Week 12

Urban Spain: A Virtual Analysis

Tenochtitlan: A Virtual Tour

Hi readers!

This week we will investigate the reasoning behind building the colonial Spanish capital upon the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. The Spanish conquered the ancient city in the early 1500s where it was systematically destroyed in order to construct the modern capital of Mexico City. Google Maps will allow us to virtually travel to the site and observe the scale and form. Furthermore, we will consider possible reasoning’s and the significance for such an undertaking, thus concluding if it was at all necessary.

Birds eye view over looking the center of Mexico City (screenshot from Google Maps)

When observing the remains of Tenochtitlan it is difficult to imagine that it was once a thriving empire boasting the largest city during the Pre-Columbian era. Due to its situation today, it is easier to observe the ancient city through the drawing below. The city was built on an island on Lake Texcoco (drained over the years), which was connected to mainland via three causeways leading north, south, and west from the city center or Sacred Precinct. The Templo Mayor marks the eastern side of the Sacred Precinct. The causeways turned into bridges at the water, allowing for water traffic to pass without interruption. Furthermore, these bridges could be drawn back for defense purposes.

Tenochtitlan (Aztec capital) - http://mexicanhistory.org/tenochtitlan2.jpg 

The arrival of the Spanish came in 1519 during the capitals peak in power and size. They were in awe at the beauty and scale of the city, which they compared to Seville when he described it in a letter to the Spanish King. 

It is hard to imagine the sheer size of the ancient center as the modern buildings from the post-contact era now engulf it. However, when viewing the map we can clearly make out the colonial center of Mexico that was built on top of the Sacred Precinct. The Plaza Mayor becomes the new center and is surrounded with European style buildings while catholic churches take the place of the previous temples. They kept the quadrant layout of the ancient city, giving the modern city an organized grid layout as it grew outwards.

Plaza Mayor today (Google maps screenshot)

The significance for building the Spanish colonial center on top of the Aztec capital is for the size and power of the ancient city. It’s layout was organized and based on quadrants, which appealed to the Spanish in order to exude and organize power. Additionally, in order to fully conquer Tenochtitlan, the center of the powerful Aztec empire, the Spanish would have to erase all traces of the old order. Therefore, it was necessary for the Spanish to destroy and rebuild the Aztec capital to facilitate their power and drive out the old order and its cultural influences.

That’s all for this week folks!

-Mays