Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
Courtyard, Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso
Right
Gardens, Castillo de Chapultepec
Historic Sites
!
Iglesia y Hospital de
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Casa de la Primera
Jesús Nazareno
The tomb of Hernán Cortés
lies here. To the rear of the
church is the place where
Moctezuma II met Cortés
in 1519. Half a block south
is the Hospital de Jesús
Nazareno, built on Cortés'
command in 1524 to treat
Spanish soldiers.
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Imprenta de América
Constructed in 1524, the first
printing press in the Americas
was installed here in 1534 by
Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza.
Today, the house displays a
model of the press and
hosts temporary exhibits.
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Casa de la Primera
Imprenta de América
^
Zócalo
@
Castillo de Chapultepec
This is the most important
plaza in Mexico. The cultural,
political, and historical center of
the city, it is also known as the
Plaza de la Constitución. It was
called Zócalo after only the plinth
(
[ØDBMP
) was laid of an indepen-
dence monument commissioned
by President Santa Anna in 1843,
but never completed
TFFQ
.
&
Parque Alameda Central
In 1841 the building was
repaired and adapted for use as
a military academy. The last
battle of the US invasion of
Mexico in 1847 was fought here
TFFQQo
.
£
Palacio Nacional
Originally the site of Aztec
Emperor Moctezuma II's palace,
Cortés built his own palace there
after his victory. In 1562 it
became the residence of Mexico's
viceroys and the headquarters for
all of Spain's colonial government
in Mexico
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.
$
Paseo de la Reforma
This is the city's oldest park
with elegant fountains and shady
paths. It was once reserved for
the exclusive use of the aristo-
cracy. That practice ended after
the War of Mexican Indepen-
dence in 1821
TFFQ
.
The boulevard was built in the
1860s by Emperor Maximilian I to
connect Castillo de Chapultepec,
his official residence, with the
Palacio Nacional. First known as
the Causeway of the Empress, it
was inspired by the Champs-
Elyseés in Paris. It was renamed
after the restoration of the
Republic in 1867
TFFQQo
.
Fountain, Parque Alameda Central
40
Aztec dancers,
concheros
, frequently perform at the Zócalo
accompanied by drums
