Migration and peripheral urbanization: the case of the metropolitan zone of the valley of Mexico

This paper analyzes the relationship between migration and peripheral urbanization under neoliberalism, focusing on the Metropolitan Zone of the Valley of Mexico (MZVM), the most populated urban area in the Americas and fifth in the world. Our analysis is divided into three sections. First, we analyze the implications of neoliberal restructuring in Mexico, highlighting the configuration of what we conceive as the labour-led export model. Second, we explore the characteristics of the urbanization process in the MZVM, starting with a brief reference to the main stages of its historical development from pre-Hispanic times to the present day. Third, we examine the relationship between internal and international migration and urbanization, including intra-metropolitan mobility. One of the main results of our inquiry is to unveil the important role played by international migration, through remittances, as a support for social reproduction of the informal sector in the metropolitan area.