GENTRIFICATION IN MEXICO CITY: ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND URBAN TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE NATIVE NEIGHBORHOOD OF SAN SEBASTIÁN XOCO IN THE BENITO JUÁREZ MAYOR'S OFFICE, DURING THE PERIOD 2000-2025.

Abstract

Gentrification in the native village of San Sebastián Xoco, located in the Benito Juárez borough of Mexico City, has been taking shape since the early 2000s as a highly complex process of urban transformation, socially, culturally, and economically. This research will understand this transformation as being primarily driven by the growth of real estate capital and the presence of transnational corporations such as Fibra Uno, responsible for the Mítikah megaproject, leading to the reconfiguration of the territory. This supports the study of the phenomenon from a theoretical perspective, using World-Systems Theory, allowing us to understand gentrification as part of the global dynamics of capitalist accumulation, where Mexico, due to its semi-peripheral status, generates relationships of dependence and subordination to more powerful economic actors. In San Sebastián Xoco, capitalist homogenization manifests itself through the replacement of the town's distinctive traditional landscape with corporate infrastructure and consumer spaces, resulting in the forced displacement of its original inhabitants, increased housing costs, and the deterioration of basic services. This process has fractured community identity, along with the loss of cultural and historical practices. Therefore, the urban transformation reflects a conflict between neoliberal modernity and the preservation of the native village cultural and territorial heritage. Finally, this study offers a critical reflection on the power dynamics that reshape space and questions whether current policies enable sustainable development or contribute to deepening social exclusion.