Heading to the Zócalo

It was 500 years ago today, April 13th, 1521, that the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan (present day Mexico City) fell to the Spanish conquerors after a 93 day siege.   

Today, on Mexico City's main plaza, the Zócalo, there will be dramatic performances and light and sound shows at night in commemoration of the anniversary.  Given the pandemic situation right now, I have no desire to be among the crowds that will probably be there to observe the events.  But yesterday I did want to go there the day before to see the preparations that were being made. 

Yesterday morning I took a taxi downtown.  The driver dropped me off near Madero, the pedestrian street that leads to the Zócalo.  As I walked down the street I was quite amazed by the push for people to observe safety precautions.  There were at least two men with blowhorns along the street, hired by the city I assume, who were telling the passersby that facemasks should be worn.  A couple of police officers were handing out surgical masks, and another officer was giving squirts of hand sanitizer to anyone who wanted it.  

All along Madero Street there were banners hung from the lamp posts which said said "500 Years of Indigenous Resistance".

There was this tile plaque near the beginning of Madero Street which I had not seen before.  It had obviously been placed along the street in observance of the quincentennial.

In the Aztec language of Nahuatl the name Tenochtitlan means "on the rocky place where prickly pears abound."

I came within a block of the Zócalo, and there were barriers and police blocking the way.

Mexican police do not like having their picture taken, so I tried to make it look as if I were photographing an ornate building to the right.  Even so, looking at this photo later, it appears as if a couple of the officers are giving me the evil eye.

I walked over a block to a parallel street that also leads to the Zócalo, but the barriers were there also.  They were only letting people who needed to go to businesses between there and the plaza to pass.  So I told a little white lie and said that I was headed to the Gran Hotel, a lovely old establishment that faces the Zócalo.  They allowed me through.  

In my next post you will see what I found on the Zócalo!