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NYTimes
New York Times
26 Dec 2023
Zolan Kanno-YoungsMarian Carrasquero


NextImg:In This Mexican Neighborhood, Locals Say ¡Viva el Beetle!
photophoto

The bug is endangered in most parts of the world.

But in the northern hills of Mexico City, the Volkswagen Beetle lives on.

This is Vocholandia, the home of surviving Vochos.

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In This Mexican Neighborhood, Locals Say ¡Viva el Beetle!

A northern community in Mexico City cannot give up on the famous 1960s hippie-favorite Volkswagen.

Reporting from Mexico City

Rusted and stripped of their right seat, the cars parked in queues rounding street corners serve as the unofficial taxi in the hillside neighborhoods in Cuautepec in Mexico’s capital. The curvy symbol of the 1960s hippie era is admired — even decorated and named — by residents who say the car represents their resilience and work ethic.

They can be spotted throughout Mexico City, but they swarm the vibrant streets in Cuautepec, where Beetles can be heard climbing steep hills past residents relaxing on their roofs and dogs standing guard on balconies.

One of the Cuautepec’s many mechanics is usually just a couple blocks away. The smell of car exhaust fumes fills the streets as yellow, green, red and purple Beetles buzz by one another at intersections.

ImageThe front of a vintage Beetle with a license plate that reads 227-WFG.
The Beetle’s distinctive curves are as familiar to enthusiasts as the face of a dear friend.
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A glance through a window, out a door or down an alleyway in Cuautepec will often reveal a Beetle.
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The Beetle has tied generations of families together in this neighborhood, often passed down from parent to child.

“It is not a standard car like any other,” said Yolanda Ocampo, 45, as she admired her graying 1982 Beetle parked outside the pharmacy where she works. The brake peddle can be stiff, but owning the Beetle means “your car is tough.”


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