Mexico City, Distrito Federal

Mexico City, Distrito Federal

A WebQuest about Mexico CityFor Grades 6/7

Introduction• Mexico City, the capital city of the country of

Mexico, has a unique and colorful history as the original center of the Aztec empire, the Spanish empire, and finallly of the country of Mexico.

• This WebQuest will give you information on some of the important places to visit, and introduce you to this city so that we may have a better understanding of where our “amigos por correspondencia” live.

Mexico City• Mexico City once had the highest

population of any city in the world, and it has hosted numerous rulers over the course of its history. Hundreds of years ago, the Aztecs claimed the city from smaller indigenous tribes and named it Tenochtitlan. Ingeniously, the Aztecs built a system of damns to keep the city surrounded by clear, fresh water at all times. In the 16th century. however, Mexico City was captured by the Spanish and later became the capital of the new Mexican Republic when the country declared its independence from Spain in the 19th century.

Mexico City Fun Facts

• It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole.

• Mexico City is the country’s largest city as well as its most important political, cultural, educational and financial center.

• It is the capital city of the country of Mexico.• The city contains 16 boroughs.• Mexico City has the 5th largest population (21.2 million people)

in the world (it follows Tokyo, Delhi, Såo Paulo, Mumbai)• Average temperature ranges from 42 degrees Fahrenheit to 89

degrees Fahrenheit

Brief History of the City• The city was originally built on an island of Lake Texcoco by

the Aztecs in 1325 and named Tenochtitlan.• Tenochtitlan was almost completely destroyed in the 1521

siege of Tenochtitlan by Cortes.• In 1524, the municipality of Mexico city was established,

known as México Tenochtitlán• In 1585 it was officially known as La Ciudad de México

(Mexico City)• Mexico City served as the political, administrative and

financial center of a major part of the Spanish colonial empire.

• After independence from Spain was achieved, the Federal District was created in 1824.

La Plaza de las Tres Culturas • The Plaza of the Three Cultures, known as La

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.

Plaza de las tres culturas

Plaza de las tres culturas• Plaza of the Three Cultures:

Located at Lazaro Cardeuas Y Manuel Gonzales Streets. (Three Cultures Square)

• The structures which represent the Three Cultures are the ancient Aztec city of Tlatelolco, the Colonial Cathedral of Santiago (which dates back to 1524), and the Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (Department of Foreign Affairs) building. These three structures can all be seen together at the same location.

Plaza de las tres culturas• This is a square within

Mexico City where you can see examples of three separate cultures through architecture: an ancient Aztec ruin is found here, as well as a Spanish Cathedral, and a contemporary (1960’s) housing structure and government building. Each of these reflects a time in Mexican history, making this one of the more interesting and reflective things to do in Mexico City.

Teotihuacan• Teotihuacan – also written

Teotihuacán, with a Spanish orthographic accent on the last syllable – is an enormous archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, just 30 miles northeast of Mexico City, containing some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian Americas. Apart from the pyramidal structures, Teotihuacan is also known for its large residential complexes, the Avenue of the Dead, and numerous colorful, well-preserved murals.

• It is the most visited archaeological site in Mexico

• Click on the following link to visit this historic site - http://archaeology.asu.edu/teo/

View of the Avenue of the Dead and the Pyramid of the Sun, from Pyramid of the Moon

(Pyramide de la Luna)

Pyramid of the Sun

The Pyramid of the Sun• The Pyramid of the Sun, on the east

side of the Avenue of the Dead, is the third-largest pyramid in the world (surpassed only by the Great Pyramid of Cholula and the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt). It is the biggest restored pyramid in the Western Hemisphere and an awesome sight.

• The purpose of the Pyramid of the Sun is not entirely understood, but it is built on top of a sacred cave shaped like a four-leafed clover. Given the grand pyramid above, this cave was probably regarded as the very place where the gods created the world.

Pyramid of the Moon (Pyramide de la Luna)

• The Pyramid of the Moon is located at the extreme northern end of the Avenue of the Dead, the principal axis of the city of Teotihuacan.

The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (National Autonomous University of Mexico)

The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (National Autonomous University of Mexico)

• The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (National Autonomous University of Mexico) in the southern part of Mexico City is a city in itself. It is among the oldest universities in the Americas. This is the main library, with its beautiful mosaic design.

Museo Frida Kahlo• Frida Kahlo is one of the

most famous artists in Mexican history. Her twentieth century contributions to Mexican culture are astounding, and you can see many of them here at the home where she lived most of her life. For art fans, this is not to be missed among attractions in Mexico City.

Museo Frida Kahlo• Housed in the building

where Frida lived with her husband, painter Diego Rivera, until her death in 1954, the Frida Kahlo gallery not only displays her work, but is a realistic portrayal of affluent bohemian life during this period in Mexican history. The colonial-style house is also called the Casa Azul.

Museo Frida Kahlo

• Click on the picture to the left to see a virtual tour of the Museo Frida Kahlo.

• Or go to the following link -

• http://www.destination360.com/north-america/mexico/mexico-city/frida-kahlo-museum/virtual-tour

Works of Frida Kahlo

Painted in 1939 at the time of her divorce from Diego, The Two Fridas is believed to be an expression of Frida's feelings at the time. This double self-portrait was the first large-scale work painted by Frida.

Works of Diego Rivera

One of the murals byDiego Rivera in Mexico City'sPresidential Palace.

El Zócalo

El Zócalo• El Zócalo is the main square in the heart of

the historic center of Mexico City. The plaza is one of the largest in the world and today its formal name is Plaza de la Constitución (Constitution Square)

• The Zocalo The historic center of Mexico City is a must see. It includes:

• The National Palace - built on the grounds of Montezuma's home, the National Palace took its present form in 1693 with the addition of the third floor in the 1920's and is now the seat of the Mexican Government.

• The Metropolitan Cathedral - Construction began in the late 1500's and continued off and on over the next 300 years.

• The Templo Mayor - Accidentally discovered while digging near the palace in 1978, remains of the Aztec city which the Spaniards built today's Mexico City on top of were found. (Also see the adjacent museum).

• In the center of El Zócalo is a massive Mexican flag.

Metropolitan Cathedral

Metropolitan Cathedral• Dominating the Zocalo,

Metropolitan Cathedral is Latin America's oldest and largest cathedral. Featuring 67-meter towers, it is the heart of the most populated diocese in the world. Constructed over three centuries (from 1525 to 1813), the cathedral reflects the classic, neoclassic, baroque and Mexican churrigueresque architecture.

Presidential Palace

• Located on Mexico City's El Zócalo, the National Palace is the current residence of the President of the Republic and the seat of Mexican government. Constructed during the Renaissance, the palace's most impressive feature is the great mural over the building's main staircase, which was painted by Diego Rivera at the height of the Revolution. The impressive site has been a palace for the ruling class of Mexico since the Aztec empire, and much of the palace's red tezontle facade is from the original that belonged to Moctezuma II.

Presidential Palace

Mexico’s PresidentFelipe Calderón

Balcony of the Presidential Palace• Close up of balcony where

the president of Mexico gives the annual Grito de Dolores on Independence Day and the bell from the church in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato.

• In 1810, Fr. Miguel Hidalgo rang this bell and gave a speech today known as the Grito de Dolores (cry of Dolores) calling on all Mexicans to rebel against the Spanish.

Grito de Dolores• Each year on the night of September 15 at around eleven in the evening,

the President of Mexico rings the bell of the National Palace in Mexico City. After the ringing of the bell, he repeats a cry of patriotism (a Grito Mexicano) based upon the "Grito de Dolores", with the names of the important heroes of the Mexican War of Independence and ending with the threefold shout of ¡Viva México! from the balcony of the palace to the assembled crowd in the Plaza de la Constitución, or Zócalo, one of the largest public plazas in the world. After the shouting, he rings the bell again and waves the Flag of Mexico to the applause of the crowd, and is followed by the playing and mass singing of the Himno Nacional Mexicano, the national anthem. This event draws up to half a million spectators from all over Mexico and tourists worldwide. On the morning of September 16, or Independence Day, the national military parade starts in the Zócalo, passes the Hidalgo Memorial and ends on the Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City’s main boulevard.

Templo Mayor • Templo Mayor (Great Temple) is

an Aztec temple recently discovered in the heart of modern Mexico City. It was built in the 14th century in honor of the Aztec god of war and god of water.

• According to Aztec legend, Templo Mayor was built on this spot because an eagle was seen perched on a cactus devouring a snake, in fulfillment of a prophecy.

The Seal of the Government

The eagle and the snake arefound on the Mexican flag, onthe peso coins and is the symbol Of the Presidency.

The Fine Arts Palace (Palacio de Bellas Artes)

• This grandiose theater was planned to commemorate the centenary of Mexican independence in 1910, but was not completed until 1934. It contains murals by Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros and Rufino Tamayo.

Xochimilco Gardens

• The chinampas, or “floating gardens” of the Aztecs were an ingenious agricultural technique to create arable land on the lake. Now you can ride brightly colored boats along the canals and buy from vendors on barges or hire a mariachi band to serenade you.

• 500 years ago Xochimilco was the agricultural hub of Tenochtitlán.

• In the Náhuatl language of the Aztecs, the name Xochimilco means 'garden of flowers.' The flowers that lined the streets of the city and its rooftop gardens took root here.

Xochimilco Gardens

Xochimilco Gardens

Metro• Mexico City is served by

the Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metro, a 207 km metro system, which is the largest in Latin America.

• It services 4.5 million people each day (New York City services 5.1 million)

• It costs $3.00 Mexican pesos and operates from 5 a.m. – midnight.

Chapultepec Castle/ National History Museum

• The centuries-old Chapultepec Forest is crowned by the most magnificent castle in Mexico City. Constructed during the 18th century, this neo-classical castle originally served and home of the Emperor Maximiliano. Today this historic landmark and world heritage site houses the National Museum of History, featuring various salons with opulent furnishings, historic jewels, the splendid imperial carriage and amazing murals by Orozco, Siqueiros and O´Gorman - the greatest muralists in México. The incredible view of the city and manicured grounds make a visit to the castle even more spectacular.

• Now a museum, this historic spot was once an Aztec palace, then a Spanish hermitage, a gun powder plant, a military college and home of the Emperor Maximilian and leaders of Mexico through 1940.

Castillo de Chapultepcec

Watch a slide show (with sound) about Mexico City – click on the picture

Resources• http://mexico-city-mexico.com/• http://www.allaboutmexicocity.com/

tododemexicocity.htm• http://my.hrw.com/wl/2006online/nsmedia/

swf/sp2/ex2ch1/photo_tour/wl_photoTour_content.html

• http://www.allaboutmexicocity.com/areamaps.htm

• http://www.fridakahlo.com/