Mexico
Mexico City and Xochimilco
The Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco represents the historical continuity from the city as Aztec capital to the capital of New Spain.
The area in the Centro Historico includes an Aztec archeological site, Spanish colonial constructions and 19th and 20th century public buildings. Mexico City was built on top of the ruins of an old Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, of which the Templo Mayor remains. The Spanish added their own colonial churches and public buildings on a checkerboard street plan. At Xochimolco, a network of canals and artificial islands can be found built by the Aztecs.
Community Perspective: There is plenty to see in Mexico City, where the Templo Mayor and the Palacio Bellas Artes are among the highlights. A trip to Xochimilco nowadays is mostly an encounter with “Mexican Kitsch”, although Frédéric and Els found ways to experience the canals of the Aztecs and the floating gardens that are still in use.
Site Info
Official Information
- Full Name
- Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco (ID: 412)
- Country
- Mexico
- Status
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Inscribed 1987
Site history
History of Mexico City and Xochimilco
- 1987: Inscribed
- Inscribed
- 2008: Not approved
- Name change to "Historical Centre of Mexico City and the cultural landscape of Chinanpero de Xochimilco, Tlahuac and Milpa Alta" because of introduction of new elements
- WHS Type
- Cultural
- Criteria
- ii
- iii
- iv
- v
Links
- UNESCO
- whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
- whc.unesco.org — whc.unesco.org/
Related Resources
- planeta.com — Visiting Xochimilco
- inah.gob.mx — Templo Mayor
News Article
- Dec. 2, 2021 bbc.com — Aztec altar with human ashes uncovered in Mexico City
- Dec. 12, 2020 bbc.com — Aztec skull tower: Archaeologists unearth new sections in Mexico City
- April 17, 2016 theguardian.com — Discovery of priest's grave sheds light on first days of Spanish conquest of Mexico
- Aug. 22, 2015 theguardian.com — Aztec skull trophy rack discovered at Mexico City’s Templo Mayor
- Feb. 25, 2014 independent.co.uk — Axolotl found in Mexico City lake
- Oct. 7, 2012 examiner.com — 50 Aztec skulls discovered in heart of Mexico City
- Sept. 21, 2012 — Mexico City's Aztec Past Reaches Out to Present
- July 2, 2010 artdaily.org — Specialists restored 40 square meters of a 17th century mural painting discovered in the subsoil of Palacio de Bellas Artes, in Mexico City.
Community Information
- Community Category
- Urban landscape: Latin American
- Urban landscape: Urban continuity
Travel Information
Exact locations inscribed twice (or more)
Recent Connections
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Perfect Inscriptions
1987 -
Creative Cities
DesignSee www.unesco.org
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Made out of basaltic material
Metropolitan Cathedral façade and Templ…
Connections of Mexico City and Xochimilco
- Individual People
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Mapped or Illustrated by Blaeu
On top frieze of "Americae nova tabula" (1617)See luna.folger.edu
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Visited by Alexander von Humboldt on his travels
Apr 12 1803 - Jan 20 1804; Whilst in Mexico city he lived at 80 Rep. de Uruguay in the historic center of the town (building can still be seen) -
Moctezuma Family
Palace of Moctezuma II -
John D Rockefeller Jr
John D Rockefeller features prominently in Diego Rivera's mural Man, Controller of the Universe his son initially commissioned it for the Rockefeller centre in New York.See en.wikipedia.org
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Elias Burton Holmes
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Hernán Cortés
Siege of Tenochtitlan (1521) -
Lenin
Palacio de las Bellas Artes. Mural "Man Controller of the Universe" by Diego Rivera (1934) contains his portrait. The original called "Man at the Crossroads" was designed for the Rockefeller Centre NYC but Nelson Rockefeller wouldn't agree and had it destroyed - replacing it with a portrait of Abraham Lincoln!!
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- Geography
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Located in a Capital City
Mexico City (Capital of Mexico) -
Former Islands
The Plaza de la Constitucion area of Mexico City was originally built in 1325 on a the southern part of an island in Lake Texcoco as "Tenochtitlan" by the Tenochca people. The northern part of this island contained the settlement of Tlatelolco, having previously been settled by another Nahuatl group the Tlatelolca - its remains are centred on the "Plaza of the 3 cultures". For many years the lake (whose Aztec controlling dams had been destroyed during the Conquest) was capable of flooding the centre of the city. Drainage was "improved" over the centuries but the problem was not "finally" solved until the 1960s with the building of deep tunnels to take water out of the Texcoco basin -at the cost of aridity/sinking land etc. -
Pan-American Highway
The Pan-American Highway (as Mexico Highway 85D) enters Mexico City.
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- Trivia
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Olympic Venues
Zócalo, venue for athletics (marathon start) in Mexico 1968 -
Cities of Three Cultures
Pre-Columbian, Spanish and MestizoSee en.wikipedia.org
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Reportedly haunted locations
"Casa de los Condes de la Torre Cossío y de la Cortina , or the House of the Count De la Torre y la Cortina (...): A colonial mansion, in which during the 1630s, a spree killer named Juan Manuel de Solórzano lived. Believing his wife unfaithful, he killed several men, simply because they walked outside to his house. Juan Manuel would ask them the time, if they responded 11 pm, or showed anxiety, he would stab them. He was executed in 1641. The legend says that a man with 1600s-era clothing wanders in and around the house, sometimes asking bystanders for the time, and soon after disappearing."See en.wikipedia.org
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Google Doodles
September 16, 2016, Mexico National Day 2016 (Xochimilco) and September 16, 2011, Mexico Independence Day 2011 (Palacio Nacional)See www.google.com
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Hotels in Historic Buildings
• Gran Hotel: at 16 de Setiembre #82. Inaugurated in 1899 as a department store, being the first building in the city built with a structure of metal and concrete. In 1968, in preparation of the XIX Olympic Games. It stands out architectonically for its Beaux Arts (especially Neoclassic and Art Nouveau) decoration, including the elevators and the Tiffany-styled glass vault created by Jacques Gruber in 1908. -
On Banknotes
US $1000 bill from 1862-1882. The bill depicts US General Winfield Scott entering Mexico City during the Mexican American War, and the Metropolitan Cathedral is in the background. Plus: 50 peso note in the Mexican G-series will show Xochimilco (issued in 2022) -
Total Solar Eclipse since Inscription
11 July, 1991 -
Built or owned by Spanish
Hernán Cortés realized the strategic and symbolic importance of the Aztec capital and founded the Spanish capital of Mexico City on the site, and in particular rebuilt the Aztec ceremonial and political center as the main square, the Plaza Mayor, usually called the Zócalo. (wiki) -
Major City Centres
8.8 million/910ha -
WHS within walking distance
Mexico City Center to South -
In Video Games
Civilization VI: Huey Teocalli; Civilization VII: Palacio de Bellas Artes
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- History
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Aztec Empire
"Built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan, the old Aztec capital .. .. The monumental complex of the Templo Mayor (Main Temple) bears exceptional witness to the cults of an extinct civilization" (Official description); "Tenochtitlan succeeded in conquering Xochimilco in 1430, while it was ruled by Tzalpoyotzin. Shortly thereafter, Aztec emperor Itzcoatl built the causeway or calzada that would connect the two cities over the lake." (wiki)See en.wikipedia.org
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Contains significant structures from the 20th Century
• Torre Latinoamericana: built 1948-1956 and with 182 meters, it was the highest building of Latin America between 1956 and 1960 and stood out when built for its anti-seismic design. It is also considered a masterpiece of "International Style" in the region. At Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas 2.See es.wikipedia.org
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Contains significant structures from the 21st Century
• Museo Memoria y Tolerancia: built 2006-2010, designed by architects Arditti+RDT, just south of the Palacio de Bellas Artes and with the role of presenting, sensitizing the population against genocides of the XX-XXI Centuries, as well as promoting tolerance. At Avenida Juárez 8.See es.wikipedia.org
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Located in a Former Capital
Includes the site of Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire 1325-1521 -
Time Capsules
"The time capsule, a lead box, was hidden in a hollow stone ball on top of a bell tower to mark the two-hundred-foot tall tower’s completion on May 14, 1791, two hundred eighteen years after construction began. Inside was a case of wax blessed by the sitting Pope and an engraving of St. Barbara to ward off lightning. A parchment listed the capsule’s contents, including 23 medals, five coins, and five small crosses made of palm fronds that the parchment said were “for protection from the storms.”" -
The Inquisition
"the Holy Office had its own ?palace?, which is now the Museum of Medicine on Republica de Brasil street"See en.wikipedia.org
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Coronation Locations
(Metropolitan Cathedral) - Maximilian I planned for 1864 but it never happened -
Sieges and Battles
(Tenochtitlan) Cortez 1521
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- Ecology
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Endorheic Lakes
Lake Xochimilco is an ancient endorheic lake (wiki)
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- Architecture
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Baroque
As the capital of the "Virreinato de Nueva España" and known as the "City of Palaces" during the apogee of Baroque, the historic centre of Mexico City is full of ecclesiastical and civil jewels of baroque, as: • Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de la Santísima Virgen María: its construction started in 1571 and ended in 1813, therefore having a mix of consecutive architectural styles, but Baroque is considered the most prominent. At Plaza de la Constitución S/N. • La Profesa, Oratory of San Felipe Neri: at Isabel La Católica #21. Concluded in neoclassical style by Manuel Tolsá. • Chapel of Nuestra Señora del Pilar (la Enseñanza): at Donceles #102. • Temple and fmr. convent of Santa Inés: at Moneda #26. • Church and fmr. convent of San Francisco: At Francisco I. Madero #7. • Church of Santo Domingo: Belisario Rodríguez S/N. • Church of Santa Teresa la Antigua: above Capilla del Cristo. At Licenciado Verdad #8. • Church and Convent of Jesús María: at Jesús María #39. • Church of San Lorenzo Diácono y Mártir: at Belisario Domínguez #28. • Church of the Inmaculada Concepción: of a more subdued baroque style, at Belisario Domínguez #3. • Parish of Santa Catarina: at República de Brasil. • Fmr. Temple of San Agustín: at República de El Salvador #76. • Museo Nacional de las Culturas: at Moneda #13 (behind the National Palace). • Church de la Santísima Trinidad: at Emiliano Zapata #60. • Church of San Bernardo: at 20 de noviembre #33. • Museo de la Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público: at Moneda #4. • Casa del Marqués de Prado Alegre: at Francisco I. Madero #39. • Palacio de los Condes de San Mateo de Valparaíso: at Isabel La Católica #44. • Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso: at Justo Sierra #16. • Palacio de la Escuela de Medicina: at República de Brasil #33. Initially the Palace of the Inquisition in the city, built 1732-1736. -
Churrigueresque
Cathedral (interior altars, chapels, doors) -
Art Nouveau
Gran Hotel Ciudad de México, Palacio de Bellas Artes -
Neoclassical architecture
At the end of the colonial period and during roughly the first century of its independent life, the historic centre of the city received numerous works in the neoclassical style. Just like in many other countries, this style was used to relate the new nation and its surging institutions to the glories of the Democracy of Athens and the Republic of Rome. Examples: • Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de la Virgen María: as it was ended in 1813, when the neoclassical style was becoming widely adopted. These neoclassical works were developed by Architect Manuel Tolsá, who built the clock tower and the dome of the cathedral. At Plaza de la Constitución S/N. • Church of Nuestra Señora de Loreto: at San Ildefonso 80. • La Profesa, Oratory of San Felipe Neri: at Isabel La Católica 21. Concluded in neoclassical style by Manuel Tolsá. • Palacio de Minería: also by Manuel Tolsá, at Tacuba #5 • Museo Nacional de Arte (MUNAL): at Tacuba #8. Initially the seat of the "Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Obras Públicas" • Carlos the IV statue or "El Caballito". • Teatro de la Ciudad Esperanza Iris: by Ignacio Capetillo Servín and Federico Mariscal, at Donceles #36. • Hemiciclo de Juárez: at Alameda Central Park. • Palacio de Bellas Artes: by Ádamo Boari, as was typical in the period, the building is very eclectic, but neoclassicism may be considered the predominant style. At Juárez Av. S/N • Antigua Escuela de Economía: at República de Economía #92. By architect Manuel Gorozpe.See mxcity.mx
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Domes
The following is a list of the most important domes in the historic centre. Examples: • Palacio de Bellas Artes: by architect Ádamo Boari, at Juárez av. S/N. • Church and fmr. convent of San Francisco: At Francisco I. Madero #7. • Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de la Virgen Maria: neoclassical dome. At Plaza de la Constitución S/N. • La Profesa, Oratory of San Felipe Neri: at Isabel La Católica 21. Concluded in neoclassical style by Manuel Tolsá. • Temple and fmr. convent of the Carmen: at República de Nicaragua S/N. • Church of Santo Domingo: Belisario Rodríguez S/N. • Church of Santa Teresa la Antigua: above Capilla del Cristo. At Licenciado Verdad 8. • Church and Convent of Jesús María: at Jesús María 39. • Church of San Lorenzo Diácono y Mártir: at Belisario Domínguez 28. • Church of the Inmaculada Concepción: at Belisario Domínguez 3. • Temple and fmr. convent of Santa Inés: at Moneda 26. • Church of Nuestra Señora de Loreto: at San Ildefonso 80. • Church of San Bernardo: at 20 de noviembre 33. • Fmr. Temple of San Agustín: at República de El Salvador 76. • Palacio de la Autonomía de la UNAM: at Primo de Verdad 2.See mxcity.mx
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Italian Architects outside Italy
• Palacio de Bellas Artes: by architect Ádamo Boari, at Juárez av. S/N. The building also has sculptures by Leonardo Bistolfi, Edoardo Rubino or Alessandro Mazzucotelli. • Museo Nacional de Arte (MUNAL): by Silvio Contri, at Tacuba #8 • Palacio Postal: by Ádamo Boari, at Tacuba 1. One of the most significant and sumptuous buildings from the times of the Porfiriato. -
Modern Urban Planning
It is proposed that Neoclassical urbanism started in 1775 when Bucarelli ordered the opening of the Bulevar Nuevo, and ends in 1849. Of particular interest is the period starting with the empire of Maximilian of Habsburg in 1861 and ending with beginning of the Porfiriato dictatorship in 1876, when the ideas coming from Europe (Haussmann for example) were beginning to be applied, to break the dominance of the historic centre and of Zocalo square in particular, creating a urban duality. Also, the results of the "desamortización" laws resulted in the elimination of conventual properties and urban development where they were located. However, the most important period is the Porfiariato dictatorship (1876-1910) when the ideas of new urbanism were fully applied, with the creation of Paseo de la Reforma, the construction of monuments (directed at promoting the nationalist spirit), the expansion of the city (creation of neighborhoods to the west and south) incorporating such principles and a focus on hygienism, that led to the creation of related infrastructure. During this period, with the influx of European professionals and the full application of principles of Neoclassical Urbanism, the city was transformed from its colonial character. Examples: • Alameda Central: of Colonial origins, but totally renovated during the Porfiriato. The Hemiciclo Juárez, created to celebrate the "national glories" is from this period, too. • A small section of Paseo de la Reforma. • Palacio de Bellas Artes: started during this historical period. -
Made out of basaltic material
Metropolitan Cathedral façade and Templo Mayor are made of a red basalt, called tezontle
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- Damaged
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Destroyed or damaged by Earthquake
Sep 19 1985 earthquake, causing 5,000 deaths in Mexico City Metro area. Plus: • September 19, 2017: 1 abandoned two-storey building (the one at Mina 16 and 2 de Abril) collapsed within the inscribed area. Additionally, there is one where "major damage" is indicated at República Argentina 38. The map shows that 5 others were "damaged". • April 21, 1776: with an epicenter near Acapulco, the La Accorded jail collapsed, the Mint, the Cathedral, the National Palace, the Bishop's Palace, among others, were damaged. It lasted 4 minutes. • March 28, 1787 or San Sixto's: probably the most potent to rock Mexico (magnitude 8,6 Richter), with an epicenter in the coast of Guerrero and Oaxaca. It lasted 5-6 minutes and "a good part of the city from the XVI and XVII centuries had to be demolished". This Earthquake also devastated the city of Oaxaca. • 9 Cane of 1475: During the reign of Axayácatl, an earthquake left in ruins most of the buildings in the Anahuac valley, seriously damaging the temples and teocallis in Tenochtitlan, making the chinampas "sink", mountains collapse and producing a tsunami in the Texcoco lake.See www.nexos.com.mx
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- World Heritage Process
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Perfect Inscriptions
1987 -
Exact locations inscribed twice (or more)
Also on Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
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- Religion and Belief
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Hospitaler Bethlehemites
Former Hospital of the Bethlehemites (now the Museum Interectivo de Economia) 1768See www.mide.org.mx
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Cathedrals
Metrop Cath of the Ascension -
Holiest place
Templo Mayor was the holiest site in the Aztec religion -
Feathered serpent
"The Temple of Quetzalcoatl was located to the west of the Templo Mayor. It is said that during the equinox, the sun rose between the shrines dedicated to Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc and shone directly on this temple. Due to the god's serpentine nature, the temple had a circular base instead of a rectangular one" (Wiki- Templo Mayor) See -
Protestantism
• Catedral de San José de Gracia, at Mesones #139, was originally the chapel of the Beatería Santa Mónica, a house for "abandoned" women and poor widows, and then of the Conceptionist Santa María de Gracia convent. The construction of the modern building was started in 1659. After the impact of the liberal laws of the 1860s, the temple was acquired by a Catholic reformist congregation, the "Iglesia de Jesús". It has been the Cathedral of the Anglican communion since 1933. The church also stands out for its library. -
Nunneries
In the capital of the viceroyalty of Nueva España, there were a number of religious communities of nuns. All these convents were affected by the liberal reforms of the 1850s and 1860s and none of them operates now as a convent. Example: • The fmr. Convento de San Jerónimo, at Izazaga, now Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana, was a nunnery of the order of the Hieronymites. Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648-1695), one of the most important writers of the Spanish Siglo de Oro and considered the mother of Latin American literature, lived there. • The fmr. Convent of Regina Coeli, at Calle Regina #7, founded in 1573. It belonged to the order of the Conceptionists. • The Church and fmr. Convent of the Inmaculada Concepción, at Belisario Domínguez #3, the oldest nunnery in the city, established in 1540. Only the church survives. The convent was the site of the ghost story of the nun Úrsula del Espíritu Santo, who hanged herself in a peach tree and the story tells that her shadow appeared in the reflection of the fountain in the middle of the cloister. • Temple of Santa Catalina de Siena: at República de Argentina #29, was inaugurated in 1623 and belonged to the Dominican order. • Fmr. Convento de la Encarnación: at Luis González Obregón #18. It also belonged to the Dominican order of nuns. It is the present-day seat of the Ministry of Education. The temple remains to this day. • Church of San Lorenzo Diácono y Mártir: at Belisario Domínguez #28. It belonged to the Hieronymite nuns; the convent was founded in 1598. After the liberal reforms, the convent has housed a number of educational institutions, presently being the ESIME, Superior School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. -
Mercedarians
The former Convento de la Merced, at República de Uruguay #170, was established by the Mercedarian third order in 1595, with the present cloister (said to be a unique showcase of Mudejar architecture) being built between 1696 and 1703, with economic help from the count of Miravalle. The church -built between 1634 and 1654- was said to be the most sumptuous pf the viceroyalty of Nueva España and was demolished as a consequence of the "Ley de Desamortización" of 1861, in order to build the new city market.See es.wikipedia.org
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Jewish religion and culture
The Sinagoga Histórica, also known as Templo Nidjei Israel, at Justo Sierra 71, and founded in 1941, is the third synagogue established in the city and the first founded by Ashkenazi Jews. Since its reopening in 2009, it has acted as a community center and a center for cultural and religious activities. The neighborhood of Merced -at the historic center- held a great community of Jews from the start of the XX century.See mxcity.mx
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Founded after Animal Miracle
Tenochtitlan: founded where an eagle with a rattlesnake was seen -
Prophecies
Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City) is connected with the prophecy about the white skinned god Quetzalcoatlin who had left Mexico in the tenth century and would return from the east to reclaim his authority over the Aztecs. -
Goddesses
Sculptures of Chalchiuhtlicue, the water goddess, at Templo Mayor -
Jesuit Order
The Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso was founded in 1572 by the first Jesuits that reached present-day Mexico. After the expulsion of the Jesuits from the Spanish Dominion, in 1767, the building kept its educational role, even housing the School of Law and the School of Medicine after the Independence.See es.wikipedia.org
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Anglican churches outside of the Commonwealth
Catedral de San José de Gracia, at Mesones #139, was originally the chapel of the Beatería Santa Mónica, a house for "abandoned" women and poor widows, and then of the Conceptionist Santa María de Gracia convent. The construction of the modern building was started in 1659. After the impact of the liberal laws of the 1860s, the temple was acquired by a Catholic reformist congregation, the "Iglesia de Jesús". It has been the Cathedral of the Anglican communion since 1933. The church also stands out for its library. -
Franciscan Order
The Iglesia y Ex-Convento de San Francisco, at Francisco I. Madero #7, was the most important monastic community in the city in all of Nueva España. Founded in 1525 (just 4 yrs. after the fall of Tenochtitlan), even in the XIX century, the Franciscan complex extended for more than 32.000 m2 (roughly the area currently bordered by the Francisco I. Madero, Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas, Gante and Venustiniano Carranza streets). As other monastic communities, the "Ley de Desamortización" signified its and almost all the complex was subsequently sold and demolished. Today, only an altered Church of San Francisco (from 1710, its main entrance was blocked) and the Capilla de la Balvanera (1766) remain.See es.wikipedia.org
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Eastern Catholic Churches
This was a little surprising, but the Maronite cathedral, Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Balvanera y Santuario de San Charbel is right in the historic center, at Correo Mayor #5. The building was also part of a Conceptionist convent, the Convento de Jesús de la Penitencia. The church is the seat of an Eparchy. -
Dominican Order
The most important seat of the Dominican order in Mexico was the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo, at Belisario Rodríguez S/N, with only the present church (XVIII) and the Capilla del Señor de la Expiración remaining of the former complex, also affected by the "Ley de Desamortización", which motivated the opening of the Leandro Valle street and the 23 de Mayo square. In its heyday, was one of the richest monastic communities in the Americas, which is shown in its temple, designed by Pedro de Arrieta.See es.wikipedia.org
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Augustinian Order
Former Temple of San Agustín: at República de El Salvador 76. Started in 1541, and rebuilt after a 1676 convent, the Church and Convent of Saint Augustine was the seat of the order in New Spain. There was also an institutional institution, the "Colegio del Santísimo Nombre de Jesús", which formed many later University professors. As with other monastic orders, after the "Ley de Desamortización" of 1861, all religious property was confiscated and divided. After 1867, the National Library of Mexico was established in the grounds of the former convent and church.See es.wikipedia.org
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- Human Activity
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Human Sacrifice
Templo Mayor: Ten Spanish captives were sacrificed at the Temple and their severed heads were thrown back to the Spaniards. (Wiki) Objects associated with human sacrifice are the ?face blades? or knives decorated with eyes and teeth, as well as skull masks. -
Cannibalism
Some of the skeletons found at Templo Mayor show signs of post-mortem removal of the flesh. It is assumed it was used for ritualistic cannibalism -
Irrigation and drainage
Tenochtitlan artificial lakeSee www.redorbit.com
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Artificial Islands
Xochmilco (still visible), Tenochtitlan (historical) -
Frescoes or murals by famous painters
Rivera -
Boats
Xochimilco - "These canals, along with artificial islands called chinampas attract tourists and other city residents to ride on colorful gondola like boats called 'trajineras' around the 170 km (110 mi) of canals" (wiki) -
Tramways
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- Constructions
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Notable Hotels
Examples: • Hotel de Cortés: opened 1620 as a hostel for Augustinian friars, initially known as "Hostería Santo Tomás de Villanueva". It was later a residential complex (vecindad), but later became a hotel again. In 1948, it hosted Simone de Beauvoir. At Avenida Hidalgo 85. • Hotel Gillow: opened 1876, on the site of a house for spiritual exercises by Jesuit friars. Was reinaugurated by president Porfirio Díaz in 1910. At Isabel la Católica 17. • Hotel Principal: opened 1906, on the site of a former house. At Bolívar 29. • Hotel Ritz: opened 1930. Among others, it hosted Errol Flynn, Leopold Stokowski and the Mexican jet set and was usually visited by intellectuals as José Clemente Orozco and Octavio Paz. -
Large squares
Plaza de la Constitucion, 58000 m2 -
Canals
Xochimilco -
Historical Zoos
Tenochtitlan: two zoos in the palace of Moctezuma -
Hospitals
Hospital of Jesus Nazareno. Built by order of Cortez. now a major active hospital but still including the early building.See en.wikipedia.org
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Pyramids
Templo Mayor -
Equestrian Statues
Charles IV (1802), In front of Palacio de Mineria on Tacuba st/Plaza Tolsa (named after the sculptor). 2nd largest cast bronze statue in the World. Saved from melting down during the struggle for independence.See en.wikipedia.org
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Historical Cafés
Examples: • Café de Tacuba: 1912;at Calle de Tacuba #18. • Café La Blanca: 1915; at Av. 5 de mayo #40. -
Historical Organs
Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de la Virgen María: two organs, finished in 1736, damaged in a fire in 1967 and restored between 2007 and 2013. Each one has 3.350 pipes.See mxcity.mx
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Bandstand
As most public parks in Mexico and Latin America, there is a bandstand at Alameda Central, where besides musical presentations, boys and girls of middle to high class origins used to socialize. Example: • Kiosk at Alameda Central. At 06000 Hidalgo.
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- WHS on Other Lists
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Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)
The Chinampa Agricultural System Mexico (candidate)See www.fao.org
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Ramsar Wetlands
Sistema Lacustre Ejidos de Xochimilco y San Gregorio Atlapulco, 2004 -
Memory of the World
Old fonds of the historical archive at Colegio de Vizcaínas: women's education and support in the history of the world -
World Monuments Watch (past)
Ruta de la Amistad (2012), Historic Center (2006), Metropolitan Cathedral (1998), Modern Mural Paintings (1996), Palace of Fine Arts, Mexico City (1998), Missions on Popocatapetl - Tetela del Volcan (1998), Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso (2016) -
ASM Historical Landmarks
Palacio de Mineria (1982) -
Routes of Enslaved Peoples
"To recognize the history of slavery in Mexico, a commemorative plaque was installed in 2016 in Santo Domingo Square, located in the Historic Center of Mexico City. This plaque highlights the contributions of people of African descent, both enslaved and free, to the formation of New Spain and Mexican society"See www.unesco.org
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UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists
Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead: "Míxquic es un pueblo que forma parte del polígono de la zona chinampera declarada como Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la UNESCO."See es.wikipedia.org
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Creative Cities
DesignSee www.unesco.org
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- Timeline
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Built in the 16th century
Destruction of Tenochtitlan and foundation of Mexico City 1521/2
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- WHS Hotspots
- Science and Technology
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Innovations in Agriculture
"However, their (Aztecs) greatest agricultural technique was the Chinampas, or artificial islands, also known as "floating gardens". These were used to make the swampy areas around the lake suitable for farming" (Wiki) -
Early Printing
The house at "the corner of Moneda and Licenciado Primo Verdad streets in Mexico City was the home of the first printing press/print shop in the New World. (It) is located on the outer edge of what was the sacred precinct of the Templo Mayor" (Wiki). It was constructed in 1524 by Geronimo de Aguilar, a Spaniard captured by Mayans after a shipwreck who was obtained by Cortes to help as a translator during his conquest (via a Nahuatal/Mayan speaker). The first printing press arrived in 1539See en.wikipedia.org
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- WHS Names
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Country named after them
The name Mexico comes from the Nahuatl language. It is a composed name, from Metztli=moon +xictli=belly button or center +co=place. So, according to the source provided, it means: "in the belly of the moon"/"in the center of the lake of the Moon". That comes from the fact that Texcoco lake was shaped like a rabbit, similar to the silhouettes of the Seas in the Moon, so the city of Tenochtitlan was symbolically located in the center of the Moon rabbit. Another version of the origin of the name derives from a name given to the Aztec god Huitzilopochtli, "the hummingbird of the South", who drove the Aztecs to the valley of Anahuac: Mexictli. Mexictli is also a composed name from Metl=maguey + xictli=belly button or center +co=place; therefore meaning "in the center of the maguey", consequently referring to the foundational myth of the city. The name of the city was adopted for the whole country after 1814, during the War of Independence, when the "Decreto constitucional para la libertad de la América Mexicana", on October 2, 1814 was proclaimed. The name was definitely adopted on September 1821, when the final Act of Independence was signed.
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Works by Nobel Prize winning authors
Octavio Paz (1990) - The Labyrinth of Solitude -
Location for a classic movie
Los Olvidados (1950), by Luis Buñuel, ranked as the second-best Mexican movie in history, published in 1994; and that (after public scorn in Mexico for its content and subject matter) won the Palme d'Or for best direction at Cannes. The film's negatives were added to the "Memory of the World" list by UNESCO. Example: • The exact filming locations are pretty unclear to me. Many scenes are shot in slums outside the city center, and in areas that there were just starting to be urbanized. However, some scenes do clearly happen in the historic center, and at the very start, the image of the Zocalo (after those of Paris, London and New York) is shown. -
James Bond in Movies
Licence to Kill (1989) and Spectre (2015): Sanchez's 'Banco De Isthmus', in which Bond makes a temptingly substantial deposit, is the astonishingly elaborate (and still functioning) main Post Office of Mexico City, the Oficina Central de Correos, Calle Tacuba 1 y Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas, alongside the Bellas Artes Palace. El Presidente', the hotel, in which Bond stays with Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell), is the splendid art nouveau Gran Hotel Ciudad De Mexico, Calle 16 de Septiembre at the Zocale, the Mexico City's gigantic square. It was built in 1899 to accommodate the Centro Mercantil, Mexico City's first shopping centre. The modest exterior, though, is the Biblioteca de la Banca de Mexico (Library of the Bank of Mexico). The Gran Hotel's lobby crops up again in the opening sequence of 2015's Spectre, with Daniel Craigas 007. Sanchez's office is El Teatro de la Ciudad (The City Theatre), 36 Donceles, the city's first theatre, dating from 1918. After having been closed for many years, it's now been restored to its art nouveausplendour. The 'Isthmus Casino', in which Lupe Lamora (Taliso Soto) gives Bond a little help, is the lavish restaurant Casino Espanol, Isabel la Católica 31- 1, Colonia Centro. -
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Eternals (2021): Tenochtitlan
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News
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Community Reviews
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In 3 trips over the years to Mexico City, spending in total some 15 days there, I never had the urge to visit Xochimilco. There seem to be so many better things to do in the Mexican capital. And the colourful party boats and mariachi bands that define the popular image of this area did not appeal to me at all. But I kept looking for an alternative way to visit, as there must be more to this important part (and second location) of the inscribed site.
I eventually found a tour called “Pre-Hispanic Floating Gardens & Foodie Fest”, which promised “visiting one of the best-kept secrets of Xochimilco, an oasis south of Mexico City”. It was expensive, certainly for one person, but when I had an unforeseen spare day in Mexico City, I decided to sign up. The tour brings you to the village of San Gregorio Atlapulco, 25km outside of the city center and some 5km beyond the tourist boat landings. Looking at the official map, I believe that the village lies in the buffer zone of the WHS and its floating gardens (chinampas) in the core zone.
We started at the daily farmers market, a pleasantly relaxed affair with stalls selling mostly vegetables, but also fruits and (the omnipresent) chickens. A specialty of the villages in this area is also the creation of garments for the statues (or dolls) of Christ that every Mexican family has in their home, and the …
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All in all I spent some 14 nights in Mexico City in December 2021 and January 2022. I knew Mexico City was a very large city with a lot to offer but the city definitely exceeded all my expectations. The historic centre proper around the Zocalo area, the Templo Mayor area, the world class unique murals and museums, the exquisite interior and exterior of the Bellas Artes Museum building, and the Xochimilco area would easily cover a good week, keeping in mind the initial jetlag and altitude acclimitization coming from Europe. On top of that there are 3 WHS within the city (UNAM, Luis Barragan and Camino Real) and 2 WHS just outside (Teotihuacan and Father Tembleque Aqueduct) making it a top hotspot in Mexico and North America.
Although I'm usually not a modern building fan, I must confess that I gladly visited the Bellas Artes Museum Building practically everyday and it certainly is Mexico City's best landmark. First from the old Torre Latinoamericano at noon and at sunset, then several times from the Sears Centro Historico terrace cafeteria, before resting at the nearby popular public garden, before or after some shopping, and of course I also visited its great interior (when I visited in December 2021 none of the murals were covered in plastic yet). This building alone in my opinion deserves inscription and I would rate it highly too.
Contrary to my praise for the Bellas Artes component of this WHS, the Xochimilco area extension is …
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I visited Mexico between February and April 2019. I visited most WH colonial towns around Mexico City and the capital itself was the fifth one.
From what I've read when preparing this visit, I was expecting Mexico City to be chaotic, loud, noisy and dirty. However, I exited the Metro near Alameda Central, only to find flowering jacarandas and ladies sweeping the street. In the end, Mexico City proved to be a fantastic world-class city, with good atmosphere. Excepting the Metro at the rush hour, it is not very chaotic, and it's definitely not dirty or too noisy.
Previous reviewers shared experiences similar to mine for the historical center. Most of its highlights are undoubtedly great! I particularly enjoyed the Cathedral with the Zocalo, el Palacio Nacional and el Secretaria de Educacion Publica with their murals by Diego Rivera, el Palacio de Bellas Artes, el Palacio Postal, la Casa de los Azulejos but I was more disappointed by Templo Mayor where few interesting remnants can be seen.
I will therefore review more Xochimilco, the second part of this WHS, mostly overlooked by other reviewers (excepting a review not really flattering by Solivagant). Actually, like he suggests, I decided that this kitsch mexican experience was not worth the long metro ride. Furthermore, I was visiting Xochimilco on a weekday afternoon when it would have been quiet, probably boring and expensive to rent a whole trajinera for myself. I therefore headed to el Parque Ecológico de Xochimilco. To get …
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We really enjoyed Mexico City; we spent seven nights here split into two batches, yet still felt there was more we could see.
Perhaps our highlight came on our first night, fresh off the plane we went for a stroll from Paseo de la Reforma into the historic centre. It was a Saturday night between Christmas and New Year as such we seemed to have been joined on our amble around the world heritage site by every other inhabitant of this massive metropolis. The incredible family friendly atmosphere was really special; the glorious ambience in Alameda Park even managed to upstage the beautiful Palacio Bellas Artes.
The next day was mostly devoted to murals, a most astonishing artistic response to the political climate after the Mexican Revolution. There are innumerable examples around the city; the staggering quantity in the department of education impresses, the quality at San Ildefonso is very high, with Diego Rivera's early 'Creation' in the theatre being my wife's undoubted highlight of the whole genre.
For me it was the incomparable Palacio Bellas Artes that really had me giddy with excitement. It is a building that could comfortably be an excellent world heritage site by itself, especially if you include its sibling across the road the Palacio Postal. The architecture and finishing details are magnificent, and the murals were exceptional. The highlights were Siqueiros' Torment and Apotheosis of Cuauhtemoc, a glorious artistic piece of nation building, though even that was over awed by Rivera's 'Man, Controller of …
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Most reviews have covered the Zocalo, the Palace of Fine Arts, and Templo Mayor. However, I noticed no mention of the Regina Cultural Corridor (Street) which is clearly included in the 2014 Map of the inscribed area. Indeed, I personally found this street one of the most interesting areas to explore in the historic district. The atmosphere was vibrant, the restaurants/cafes are quite good, and the corridor is littered with historical structures. Moreover, unlike the Zocalo, the street is not particularly catered toward tourists, and is frequented by locals.
Based on the 2014 map, it seems the Museo Diego Rivera, which includes his famous mural are not part of the inscribed zone. However, the Secretaria de Publica (Mexico City) is part of the inscribed zone, which also contains significant Diego Rivera Murals. Unfortunately, I walked to this building, but it was closed. Nearby is the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso which is a tremendous structure filled with Orozco murals. There is a stunning Diego Rivera mural inside as well, but sadly it cannot be photographed. Exhibitions are showcased here, and during my visit there were unique "interactive" statues constructed by Michael Landy.
Lastly, I would mention the Gran Hotel which is tucked in a corner of the Zocalo. This hotel has one of the most brilliant glass ceilings I have ever seen. There is also a delicious, though pricey buffet at the top of the hotel, which overlooks the Zocalo. The beauty of the Historic Centre of Mexico City …
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Mexico City's historical zone is the last place I visited during my two weeks trip in this country, with high expectation to see the best of colonial arts in the center of Spanish Empire in Latin America, my trip turned out to be hard to say. It was really a bad day that when I decided to visit Zocalo Square, there seemed to be a demonstration or protest or something, so the police were everywhere blocking the roads, and the presidential palace was closed for security reason. Fortunately, that the cathedral was still open. The cathedral was really gaudy with lots of gold, especially the altars. Then I went to see Temple Mayor, an Aztec ancient site, while the museum was really good, it could not evoke my excitement, maybe I preferred Teotihuacan more than Temple Mayor.
I walked around the city that looks very alike a prosperous European city. From Palace of the Fine Art, I walked back to Zocalo again, hoping the situation to be better. The policemen opened more roads, and now I could enter the Zocalo square; I took some photo and did not know what to do more. So, I decided to end my city tour and changed to gourmet tour instead! I went to one restaurant near Zocalo, they served really good food from Veracruz State, because of long seacoast and international port, the taste of Veracruzana food is quite different from other area in Mexico, with interesting fresh lime, …
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Although I had been there before in 1997, I count my trip in 2014 as my first proper visit to Mexico City. From my earlier trip, I only remembered the Zocalo and some unremarkable grey buildings. This time I wanted to taste something from each period: the Aztec Templo Mayor, the Spanish-colonial Cathedral and the 20th-century Palace of Fine Arts, and Diego Riviera murals. I started my day of sightseeing at the Zocalo. It was the scene of a demonstration, as on most of its days. To my surprise though the middle of the square had been turned into a Winter Wonderland, where Mexicans rode sleighs from an artificial snow slope and (even more funny when you're Dutch) tried to master an ice skating rink.
The Cathedral provided a much-needed place of quietude. I liked its facade (and that of its neighbour Sagrario Metropolitano), which is a textbook example of the Churrigueresque style. The interior is extremely baroque too, with lots of gold and bleeding Christ statues. It's worth a look, but both Cathedral and Zocalo would not get my vote for WH status. The historic center is 'just' a working city with many modern buildings too. I think it has more Starbucks cafes than there are in the Netherlands in total.
I could not remember whether I had visited the Templo Mayor on my previous visit. But after I entered its gate I was sure that I mysteriously had missed out on that in 1997. To me, …
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As usual the UNESCO site is opaque about what is encompassed by the phrase “Historic Centre of Mexico city”. The superb Zocalo and its Aztec and Colonial buildings are certainly included and, perhaps more surprisingly, “an impressive series of buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries such as the Palacio de las Bellas Artes” but the exact boundaries of the site are not clarified. No mention is made of the magnificent Diego Rivera Murals in Palacio National (nor indeed is that particular building mentioned by name). Whether similar murals in the Secretaria de Educacion 3 blocks north of the Zocalo are included is not clear. Never mind – there is plenty to see which is definitely included and, even if it isn’t, it is still well worth seeing. As the Palacio de las Bellas Artes does get a special mention you should go inside to see its own magnificent murals and take in a performance in order to se its stained glass stage curtain created by Tiffany.
However, for my photo of the site, I have chosen one taken at its second part – the “floating gardens” of Xochimilco some 20kms south which were created (in pre Aztec times it is thought) for the purposes of agriculture. Much of this now is pure “Mexican Kitch” and its inclusion is perhaps somewhat surprising! It currently exists largely as a water-based pleasure ground for the city with thousands of pleasure boats and all the other accoutrements you would expect. You may feel …
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