Last Friday, the 500th anniversary of the fall of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan to the Spanish, rather than go to Mexico City's main plaza, where the official commemoration was being held, I went to the Plaza of the Three Cultures in the district of Tlatelolco to the north of the historic center.
The Plaza of the Three Cultures gets its name from the fact that here you will see Aztec ruins, a Spanish colonial church, and 20th century buildings in one spot. (The 20th century architecture consists mainly of rather ugly apartment blocks.)
Tlatelolco was a sister city to Tenochtitlan. Both cities were built on an island in the lake which once covered most of the valley where Mexico City sprawls today. Tlatelolco occupied the northern portion of the island. It was for a time independent from Tenochtitlan, but then came under Aztec domination. Its enormous marketplace was the most important commercial center of the empire. All that remains of pre-Hispanic Tlatelolco are the foundations of the structures that you see today at the Plaza of the Three Cultures.
When the Spanish besieged the Aztec capital, taking the city building by building, the Aztecs retreated to Tlatelolco and made their last stand here. So it was appropriate that I come here on the 500th anniversary of their surrender.
This plaque at the plaza commemorates the event. (Sadly it is marred from where graffiti has been scrubbed away.)
The inscription reads:
On the 13th of August of 1521,
heroically defended by Cuauhtémoc (the last Aztec emperor)
Tlatelolco fell into the hands of Hernán Cortés.
It was neither a triumph nor a defeat.
It was the painful birth of the mestizo people
that is the Mexico of today.
Fascinating information that I never knew. "Learn something new every day" Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteI guess that even when retired, a teacher always remains a teacher!
DeleteGreat information of the history and events taking place for the 500 year remembrances.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Chuck. I used to do a unit in my Spanish III classes about the civilizations of Mexico. I always ended with the inscription from that sign in the Plaza of the Three Cultures.
DeleteGreat pictures!
ReplyDeleteI really love exploring Tlatelolco and the adjacent apartment courtyards. It is a barrio bravo and care must be taken, especially at night, but what I saw as I walked around the pathways beyond the Plaza itself were children at play, mothers carrying groceries, playful squirrels, and a nice sense of community.
Each apartment building has its own lavanderia and bodega, and the neighborhood is easily served by both metro and metrobus.
The tragic past of the area is heartbreaking, but it is well-documented in the various museums of the area. Have you been to the Indigenous Museum, across Reforma in Peravillo?
Thanks, Scott. I have never felt uncomfortable at the Plaza of the Three Cultures, although my friend Alejandro warns me that it is not a very good area. Of course Tepito is just a stone's throw away... a neighborhood I have not visited.
DeleteI have not been to the Indigenous Museum. Have you been to museum detailing the Massacre of 1968 at the UNAM Cultural Center right there at the Plaza of the Three Cultures? I found that very moving.