We went with the Beechers to the Three Cultures plaza in Mexico City. I have seen it many time as we drive by when we go downtown but this was the first time we went inside the square. We could see the ruins of the ancient Aztecs, the Spanish Cathedral and the somewhat modern housing development.
The Plaza of the Three Cultures, known as the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Spanish, symbolizes Mexico’s unique cultural heritage. Once the center of some of the most powerful Native American empires (Aztec), Mexico became a flourishing Spanish colony in the 16th century. Today, most Mexicans are mestizos, or persons with mixed European and Native American ancestry representing a third culture, thus the name of the area represents a mixture of all three cultures.
The Plaza of Three Cultures is located at the ancient city Aztec city of Tlatelolco where you can see the ruins of the Colonial Cathedral of Santiago which dates back to 1524 (although it was rebuilt in 1609), inside there is the baptismal fountain of Juan Diego, the indian to whom, according to tradition, the Virgin de Guadalupe appeared in 1531. Also nearby there are many apartment buildings, and government buildings.
The structures which represent the Three Cultures are therefore the ancient Aztec city of Tlatelolco, the Colonial Cathedral of Santiago, and the SecretarÃa de Relaciones Exteriores (Department of Foreign Affairs) building. These three structures can all be seen together at the same location. Of course, the modern city of Mexico City surrounds the entire area.
The plaza is also important as being the site of three terrible events in Mexican history. It was at Tlatelolco that on August 13, 1521 the Aztecs made their final stand against the Spanish army led by Hernan Cortes. It is said that 40,000 Aztecs died in the desperate struggle and their bodies clogged the local canals for days afterward. The battle is memorialized in the plaza by a plaque which reads in part, "Neither a victory nor a defeat, but the painful moment of birth of the Mexico of today, of a race of Mestizos".
With that day came the end of the pre-Columbian era in Mexican history. The second tragedy occurred on 2 October 1968 when Mexican soldiers, equipped with tanks and machine guns, fired into a crowd of 14,000 unarmed students who were staging a protest against spending on the 1968 Summer Olympics being held in Mexico City. A huge monument at the site lists the names and ages of some of the students who fell that day.
The plaza was the site of more death on September 19, 1985 when an early morning earthquake caused a modern building adjacent to the plaza to collapse. For days thereafter tents were erected on the plaza as temporary shelter for some of those left homeless by the quake. The earthquake, which affected Mexico City, left at least 8,000 dead.
The part of the ancient city Aztec city of Tlatelolco that is excavated is only a small part of Tlatelolco. Much of the ancient city is under the modern buildings that surround the plaza.
Dennis reading about Three Cultures
Me reading information about Three Cultures
Inside the cathedral on the Three Cultures Plaza
The calendar temple
Aztec detail on the calendar temple at the Three Cultures Plaza. It has images alone three sides displaying symbols of each month of the year.
These are the remains of several alters of sacrifice at the Three Cultures area. This round one was interesting. One said that it was probably just a public alter where citizens of the pueblo could come and offer a sacrifice or offering there. This is still done today all over Mexico City we can see alters where the local people can come and place an offering to their God.
It is also amazing that we hear fireworks and cannons and guns go off as people offer these offering to their patron saint to let that saint know they are acknowledging him and requesting that they not send any punitive damage to them as they have just acknowledged his presence.
Archaeologists have discovered many skeletons here. These were found embracing each other.
We took a walking tour of the city afterward This old white church like so many other old churches is on a angle where it has sunk into the ground on one side. (Much like the leaning tower of Pisa)
We went into one plaza in the courtyard of the Ministry of Education in downtown Mexico City. Under the arches are walls covered with Diego Rivera Murals on the walls.This is Benito Juarez. It would appear to me that he was an indigenous native from Oaxoca, a Mulekite of Jewish Heritage)
around town ... this was a huge comical brass chair in the middle of a plaza
lots of security right by the brass seat grande
These women were having their eyebrows waxed. They are sitting in chairs out on the sidewalk for this process. There were about 6 or 8 women with eyebrows in process of being waxed.
This city is know for its vendors on, in and to the side of the street. It is so interesting to see many vendors between the lanes of traffic washing windshields, selling cotton candy, cigarettes, tea, drinks, bags of marshmallows, candy bars, bananas and so many other things. People make a living selling goods between the lanes of traffic. Also mimes and juggling acts and clowns doing tricks and then they collect a payment from those stuck in traffic or waiting for a light change.
These green parrots are all over the lawns. It is amazing that some of the Latino
Elders can pick up these parrots with their hands.
I don't know what these little red birds are but they are very colorful as they perch around campus and outside my kitchen window.
I think all the old VW bugs (very old) from the US must have come to Mexico. I see at least a dozen each time we go out.
A morning mist sometimes covers the fields when I come home from the gym in the morning. There was actually more to start with but I went out later to take the picture after I was home for a while and it had started to burn off.
