Mexico City’s “Grand” Tour

Route 1
Walk through La Bombilla (lantern) Park towards UNAM: a UNESCO world’s heritage
site.
Estadio Olímpico Universitario: it was built in 1952, it hosted the 1968 Olympics, and it
has a seating capacity of 83,700 spectators. The main entrance has a mural by Diego
Rivera, called ·The University, the Mexican Family, peace and youth sports”. In the
construction of the relief in natural colored stones shows the university shield, with
the condor and the eagle on a cactus. Under their wings outstretched, Rivera placed
three figures representing the family: the father and the mother giving the dove of
peace to his son. At the extremes are two gigantic figures that correspond to some
athletes, male and female, who light the torch of Olympic flame. A huge feathered
serpent, the symbolic image of the pre-Hispanic god Quetzalcoatl, complements the
composition at the bottom. Rivera had planned to cover the entire outside of the
stadium with designs similar to this, but the artist’s death prevented it.
Rectory building: mural by David Alfaro Siqueiros. La Universidad del pueblo (arms
outstretched) and “Las fechas en la historia de Mexico o el derecho a la cultura”
(manos entrelazadas en segundo plano que representan el esfuerzo a lo largo de la
historia por tener acceso a la cultura, y una tercera mano en relieve apuntando a un
libro abierto en el que están escritas las fechas más importantes de Mexico. (1520:
llegada de los españoles, 1810 independencia, 1857 primera constitución liberal y 1910
revolución mexicana). Siqueiros dejó un 1900 con dos signos de interrogación que
simbolizaron las expectativas hacia el futuro. (dos huelgas universitarias 1968 y 1999)
Central Library: designed by architect and painter Juan O’Gorman. The murals (by
O’Gorman) are made entirely with colored stones and entitled “A Historical
Representation of the Culture” and cover the entire body of the building and serves as
a codex. The mural on the north wall represents images of pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican
cultures and their deities. The south wall depicts the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico
and the Conquest, and a dual God and Devil. It also represents the physical trappings
(trampas) of that period of history, including churches, guns, maps, manuscripts and
monks. The east wall portrays Mexican modernity, with the Revolution as one of its
themes. In the center, a model of the atom generates the principle of life. And the
further duality of the moon and sun look down from above. The west wall presents the
National University in all its finery with the coat-of-arms holding the most central
position. Other allegories and representations include the studies of science, culture,
sports, and engineering.
On the way back: San Angel and Chimalistac: es una colonia formada por un pueblo de
orígen prehispánico y un fraccionamiento de finales del siglo XIX. Recibe su nombre de
una población prehispánica llamada Temalistac q significa “donde se tala la piedra de
sacrificios”. Incluso se dice que fue aquí donde se labró la Piedra del Sol o Calendario
Azteca q se ubica en el Museo de Antropología

Route 2
Teotihuacan: the city, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987,
was settled as early as 100 B.C. and became the most powerful and influential city in
the region by 400 A.D.
Although it is a subject of debate whether Teotihuacan was the center of a state
empire, its influence throughout Mesoamerica is well documented; evidence of
Teotihuacano presence can be seen at numerous sites in Veracruz and the Maya
region. The later Aztecs saw these magnificent ruins and claimed a common ancestry
with the Teotihuacanos, modifying and adopting aspects of their culture. The ethnicity
of the inhabitants of Teotihuacan is the subject of debate. Possible candidates are the
Nahua, Otomi, or Totonac ethnic groups. After the collapse of Teotihuacan, central
Mexico was dominated by more regional powers, notably Xochicalco and Tula.
By the time the Aztecs found the city in the 1400s and named it Teotihuacan (meaning
“the place where the gods were created”), the city had been abandoned for centuries.
Teotihuacan’s origins, history, and culture largely remain a mystery.
Teotihuacan is arranged in a grid layout that covers about 8 square miles (20 square
kms). It contains around 2,000 single-story apartment compounds, as well as various
pyramids, plazas, temples and palaces of nobles and priests.
The main buildings are connected by the Avenue of the Dead (or Miccaotli in the Aztec
language Nahuatl). The Avenue of the Dead is 40 meters wide, 2.4 kms long; it’s
oriented slightly east of true north and points directly at the nearby sacred peak of
Cerro Gordo, an extinct volcano.
The city contains several large, important structures: the Pyramid of the Moon, the
Pyramid of the Sun, the Ciudadela (“Citadel”) and the temple of Quetzalcoatl (the
Feathered Serpent). Also the “juego de pelota”, this was also practiced by Olmecas and
Mayas. The Teotihuacans called it Tlachtli. Its purpose was to insert the rubber ball
into a stone ring on the wall. It was played between two teams of 1 to 7 players each.
There are registries that show they used gloves and a sort of cane or stick.
The pyramid of the sun is the largest building in Teotihuacan with a length of 22o
meters, a width of 224 meters, a volume of 1,184,828.3 cubic meters and a height of
65.5 meters. Founded in 200 CE and abandoned in 750 CE.
The pyramid of the moon is the second largest pyramid. A platform atop the pyramid
was used to conduct ceremonies in honor of the great goddess of Teotihuacan, the
goddess of water, fertility, the earth, and even creation itself.

Route 3
Alameda Central is a public park created in 1592 and is the oldest public park in the
Americas. (Alamos: poplars)
Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) is a prominent cultural center. Its style is
art nouveau/neoclassic in the exterior and Art Deco in the interior. Its design and
construction was undertaken by Italian architect Adamo Boari in 1904. The Mexican
Revolution started and construction was stopped completely by 1913 and restarted in
1932. Inside there are murals by José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Diego
Rivera, etc.
Iglesia de San Francisco: 1525 oldest church
Torre Latinoamericana: skyscraper from 1956. De los primeros edificios con
cimentación hidráulica
Templo Mayor: it was the main temple of the Mexica people in their capital city of
Tenochtitlan, which is now Mexico City. It was dedicated to Huitzilopochtli (colibrí
zurdo, left-handed hummingbird) god of war, and Tlaloc (el que hace brotar, the one
that makes it bloomor spring) god of rain and agriculture, each of which had a shrine at
the top of the pyramid with separate staircases. The spire in the center of the adjacent
image was devoted to Quetzalcoatl (serpiente emplumada) in his form as the wind
god, Ehecatl. The Great Temple devoted to Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc, measuring
approximately 100 by 80 meters at its base, dominated the Sacred Precinct.
Construction of the first temple began sometime after 1325, and it was rebuilt 6 times.
The temple was destroyed by the Spanish in 1521 to make way to the new Mexico City
cathedral. The zócalo, or main plaza of Mexico City today, was developed to the
southwest of this archeological site.
Piedras: Coyolxauhqui (coyolli: sleighbell, xauhqui: adorns), goddess of the moon
measures 3.20 meters in diameter and the monolith of Tlaltecuhtli the lord or lady of
the earth: it measures 4.17 by 3.62 meters and weighs 12 tons.
Cathedral: it was constructed in sections from 1573 to 1813
Palacio Nacional (Murals by Diego Rivera)

Route 4
Chapultepec: according to studies, there has been human presence in the area since at
least the pre Classic period. The first identified culture archaeologists have evidence
for is the Toltecs. The Toltecs named the area “grasshopper hill”, which would later
become Nahuatl “Chapoltepec”. When the Aztecs took over the Valley of Mexico, they
considered the hill as both a sacred and strategic site. They began to use the area as
repository for the ashes of their rulers, and the area’s springs became an important
source of fresh water for the capital of Tenochtitlan.
Eventually, the area became a retreat strictly limited to the ruling and religious elite. In
the 1420s, ruler Nezahualcoyotl was the first to build a palace in the area. Moctezuma
II built reservoirs to raise exotic fish and to store water. He also had trees and plants
from various parts of the Aztec Empire planted here. In 1465, Moctezuma I ordered his
portrait carved into a rock at the foot of the hill and constructed the Tlaxpana
aqueduct, which measured three km.
During the Spanish conquest, one of the last battles between the Spanish and ruler
Cuauhtémoc occurred at Chapultepec Hill in 1521. Shortly thereafter, the Franciscans
built a small hermitage (small chapel or church) over the indigenous altar on
Chapultepec Hill. Hernán Cortés appropriated Chapultepec and granted the northern
portion to Captain Juan Jaramillo, who would become the husband of La Malinche.
However, in 1530, Charles V decreed the area as the property of Mexico City and to
open it to the public.
The Spanish continued to use the Aztec aqueduct, but in 1771, another one was
deemed necessary for the growing population of Mexico City. The Chapultepec
aqueduct led water from the springs of the forest to an area in what was the south of
the city, called Salto del Agua. It flowed over 904 arches and 3,908 meters.
In 1785, the Franciscan hermitage was demolished to make way for the Chapultepec
Castle, convering the hill and the forest around it into a summer retreat for colonial
viceroys. The area was walled off from general public and was the scene of elegant
parties.
After Mexico achieved independence in 1821, the Castle became the official residence
of the head of the state. A number of these, especially Emperor Maximilian I and his
wife (Carlota), embellished and expanded the castle as well as the forest area around
it. (Napoleon III invaded Mexico in 1861, while the US was fighting its Civil War, and
Pope Pio IX ordered Archduke Maximiliano of Hapsburg to come to Mexico and
“protect” the Mexican crown. He was executed in 1867).
The Hill was also the site of the Battle of Chapultepec in 1847, between Mexican and
U.S. troops. A band of cadets was at the Castle when it was attacked, and near the end
of the battle, six of them decided to jump to their deaths from the castle on the hill to
the rocks below. These six are referred to as the “Niños Héroes” and are honored by a
monument near where their bodies fell. The castle remained the official residence of
Mexican presidents until 1940, when this function was moved to Los Pinos residence,
and the castle was converted into a museum.

Museo de Antropología: Arq. Rámirez Vázquez fuente y Tlaloc monolith: it’s a nahua
sculpture found in Estade de México it was extracted in 1964 and brought it to Museo
de Antroplología. Some researchers identified the monolith as Chalchiuhtlicue, the
feminine deity of water. But when Tláloc arrived to Mexico City, a strong storm took
place and flooded the majority of the city thus creating the myth of Tláloc being
awakened.
Torre Mayor
BBVA
Torre Reforma: in 2018 received the International Highrise Award
Angel de la Independencia