The King's Pleasure Gardens

From Molino de Flores, we drove a short distance to Tetzcotzinco, a hilltop archaeological site which is commonly called the Baths of Nezahualcoyotl.  Nezahualcoyotl was the king of Texcoco and this site was his retreat.  However the large water storage basins were not used for bathing but for irrigation of the gardens which the king had planted here.

First of all, a little bit about Nezahualcoyotl.  He is the fellow that you see on the 100 peso bill.

(image from the web)

He was the greatest ruler of the Acolhuas, a tribe related to the Aztecs. His territory was known as Acolhuacan, and his capital was Texcoco.  He ruled from 1429 until 1472 and entered into the so-called Triple Alliance with the Aztecs.  While the Aztecs were known as warriors, Nezahualcoyotl was a scholar whose court was filled with artists, musicians, philosophers and astronomers.   Under his rule Texcoco became the cultural center of the Aztec world.  Nezahualcoyotl is best remembered as a poet whose work was passed on in oral tradition until eventually being translated and written down in Spanish.  He was also a lawgiver, philosopher, and architect.

We drove to the village of San Miguel Tlaminca, parked the car, and hiked up the rough trail  to see what was left of Nezahualcoyotl's retreat.

After climbing partway up the hill, we came to what is called the "Queen's Bath".

But, as I said before, this basin was not for bathing, but was a part of a complex irrigation system that was designed by the king himself.  Canals and aqueducts carried water from a mountain over five miles away to the king's gardens which contained plants from all over Mexico.

After climbing some more we came to the "King's Bath".

More of the water channels which irrigated the gardens.

Further climbing brought us to what is called the Throne.  Unfortunately the structure is defaced with graffiti,

At the very top of the hill is the Temple of Tlaloc, the rain god.

From the summit we had excellent views of the surrounding countryside.

In the distance you can see what remains of Lake Texcoco, the lake which in Aztec times covered much of the valley.  The controversial,  new Mexico City International Airport is being constructed next to it.

It is not a very good photo, but zooming in you can make out the skyline of Mexico City beyond the lake.

After coming down from the top we decided to explore more ruins which lie beyond the hill.

The path along the aqueduct was blessedly level and smooth.

It led to more of Nezahualcoyotl's hydraulic systems.

Here you can see the hill that we climbed. 

It was a strenuous but very interesting day.  There was much more to this little known archaeological site than I had expected.

I will end this entry with a bit of Nezahualcoyotl's poetry.  This verse appears in tiny print on the 100 peso bill.  One can imagine him writing this while enjoying the delights of his pleasure garden.

I love the song of the mockingbird,

Bird of four hundred voices.

I love the color of the jadestone,

And the intoxicating scent of flowers,

But more than all I love my brother, man.