Living in Pedregal

Pedregal is the band of southern Mexico City built on the lava field the Xitle volcano left behind, roughly 1,700 to 2,000 years ago, and it reads as a leafy, low-density zone of houses on dark volcanic rock rather than a grid of towers. It spreads across three alcaldías: the original Barragán-planned Jardines del Pedregal in Álvaro Obregón, a ring of gated colonias in Tlalpan such as Fuentes del Pedregal and Parque del Pedregal along Periférico Sur, and the Coyoacán colonias next to Ciudad Universitaria. Renting here means a house with a garden or a low-rise apartment, almost always on a quiet, walled street.

What to consider before renting

No Metro line runs inside Pedregal. The eastern edge, next to Ciudad Universitaria, is the exception: Metro Line 3 (Universidad, Copilco) and Metrobús Line 1 along Av. Insurgentes Sur are the closest, and everything else is a car trip on Periférico Sur or Insurgentes. That makes a car close to essential, and Periférico Sur is worth checking on a rainy day, since its low points flood. For a similar señorial, low-density feel with more within walking distance, San Ángel sits just to the north.