Santa María Aztahuacán educational complex opens in Iztapalapa

The Santa María Aztahuacán Educational Complex has officially opened in the Iztapalapa borough of Mexico City, providing permanent facilities for students affected by the September 2017 earthquakes. The project, a collaboration between the Mexico City government and the Alberto Baillères Foundation, reunites three schools that had been operating in temporary classrooms for years: Fray Martín de Valencia kindergarten, Herminio Chavarría primary school, and Luis Pasteur secondary school.

The complex spans approximately 15,000 to 18,000 square meters and is designed to accommodate up to 4,000 students across morning and afternoon shifts. Due to the unstable, cracked subsoil caused by previous seismic activity, the facility was constructed using more than 70 foundation piles reaching depths of 40 to 60 meters.

In addition to classrooms, the facility includes libraries, workshops, dining areas, auditoriums, cultural spaces, and sports areas. The project involved community participation in the planning process, including the design of perimeter mosaics.