The Zócalo
Political and Cultural Center of
Mexico
Tenochtitlan
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Aztec name for present day Mexico City
Founded in 1325 – on Lake Texcoco
Urban built environment divided into four zones
One of the largest cities in the World in 1519
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 (1810 –
1821)
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Miguel Hidalgo, a parish priest
Led a peasant rebellion against
the wealthy land owners
Mexico marks its independence
on September 16, 1810
1815 to 1821, most the fighting was
done by guerrilla forces
José María Morelos y Pavón takes
over for Higalgo
Treaty of Córdoba sealed Mexican
independence
Mexico/USA compete for Control
of North America
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Texas fights for
independence
opens the conflict
Mexican American
War
Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo
ratifies U. S.
dominance
Ruins of the Templo Mayor of the
Aztecs: Tenochtitlan
Templo Mayor as an Urban Structure
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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
Catedral Metropolitana as an
Urban Structure
Located on the 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.
Contains murals by Diego Rivera.
Portrays "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.
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Palacio Nacional
Courtyard of Palacio Nacional
Diego Rivera Murals
Murals of Palacio Nacional
The Zócalo Today
The Zócalo Surroundings
La Enseñanza Church
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 Amerindians – representation of Aztec
plazas at the center of the cities
The Tiger of the South and
the Centaur of the North
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Mexican Revolution of
1910 – 1917
Overthrew the dictator
Porferio Dictator Dias
Revolutionaries occupied
and held Mexico City 3
times - between 19141915)
2001 - Zapatistas look back to
earlier revolutionaries
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, will
this be changed by new venues of
political communication in the 21st
century?
Question 2
The cultural significance of the plaza and its
surrounding urban infrastructure has been great
since before the Spanish conquest. What is the
political significance of the urban built
environment in in contemporary Mexico?
Question 3
How have contemporary Mexican governments
used plazas in general , and the Zócalo
specifically, to shape Mexican political culture?
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
>.