Animality and the city: ontologies of the living and territorial configurations in Mexico City

Abstract

This article offers a philosophical reflection on the presence of animal life in urban environments, grounded in a philosophy of nature situated in Mexico City. The first part of the text problematizes the category of the animal as an ontological and territorial condition, challenging classical dichotomies between nature and culture. It argues that the animal must be considered in relation to its environment and the technical, symbolic, and political mediations that shape its presence. The second part presents a case study of two species: the opossum and the axolotl, whose trajectories reveal distinct ways of inhabiting the city and being inhabited by it. The text invites us to consider the city as an ontological device that produces the realm of the sensible, where the animal appears as situated, irreducible, and challenging presence.