Parque San Simón

The Parque San Simón is the main public park for the original settlement of San Simón Ticumac. It’s one of the original settlements of Benito Juárez. The street layout is partly historical. That’s to say, it’s nicely quixotic with the remnants of footpaths we associate with ancient rather than grids designed for motorized vehicles.

The park is but one natural accent to all that history. It shares a dedication with the street on its northern and southern edges. All three bear the name of Pascual Ortiz Rubio (1877–1963) who was President of Mexico 1930 to 1932.

Unfortunately, the Benito Juárez Aacaldía already has a park named for Ortiz Rubio. So most residents of the area refer to this as Parque San Simón. The modern colonia recalls the patron saint of the parish church, San Simón Apóstol.

• Simon the Zealot or Simon the Canaanite is among the more obscure of the apostles of Jesus. He’s referred to as “the Zealot” to distinguish him from Simon Peter, but many scholars today argue that the better translation of his honorific might be “the (religiously) zealous.” The Institute of Anthropology and History notes that he is often strongly associated with San Judas Tadeo (important in contemporary Mexico), as the two were legendarily martyred together. Legends of Saint Simon’s martyring and of his later preaching, are numerous across the Christian world from Roman Britain to ancient Persia.
• In these pages, both San Simón Tolnáhuac and San Simón Pochtlan are dedicated to the same saint.

The park likely most often reaches outside ears for today hosting the Foro Cultural San Simón ABJ in its western end. The community center and theater shares the park with several sports installations, a kids’ area, and a beloved dog-run.