The 'best' of Mexico's bravest barrio

By Reed Johnson @ Los Angeles Times

MEXICO CITY — They call it el barrio bravo, which more or less translates as "the brave 'hood." But it takes more than courage and a certain ferocity of spirit to survive in Tepito, this tough metropolis' most Darwinian precinct.

Humor probably helps. A sense of camaraderie too. Above all, caution.

Then there's the tremendous pride that Tepito residents feel about their much-stereotyped and stigmatized neighborhood just north of the capital's historic center. Tepito lacks many things — clean streets, decent housing, honest cops — but it doesn't want for a strong self-identity.

"They think they're the best of everything," says photographer Francisco Mata Rosas, 47, "the best dancers, the best boxers, the best cooks."

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Francisco Mata Rosas website

Rosas' .Mac page