Memories from Tenochtitlan

[Cuauhtzin]

The good old Tenochtitlan.

Its foundation is supose to be in 18 july in 1325, is difficult to separate the truth from the myth in the foundation. The leyend told us that the Aztecs (from aztlan) were in a peregrination, the last of this 13 tribes, the mexhicas (meshicas) was guided by Huitzilipochtli (god of war, hunt and asociated to the Mexhicas) to a swamp were they would find a Eagle devorating a serpent.

Exist a discution about the interpretation of this leyend, because seems a little difficult to belive that in the mesoamerican logic, an eagle (representing the power and wisdom from heavens or the mystic world), would be fighting with the serpent (a representation for the terrenal wisdom). -Because this, there aro some other theorys that the eagle and the serpent are really talking, or that the eagle is "feathering" the serpent.

 

The city was founded in the lake of Texcoco, and at first they were obligated to take the part of the lake that the other cultures there doesnt want. At first as subordinates to other more powerful lords, the Mexhicas beguin with some alliances and wars that eventually put the as the dominant power in all mexican valley. They form the tripple alliance, and under that context Tenochtitlan was born.

El asombro español expresado por los cronistas que conocieron la ciudad en el siglo XVI narran el concierto y el tamaño de la capital mexica y el grado organizativo de las funciones sociales de la misma. Muchos de los soldados de Cortés no conocían hasta entonces una ciudad tan grande. Un vistazo a Tenochtitlan pudo haber mostrado un sinnúmero de canoas (unas 60 mil en un día de actividad normal) yendo y viniendo desde el centro hasta las márgenes de los lagos y una ciudad con cerca de cincuenta grandes edificios que destacaban por encima de las casas que por lo general eran de un sólo piso.

 

Tenochtitlan estaba cruzada de lado a lado por tres amplias y largas avenidas (calzadas) que se extendían hasta tierra firme: al norte la que iba a Tepeyacac y que iniciaba en la Puerta Cuauhquihuac; al poniente la que iba a Tlacopan (por donde huyeron expulsadas las tropas de Cortés) y que iniciaba fuera del islote en el puente conocido como Chichimecapan (aproximadamente en el cruce de las actuales calles de Hidalgo y Paseo de la Reforma); la calzada al sur que iba a Ixtapalapa y que atravesaba la puerta Tepantzinco que la dividía del Templo Mayor, dos acequias, los acueductos de Ahuízotl y Acuecuezcatl a la altura de Acatlan (cerca de la ermita de San Antonio Abad) y salía al lago en Tlamacoyan. Al oriente no existía calzada ya que el límite era el Embarcadero Texcoco, que comunicaba a dicha ciudad con la ribera oriente. Paralelos a estos canales siempre había una amplia calle.

 

Los canales se usaban para el transporte con barcas hechas de totoras. Había barcazas para la recolección de desperdicios y otras para la recolección de excremento, que era utilizado como abono en las chinampas. Alrededor de 1000 personas estaban encargadas de la limpieza de las calles. Bernal Díaz del Castillo comenta su sorpresa al encontrar letrinas en las casas particulares, en el mercado público y en los caminos. Los canales se cruzaban por puentes de madera que de noche eran retirados, como forma reguladora de las corrientes del lago y como estrategia militar.

 

A pesar de que el lago de Texcoco era salado, la ciudad estaba rodeada de agua dulce gracias a los diques construidos por los mexicas y que permitían concentrar ahí el agua que desembocaba de los ríos que alimentaban al lago. La ciudad contaba con dos acueductos que tenían dos canales, que Bernal describe como "del ancho de un buey". Esto permitía mantener un canal en operación en tanto se le daba mantenimiento al otro. Esta agua era principalmente usada para lavado y aseo, los mexicas acostumbraban a tomar dos baños al día, y se reporta que Moctezuma II tomaba cuatro. Usaban la raíz de coplaxócotl (Saponaria americana) como jabón, y la raíz de metl para el lavado de la ropa.

 

La simetría de la ciudad era mantenida por medio de un funcionario llamado calmimilócatl, que debía supervisar cualquier construcción y evitar que se invadieran las calles y canales, que eran previamente construidos.

 

La organización social y económica de los pueblos de la época era en altépetl, los cuales tenían en los calpullis (barrios) su base local. Los cuatro calpullis principales de Tenochtitlan fueron al noroeste Cuepopan, al noreste Aztacalco, al suroeste Moyotla y al sureste Zoquiapan y a partir de 1473, al norte Tlaltelolco. Cada uno de los calpullis tenía una personalidad, pues usualmente los artesanos y artistas se agrupaban en algún calpulli y competían contra los de otros calpullis. En el caso de las festividades, cada calpulli trataba de superar a los otros. Actualmente, en la zona sur de la ciudad de México aun se les llama calpullis a las organizaciones generadas en torno a las iglesias católicas, y en las fiestas populares aun compiten entre ellas.

 

Además, cada calpulli tenía asignada una zona de tierra cultivable; los habitantes de un calpulli se repartían el trabajo de sembrar y cosechar esas tierras. Esto tendía a estrechar más los lazos entre los vecinos de un calpulli. Esta forma de posesión comunal de la tierra persiste en algunos pueblos del México moderno, aunque en general es considerada subversiva por el gobierno. Desde la invasión, durante siglos los campesinos han tenido que luchar para poder mantener esas tierras comunales y que no les fueran arrebatadas por los terratenientes.

 

Cada calpulli tenía su propio tianquiztli ('mercado'). Actualmente en casi todo México, se les llama tianguis a los pequeños mercados que se ponen un solo día a la semana, conocidos también como mercados sobre ruedas en otros países latinoamericanos.

 

Además del mercado del calpulli existía un mercado principal en Tlatelolco. Cortés reporta que este mercado era dos veces más grande que la ciudad de Sevilla y que había 60.000 personas comprando y vendiendo diariamente. Bernardino de Sahagún nos da una cifra más conservadora de 20.000 personas durante días comunes y 40.000 en los días de fiesta.

 

(From wikipedia)

 

The spanish express awsome by the cronist that came to the city in the XVI century, they tell about the enorumus of the Mexhica capital and they great organization of the social functions of it. Many of Cortés soldiers did not know any other city as huge as this. One sight to Tenochtitlán could had show a lot of canoes (60 thousand in a normal activity day) going and coming from the center to the periferias of the lakes and a city with more than 50 great buildings that were seen over the houses that were generally of one floor.

it was cross side to side by three long and wide avenues that extend themselves to firmground: To the north was Tepeyacac and beguin in the gate of Cuauhquihuac; to the west was from Tlacopan and goes to the bridge known as Chichimecapan; The south was from Ixtapalapa and cross the gate of Tepatzinco that was divided by the mayor temple, two acequias, the acueducts of Ahuízotl and Acuezacatl to the hight of Acatlan, and it finish to the lake Tlamacoyan.

The canals were used to the transport of ships made from totoras. Some of them were used for the trash and other for the manor that was used as fertilizant in the chinampas.

There were more or less one thousand people dedicated to the cleaning of the streets. Bernal diaz del Castillo comments his surprises to find bathrooms in the personal houses, in the public market and in the roads. The canals wew cross by bridges of wood and in the night were retire to regulate the water... (corrientes?) of the lake and as a military strategy.

Even the lake of texcoco was a saltwater, the city was surrounded of freshwater because the acueducts distributed by the Mexhicas and that conect water from the rivers to that feed the lake. The city counted with two acueducts that had to canals, Bernal diaz describe them as the "wide as a buey" this let the canal maintain in operation when they give maintainence to the other. This water was used to wash and clean, they used to take two bath at day, and it was reported that Montecuzoma II was used to take 4. They used the rooth of Coplaxcocotl (Saponaria americana) as soup (Jabón) and the rooth of metl to wash clothes.

The symetry of the city was mantein by the Calmimilócatl, that supervises every construction and looke that the streets and canals were not invaded by constructions.

The social and economic organization of the people of the time was altépetk, each one has calpullis, they´re local base. 4 principal calpullis of tenochtitlan were cuepopan, azcalco, Moyotla, Zoquiapan, and form 1473, Tlatelolco. each one had its own personality, because the artists were agroup in one calupulli and compite against other calpullis. In the case of the festivitys, each calpulli try to be the best. In the actual day, its called calupulli to the organization form sourronding the catolic temples, and in the popular festivitys compite each other.

 

Each calpulli was asigned to a fertile area to the agriculture; The habitants of each calpulli were divided in seed, harvest those lands, This was to make stronger the feelings between the neiborhood of the calpullis. This form os posetion was comunal and it persist in some places of modern México. By the centurys, the peasents had to fight against goverment and the landproperties to be still independent.

Each calpulli had its oun Tianquiztli (market). actually almost in all México its called "tianguis" to the little markets that put one day in the weekend, known as "mercado sobre ruedas" in other latin american conuntrys.

Although, the market of the calpulli there was a principal one, named Tlatelolco. Cortés report that this market was twice as big as the city of Sevilla and there were 60.000 people of persons buying and selling everyday. Bernardo de Sahagún give us a number of 20.000 and 40.000 in festivitys days.

 

Here finish my bad transalation of wikipedia xD.

Another interesting thing, is that education was obligatory, and there were three type of institutions.

 

Calmecác were the sons of high class were educated by the sieges tlamantini to be warriors, priests and governants.

Tepolchcalli, were sons of the macehuales (the middle class) were send to learn "oficios".

Cuicuacalli, place dedicated to the dance, sing and art preparation.

 

Tenochtitlan population is a debate theme. Some ones said that it was of 500 thousand people, other crhoist take it to the million. (there are some ones who talk about more than a million and a half).

 

Its to much to tella bout Tenochtitlán...