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The Epic City
(1519-1620)
Santiago Tlaltelolco
The Encounter of Two Worlds
The conquest of great Tenochtitlan is preceded
by legends and portents: a blazing comet, the fire at the temple of Huizilopochtli,
a bolt of lightning sent by Xiuhtecuhtli, a fleeting meteorite,
the roiling of the lake, a wailing woman, monsters, and a bird with a
mirror as its head, all of which form an integral part of the drama surrounding
this feat. In these omens, Moctezuma foresaw the arrival of the Spanish,
plunging him into a god-fearing gloom.
Moctezuma's suspicions were confirmed when he met with Cortés atop
the Calzada de Xochimilco, at the entrance to the city. Cortés
and his followers were received as kings, but Moctezuma was nevertheless
imprisoned. Shortly thereafter Captain Alvarado brutally massacred many
of the Indian nobles, before the Spanish hordes finally fled the city.
An island at the center of the lake could only be seized by a naval strike.
So thought Cortés while ordering the construction of several barquentines
with which the city would be besieged for seventy-five days while Cuauhtémoc,
his warriors, and the cityís inhabitants defended it to their deaths.
Houses and palaces were reduced to ruins on that day, August 13, 1521.
Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza
An Indian and Renaissance city
Spurred on by the Conquest and a sense of adventure, the 16th Century
witnesses not only the arrival of certain contemptible individuals, but
also of many others of more noble character. Among them, a glint of humanism
becomes apparent in the comments of Fray Juan de Zumárraga or Vasco
de Quiroga, men who attempt to establish a City
of God, equally utopian. The exponents of slavery soon impose
rigid models of education for the Indians, while promoting an ostentatious
lifestyle for themselves.
The valley with its lake is an earthly paradise, and in confirmation thereof
great celebrations were held, such as the Paseo del Pendón to commemorate
the taking of the city, or periods of mourning were observed to honor
dead monarchs, such as the celebrated funeral wake for Charles V in 1559.
Private places of worship are installed in houses and the printing houses
publish the first books in the American continent.
Life in the city was much like a game of chess, aligning Spanish against
Indian, in which each side occupied a well-defined position. That of the
Spanish comprised the viceregal palace with its litigants, the houses
of the Marqués del Valle, the seminars held in the university,
the Plaza Mayor with its incipient church,
and the noisy arcade filled with merchants; prisons, gallows, and small
squares populated by street vendors. The first descendants of the Spanish,
born in the new realm, live with a bright spark which fuels their desires
to possess ever more riches.
The Indian world is relegated to the outskirts of the city but is hard
by the splendid lake, the mountains, deer and rabbits; canoes enter and
leave the city, while men are used as beasts of burden to carry down firewood
from the forested hills or to build dikes and ramparts to defend the stone
tyrant as it gradually consumes the surrounding water where fish are still
caught in delicate nets.
Certain Indian nobles are absorbed into the Spanish way of life, others
teach their native tongues to the friars, and the Mexica past is recorded
in vibrant symbols. Still others weep for the glorious past and lament
their dead.
Hospital de Jesús
Inquisition and grievances
The 17th Century city is characterized by abandon: Martín Cortés,
son of the Conquistador, soon arrives in New Spain and promptly exhibited
his arrogance and predilection for squandering.
The Viceroy himself, Luis de Velasco, is adept at gallantry and hunting
in Chapultepec.
Hidden by a carnival atmosphere and pompous festivities, the creoles
plot conspiracy, only to be found out in mid-1566. Martín Cortés,
his brother Luis, his half-brother Martín and the rich and powerful
Alonso de Ávila are apprehended. Following a dramatic trial,
de Ávila is executed, his head placed on public display, and
his house (built on the remains of the
Templo
Mayor of the Indians) is razed to the ground. The attempt to achieve
independence evolves into tragedy.
But not only the creoles are being watched. The viceroys themselves
plot convoluted conspiracies which are equally resolved or inflamed
by the Royal Edicts issued by Philip II, Patron of the Church in the
Spanish dominions and Protector of the Holy Inquisition. This had its
seat in the city where the Autos de Fe were also held, such as that
of Luis de Carvajal and his family, and who was martyred in 1595 following
a spectacular trial. La Alameda, originally
created as a public square, served as a backdrop for these public trials
which both horrified and fascinated the inhabitants of the city.
Utopia becomes reality
Mexico City in the 16th Century saw the construction of palaces and
churches built with volcanic rock called tezontle, termed ìbathed
in bloodî for its bright red color, and also known for its very
light weight; lintels and crests of buildings were adorned with white
marble from Chiluca, and the myriad lofts of the city were crowned with
intricate Moorish-style beams and lattices. Quadrangular perspectives
dominated the city: plazas, squares, gardens and cloisters; there were
irrigation channels, stone and wooden bridges, and a multitude of carriages,
so many, in fact, that in 1577 Philip II outlawed them, arguing that
their use was detrimental to the custom of horse riding, encouraged
prostitution, and was even a sign of foppery. Eventually, in 1600, this
prohibition was lifted.
Little remains today of that city which, by its virtue as a central
symbol of the Kingdom of New Spain, had to fight both against and for
its water. Indeed, although surrounded by water on all sides the city
actually had to bring drinking water from the natural springs of Chapultepec
and, later, from those of Santa Fe, over 20 kilometers away. This, and
other nearby villages, were able to conserve those traits which were
generally unable to survive the next century.
Suggested books:
Baird, Joseph
The churches of mexico 1530-1810
Berkley, Ca., University of California Press, 1962.
Kubler, George:
Mexican Architecture of the XVI Century
Greenwood Press, Westport, 1964
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