The rural in the urban? Peri-urban locations in the Metropolitan Zone of the Valley of Mexico

The socioterritorial diversity of peri-urban villages under 2.500 inhabitants in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City, show the heterogeneity of the relationship between the metropolis and its countryside in highly complex processes. Through a statistical study and geo-spatial analysis, this paper presents the results of the interaction of three categories that characterize the peri-urban space: The population, land use and agricultural practices. Together they make evident the socioterritorial diversity of small villages from the edge of the metropolis. Mainly, this paper questions the use of the "rural" category to define the peri-urban territory under a homogeneous view.