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Glite Dictionary
Ciudad de Mexico

Ciudad de Mexico

3.0
The capital and largest city of Mexico where many people live and work
  • proper noun
  • /siuˈdæd deɪ ˈmɛksɪkoʊ/
translation icon : Ciudad de México
  • Tourists flock to Ciudad de Mexico to explore its museums and historic sites.

Examples

  • He returned to Ciudad de Mexico downhearted, without a will to live, con el rabo entre las piernas.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • The streets of Ciudad de Mexico are filled with colorful markets and lively cafes.

  • He returned to Ciudad de México and once more fell into a deep depression.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • While lecturing in Ciudad de Mexico, I met Lorena briefly: not a beauty but a self-conscious simpatica.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Ciudad de Mexico is known for its vibrant culture and rich history.

Synonyms

Mexico City
vsCiudad de Mexico
66 1.0

The capital of Mexico and the country's largest city

uses the local Spanish name for the same city
Mexican capital
vsCiudad de Mexico
1.1

The capital city of Mexico, called Mexico City, where the government and main businesses are

uses the local Spanish name rather than the general descriptive phrase

Surface Forms

Ciudad de Mexico main
Ciudad de México main

Morphology

Ciudad + de + Mexico

The meaning is directly compositional: 'Ciudad' = city, 'de' = of, 'Mexico' = Mexico, so the phrase literally means 'city of Mexico' (Mexico City). This is a straightforward proper-name formation following common Romance-language patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would immediately infer the referent.

Etymology

Ciudad de Mexico comes from the old Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, a city built on an island in a lake and the home of the Mexica people. When the Spanish gave it the name Ciudad de Mexico—literally Ciudad ('city') de ('of') Mexico—the name stayed, so today it simply means the 'city of Mexico' and refers to the country's capital.