The Aztec city of Tlatelolco was founded, according to the sources, in 1337 by a group of dissident Mexica who separated from the original group who lived in Tenochtitlan. Tlatelolco managed to maintain its independence from Tenochtitlan until 1473, when the Aztec emperor Axayacatl conquered the city fearing that the enormous economic power that the city had acquired could become a threat for Tenochtitlan.
- Learn more about Aztec origins and the founding of Tenochtitlan
The two cities had grown together as twin settlements, Tenochtitlan as the political seat of the empire, and Tlatelolco stood out as its commercial heart. Tlatelolco's impressively huge and organized market was vividly described by the Spanish captain Bernal Diaz del Castillo, when he arrived in Mexico with Hernan Cortez.
Tlatelolco was the theater of the last Aztec resistance against the Spanish, and the city was destroyed by the Europeans and their allies, the Tlaxcaltecans, on August 13, 1521, after months of siege. In 1527, the Spanish constructed the church of Santiago on top of the ruins of the sacred precinct of the city.
In 1968, the Tlatelolco massacre took place, in which 20-30 political protesters were killed in what has become the Plaza de Las Tres Culturas (Square of the Three Cultures) became also known for its importance for Mexico pre-Hispanic, Colonial and modern national history.
Site Layout
The ceremonial precinct of Tlatelolco is very similar to the one of Tenochtitlan.
- The Templo Mayor:
The central space is occupied by the Templo Mayor, the parts now visible of the temple is the three levels basal platform on top of which stands the colonial church of Santiago. The main temple is surrounded by many buildings such as temples, altars, and elite residences.
- Temple of Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl:
The temple, an unusual mixed circular and rectangular shape, was dedicated to the wind god Ehecatl, whose shrines had a typical round plan. At its base, archaeologists found more than 30 burials of children in large jars, together with offerings of shells, stones and ceramic figurines, and 6 adults. Archaeologists believe that this massive human offering was related to an extraordinary ceremony carried out during a great drought occurren between 1454 and 1457.
- The Palace:
On the southern side of the Templo Mayor is the so-called Palace, or Building W. This buildings has four rooms around a central patio and in the middle a central altar. Remains of a colonnade are visible within the patio. It shape and composition suggested that it could have been an elite residence.
- Temple of Calendrics and Temple of the Paintings:
At the east and west sides of the Palace are the Temple of the Paintings and the Temple of Calendrics. The Temple of Calendrics owes its name to the decoration of its platform which portrays elements of the pre-Hispanic calendar used by the Aztecs, called Tonalpohualli, and images of gods related to it. The Temple of Paintings owes its name to the presence of mural paintings on its facade, along its balustrade and platform.
- Tzompantli:
Northeast of the Templo Mayor is the skull rack, or tzompantli, an altar that functioned to store the severed heads and skulls of decapitated captives. Here archaeologists identified human skulls with their parietal lobes perforated.
- Coatepantli:
The Coatepantli, or “Wall of Snakes” is the name of the surrounding wall that limited the sacred precinct of Tlatelolco. It probably surrounded the sacred area on all its sides, although now only its northern side and northeastern corner are visible.
- Aqueduct:
As in Tenochtitlan, the city of Tlateloclo was provided with a sophisticated system of water supply and management. A subterranean aqueduct conveys water to the city its water collector, or basin is still visible at a depth of two meters (6 feet) beneath the surface. The small room, or box, called caja de agua (water box) has a mural painting depicting watery scenes, running all over its walls, and it is accessible through a narrow staircase.
Tlatelolco After the Conquest
Tlatelolco was an important location for the last resistance of the Mexica against the Spanish as well as after, in the new Colonial time. Because of the centrality of its market, the Spanish constructed an administrative facility, called Tecpan, where officials took care of problems and disputes over prices, and collected tributes.
Finally, Tlatelolco was the seat of the Colegio de Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco, the first higher education institute of the Americas. The school was founded on the site of a previous Aztec school for young nobles called Calmecac. Here young Aztec nobles learned Spanish, Nahuatl and Latin. With the help of this new trilingual nobility fray Bernardino de Sahagun was able to write his encyclopedia of Aztec culture “La Historia General de las Cosas de la Nueva España”, (General History of the Things of New Spain) also known as Florentine Codex.
Sources
AA.VV, 2009, Ciudad de Mexico. Guia Arqueologica. Edicion Special de Arqueología Mexicana n. 33.
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