochimilco. I focus on the perceptions of the feast by research partners and I try to point out the process of self-identification with the locality and its relation to attitude formation to The Day of the Dead and national identity. I investigate the role of the state and the city in organizing the holiday and research partners reactions to these interventions. The work is based on long-term ethnographic research with distinctive elements of auto ethnography