Urban Identity under Touristification: The Semiotic Restructuring of Mexico City’s Historic Centre

The pedestrian streets of the Historic Centre of Mexico City are spaces that promote alternative modes of transportation and offer a different way of experiencing the city. It is in these spaces that local and tourist pedestrians interact with the history of the city, perceiving, experiencing, and, in some cases, reinterpreting the landscape. This reinterpretation could be associated with the loss of identity of the local inhabitants due to mass tourism. Our research examines the semiotic landscape of five pedestrianized streets in the Historic Centre of Mexico City, aiming to identify how the landscape has been reinterpreted through language. During 2022, a total of 470 surveys were conducted among residents and pedestrians, revealing a duality between the historical symbols observed and the current predominance of a commercial context. Our findings offer an overview of how symbols and written language on buildings and businesses reflect the impact of mass tourism on historic areas and the powerful way in which it affects residents by modifying their surroundings and interfering with their daily lives, forcing them to reinterpret their landscape. We argue that although tourism is an important part of the economy, it can be managed in a way that respects the identity of inhabitants and historic places.