Transcript The Zócalo Mexico City

The Zócalo
Mexico City
Tenochtitlan
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Present day Mexico City
The capital of the Aztec Empire founded in 1325
Built on Lake Texcoco, divided into four zones
Aztec legend of the City and the coat of arms
One of the largest cities in the World
Spanish Conquest
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Hernán Cortés arrives on
November 8, 1519
Moctezuma II believed Cortés to
be the returning god
Quetzalcoatl
Aided by local tribes, Cortés
conquers and destroys most the
city
Mexico City’s Zócalo is located
at the original central plaza and
market of Tenochtitlan
Mexican Independence
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Lasted from 1810 to 1821
Miguel Hidalgo, a parish priest
who wanted a peasants rebellion
against the wealthy land owners
Mexico marks its independence
on September 16, 1810
José María Morelos y Pavón takes
over for Higalgo
1815 to 1821, most the fighting was
done by guerrilla forces
Treaty of Córdoba
Mexican/American Relations
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Texas fights for
independence
Mexican American
War
Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo
Templo Mayor
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60 m high
Dominated the plaza with duel temples
Tlaloc (god of water and rain, mainstay of the crop
cycle),
Huitzilopochtli (god of war, patron of conquests and
tributes
Catedral Metropolitana
Cathedral at Zócalo
Oldest and largest cathedral in Latin America
Baroque facade and 64m Neoclassical-style
towers 18 bells each
Current cathedral built 1667, finished 1813
La Enseñanza Church
Second oldest cathedral in
Mexico City
Built in late 17th-18th century
Baroque style built by
Francisco Guerrero
Palacio Nacional
Hernán Cortés, built this government palace on
the site of Moctezuma's palace.
Palacio Nacional of today dates back to 1693.
Floor was added in the 1920s.
Inside murals by Diego Rivera.
"Epic of the Mexican People in their Struggle for
Freedom and Independence", two thousand
years of history are condensed into space of an
enormous wall.
The Zócalo
The Zócalo Surroundings
Palacio Nacional
Courtyard of Palacio Nacional
Diego Rivera Murals
Murals of Palacio Nacional
Zócalo Cathedral
La Enseñanza Church
Templo Mayor
Political Significance
For the Spanish - the plaza is “a manifestation of
local social order, of the between citizens and
the authority of the state.”
For the Indians – representation of Aztec plazas at
the center of the cities
The Tiger of the South and
the Centaur of the North
Mexican Revolution of
1910
to overthrow Dictator Dias
occupied and held Mexico
City 3 times
(between 1914-1915)
Zapatista 2001
Lead by Subcomandante Marcos
More than 100,000 people crowded the Plaza
Demand Indian Rights
Secure their place in Modern Mexico
Question 1
The plaza has played a significant
role in Mexican politics in the past,
how significant will the role be in the
21st century?
Question 2
The religious significance of the plaza has been
great since before the Spanish conquest. How
important are the religious buildings to the
governments and people of Mexico?
Question 3
The plaza site goes to the beginnings of the Aztec
tribes’ settlement of the Mexico Valley. How
important is the tie between modern Mexican
history and that of the pre-Colombian natives?
Sources
"Tenochtitlan." 7 Feb. 2006
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenochtitlan>.
"The Mexican-American War." 7 Feb. 2006
<http://countrystudies.us/mexico/18.htm>.
"The Spanish Conquest." 7 Feb. 2006
<http://countrystudies.us/mexico/6.htm>
"Wars of Independence, 1810-21." 7 Feb. 2006
<http://countrystudies.us/mexico/11.htm>.
Sources
Low, Setha M. Cultural Meaning of the Plaza: The
History of the Spanish-American Gridplan-Plaza
Urban Design. In the Cultural Meaning of Urban
Space. Robert Rotenburg and Gary Mcdonogh,
eds. CT and London. Bergin & Garvey. 1993.
75-83.
Rebels ride into Mexico City. BBC. 11 Mar. 2001.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/
1213778.stm>.
Sources
"Emiliano Zapata." Wikipedia. 8 Feb. 2006
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emiliano_Zapat
a>.
"Who Was Pancho Villa?" The California Native.
8 Feb. 2006
<http://www.calnative.com/stories/n_villa.htm
>.