Toluca Valley - Political Geography

Political Geography

The Toluca Valley is in the southeastern section of the State of Mexico, which accounts for most of the state’s territory. This state is the most populous in Mexico with over 14 million people. The state used to center on Mexico City historically, but after this was separated into a Federal District, the political center of the state eventually moved to the valley, with its capital in the city of Toluca. Today, most of the state’s population is still on the fringes of the Mexico City metropolitan area, but the second highest concentration of people is in the Toluca Valley. Sixty percent of the valley’s population of over 1,350,000 lives in the Toluca metropolitan area. The rest live in the over 400 other communities of the valley. Due to the political shift, the Nevado de Toluca volcano which towers over the valley has become the cultural symbol for the State of Mexico.