Colonia Maza is a colonia or official neighborhood in the Cuauhtémoc borough

Cuauhtémoc, D.F.

Cuauhtémoc, named after the former Aztec leader, is one of the 16 boroughs of the Federal district of Mexico City. It consists of the oldest parts of the city, extending over what was the entire city in the 1920s. This area is the historic and culture center of the city, although it is not the...

 just north of the historic center of Mexico City

Historic center of Mexico City

The historic center of Mexico City is also known as the "Centro" or "Centro Histórico." This neighborhood is focused on the Zócalo or main plaza in Mexico City and extends in all directions for a number of blocks with its farthest extent being west to the Alameda Central The Zocalo is the largest...

. The colonia’s borders are marked by the following streets: Calle Hierro , Eje 1 Oriente and Avenida FF.CC. Hidalgo to the north, Calzada de Guadalupe to the west and Calle de Acero to the south.

The origin of the colonia dates back to 1894, when José Maza, owner of the La Vaquita Ranch, petitioned to subdivide the land he held across from the Ferrocarril Hidalgo (Hidalgo Railroad) station. The proposed colonia was larger than the current Colonia Maza. The economic heart of the area was the railroad, which was constructed in 1881 and connected Mexico City with Pachuca

Pachuca

Pachuca, formally Pachuca de Soto is the capital of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca de Soto is also the name of the municipality of which the city serves as municipal seat...

, Tulancingo

Tulancingo

Tulancingo is the second-largest city in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is located in the southeastern part of the state and also forms one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, as well as the Archdiocese of Tulancingo...

, Puebla

Puebla, Puebla

The city and municipality of Puebla is the capital of the state of Puebla, and one of the five most important colonial cities in Mexico. Being a planned city, it is located to the east of Mexico City and west of Mexico's main port, Veracruz, on the main route between the two.The city was founded...

 and the Ometusco Hacienda in Hidalgo state. There was also a customs stations designed to control the entrance of pulque

Pulque

Pulque, or octli, is a milk-colored, somewhat viscous alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey plant, and is a traditional native beverage of Mexico. The drink’s history extends far back into the Mesoamerican period, when it was considered sacred, and its use was limited to...

 into Mexico City from Hidalgo.

Today, this railroad has merged with the Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México

Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México

Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border...

 and this station disappeared by the 1960s, when the new station at Buenavista

Colonia Buenavista

Colonia Buenavista is a colonia or neighborhood in the Cuauhtémoc borough located northwest of the historic center of Mexico City. It has historically been a train terminal, and still is as the southern terminal of the Tren Suburbano commuter rail...

 was constructed. Today, the station area is occupied by the “Viana y Cia” store.The colonia became smaller as Colonia Felipe Pescador

Colonia Felipe Pescador

Colonia Felipe Pescador is a colonia or neighborhood of the Cuauhtémoc borough of Mexico City. It is located at the northern end of the borough, north of the historic center of the city...

split from Colonia Maza in the mid 20th century.

The area, like many others in Mexico City, is prone to flooding, especially during the rainy season in the summer and fall. The most recent severe flooding occurred in July 2010, along with several other colonias in the Cuauhtemoc borough.