Mexico City Zócalo

Before the conquest, the area that the Zócalo occupied was an open space, in the center of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan.

It was bordered:

• The “New Houses” or Palace of Moctezuma II in the east
• The “Old Houses”, the palace of Axayácatl, in the west

From 1469 to 1481, the Axayacatl Palace was the residence of Emperor Ahuizotl, Moctezuma’s uncle and immediate predecessor.

The European-style plaza was not part of the Aztec Empire’s capital. Tenochtitlan had a sacred area or “teocalli” that was the absolute center of the city, but it was located north and northeast of the modern Zócalo.

Post-conquest (1519–1821)

The modern Zócalo was founded by Alonso García Bravo shortly after the invasion and destruction of Tenochtitlan. Cortés redesigned the city for symbolic purposes, maintaining four main neighborhoods called “Capullis”.

The Cathedral of Mexico City was erected at the intersection of these neighborhoods.

The Plaza was divided into the “Plaza Mayor” (Main Square) in the southern half and the “Plaza Chica” (Small Square) in the northern half. Over time, the growing city absorbed the Plaza Chica.

The Plaza was bordered by the Cathedral to the north, Cortés’s new palace to the east, Portales de Mercaderes (Merchants’ Portals) on the west, and the Portal of the Flowers and the House of the Ayuntamiento on the south.

During early colonial times, the Plaza faced challenges like flooding. In 1629, the Plaza was flooded with water two meters deep, causing damage to merchants and requiring reconstruction.

The construction of the Cathedral in the latter half of the 16th century altered the Plaza’s appearance. The Plaza became crowded with market stalls in the 17th century. Attempts to clear the Plaza for the Parian, a set of shops, were made but were only partially successful.

In 1789, Charles IV of Spain proclaimed the clearing of the Plaza, and Viceroy Juan Vicente Güemes Pacheco undertook renovations.

The Plaza was repaved, gutters covered with stone blocks, and fountains installed. The Aztec Calendar was unearthed during this work. The Plaza was converted into a public space with benches, lamps, and iron grating separating it from the Cathedral.

The Plaza underwent significant changes in the early 19th century, with the addition of an equestrian statue of Charles IV by Manuel Tolsá.

It was inaugurated in 1803 and became the backdrop for events during the Mexican War of Independence. The Plaza was renamed the “Plaza of the Constitution,” marking its role in the historical context.

The last changes before Independence in 1821 included the placement of the Cross of Mañozca and another cross by Manuel Tolsá at different corners of the Plaza. These were set on Neoclassical pedestals.

Independence and the 1828 Parián Riot

A symbolic move upon Independence was the dismantling and removal of the equestrian monument to Charles IV from Plaza.

The statue itself can still be seen in front of the National Art Museum where its current, and much smaller, base states that it is preserved solely for its artistic value.

The statue’s former oval base was moved to what was then the University building and the balustrade was moved to the Alameda Central. This left the Plaza bare except for the Parian.

On 4 and 5 December 1828, the Parián market, the most active of Mexico City’s markets, was looted and damaged by a popular uprising. Several merchants died and most were ruined.

President Santa Anna finally had the Parián demolished in 1843. This left the Plaza bare again, except for some ash trees and flower gardens that were planted and protected by stone borders.

Santa Anna wanted to build a monument to Mexican Independence in the center of the Plaza but his project got only as far as the base (zócalo), which stayed there for decades and gave the Plaza its current popular name.

It stayed this way until 1866 when the Paseo del Zócalo was created in response to the number of people who were using the plaza to take walks. A garden with footpaths was created, fountains were placed at each corner, 72 iron benches were installed and the area was lighted by hydrogen gas lamps.

Santa Anna’s base, however, was not removed.

Era of the Porfiriato

In 1878, Antonio Escandon donated a kiosk to the city which was set over and on top of Santa Anna’s base. It was lit with four large iron candelabras and designed to be similar to one in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris.

Soon afterward, the part of the Zócalo was converted into a streetcar station with a ticket kiosk and stand. The streetcars and lighting were converted to electric power in 1894, and the Zócalo’s paths were paved with asphalt in 1891.

From the latter half of the 19th century to the beginning of the twentieth, the Zócalo was again filled with market stalls, including the “Centro Mercantil” which sold fabric, clothing, and Art Nouveau stonework.

The other stalls concentrated on more mundane merchandise. This caused pedestrians to take their walks on Alameda Central or on San Francisco and Madero streets, to the west of the Zócalo.

Zocalo in 1951

20th century

During the Decena Trágica (the ten days from 9 to 19 February 1913), the National Palace was bombarded from the nearby military fort, incidentally damaging the Zócalo.

In 1914, the ash trees planted in the previous century (which meanwhile had grown considerably) were taken out; new footpaths, grassy areas, and garden space were created; and palm trees were planted in each corner of the plaza.

The Zócalo was a meeting place for protests on 1 May. In 1968, students protested against the authoritarian measures taken by then-president Gustavo Díaz Ordaz. It was also the starting point of the marathon run in the 1968 Summer Olympics.

But the plaza deteriorated until, by the 1970s, all that was left were light poles and a large flagpole in the middle. Then the ground was leveled again, the train tracks taken out, and the whole plaza cemented over.

Automobile parking was prohibited and the plaza’s shape was squared to 200 m on each side. Later in the 1970s, the Zócalo was repaved with pink cobblestones; small trees protected by metal grates were planted, and small areas of grass were seeded around the flagpole.

By the end of the 20th century, the Zócalo and much of the city center, were in serious decline. The Zocalo and its surrounding area were a slum of gutted buildings, dark and dirty streets crowded with street vendors, and vacant lots littered with trash.

In the late 1990s, was launched a $300,000,000 renovation of the Zócalo and the surrounding city center.

21st century

Was launched a campaign to perform maintenance works in the Historic Center.

In 2010, a replica of the Angel de la Independencia was brought to Zócalo as a way of spreading out the protesters from the original Angel site, which is located in a financial area, with a high traffic flow, making policing more difficult than the Zócalo.

Explore Mexico City’s iconic square in real time.