Renovating Historic Train Station, Building Adobe Walls

In the beginning of December a group of academics, community workers, city and neighborhood officials and participants of the community center of La Estacion sat around to plan on how to recover the antique train station of Cuernavaca. Los Patios de la Estacion is situated in the heart of Cuernavaca. Around it are the historic center, main market, pre-Hispanic ruins and parks, as well as routes for 19 different local busses. Situated right in the center of La Estacion is the over 100-year old, inactive train station. Slowly it is being recuperated not only by officials but the neighborhood residents as well.

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During the gathering, city officials shared plans on how to incorporate La Estacion into Cuernavaca’s identity, build a safer image of the neighborhood and creating more recreational and educational space to be used by all. These past months, a road has been paved right over the dirt pathways to encourage circulation through the area. In addition, the community center participants are already initiating their own remodeling of the historic train station, working alongside powerful organizations like the National Institute of Anthropology and History in recuperating train antiques. Residents with the help of the UNILCO team and local representatives in the past weeks have organized field trips to surrounding train station museums and cleaning campaigns in La Estacion.

At the same time, the Community Center is in the process of being remodeled, and in a participative and alternative way! UNILCO has invited architect Cesar Añorve to present a structure that offers sustainable techniques such as a roof-top that collects rain water, a bike-pump for the cistern and adobe bricks. At the same time a group of parents and their children from the center have visited the house of the architect to see first-hand such techniques. Today different actors of the community, who in the past have not gotten along, have been working together on organizing the remodeling. The community representative is lending space for participants of the Community Center during the remodeling phase that will be launched soon. Other residents are contacting their local representative for the donation of construction material.