Chapultepec
Chapultepec ( Chapoltepēc , locust hill in the Nahuatl language) is a large hill located a few kilometers southwest of the center of Mexico City in the Delegación Miguel Hidalgo .
The Bosque de Chapultepec ( Chapultepec Forest ) is the largest green space in the center of Mexico City and a popular destination for capital city dwellers with an area of around 4 km². While the local recreation area is called a forest in Spanish , it is regularly designated as a park in German and English travel guides . The Chapultepec forest or park is divided into three sectors.
The sectors of the Bosque de Chapultepec
Sector 1
The first and most important sector occupies the north and east of the park and is traversed in the northern area by the Paseo de la Reforma . North of this street are the Anthropological Museum and the Rufino Tamayo Museum . South of the Reforma - from west to east - the following important objects can be found in close proximity to the street:
- the Campo Marte military parade ground ;
- the Auditorio Nacional , the national concert hall with a capacity for 15,000 visitors;
- the botanical garden;
- the zoological garden of Chapultepec ;
- the Lago Chapultepec with Casa del Lago ; a pond that can be entered with rented boats and the villa on the west bank of the pond, which now belongs to the University of Mexico City and is used for courses and cultural events;
- the Museum of Modern Art, opened in 1964, which mainly houses works by Mexican artists of the 19th and especially the 20th century.
To the south of this is Chapultepec Castle on a hill , construction of which began in 1785. In its early days, it served as the residence of the viceroys of New Spain , as the rulers of Mexico appointed by Spain were called at the time. In 1843 the castle was converted into a military academy. With the arrival of Emperor Maximilian in 1864, the castle was renovated and made his residence. After his execution in 1867, the palace served as the residence of the Mexican presidents until 1940. Since then it has served as the seat of the National History Museum. The new official seat of the presidents was the Los Pinos palace on Calzada Molino del Rey , which is also located in sector 1 of the Bosque de Chapultepec.
During the 1968 Summer Olympics , this area was part of the marathon .
Sector 2
The second sector, which forms a large unit together with sector 1, is located west of the Boulevard Presidente Adolfo López Mateos . The most important structures in this section are the Papalote Museo del Niño Children's Museum and the México Mágico site , where models of the most important Mexican structures can be seen.
Sector 3
The third sector is located away from the actual park, which is made up of sectors 1 and 2. It is located almost 2 km southwest and is separated from the main park by the Civil de Dolores cemetery in between . Its main attraction is the Atlantis water park, where dolphins and sea lions can be admired.
History of Chapultepec
The hill on which the castle is located today was a former Toltec stronghold , whose last ruler Huémac is said to have hanged himself here in 1177 after his flight from Tula . Aztecs first settled on the hill in 1299, but were driven out by neighboring tribes just 20 years later. After some time, the Aztecs reclaimed the lost ground and built a temple on the hill, while the immediate vicinity of the hill was transformed into a garden for the ruler. Since Moctezuma I (1390–1469), the Aztec rulers have immortalized themselves on a rock face at the eastern end of the hill in the form of reliefs. While the majority was deliberately destroyed after the conquest , clearly recognizable remains of the portrait of Moctezuma II are still preserved. On the left side the date of the year 2 acatl , corresponding to the year 1507, is visible, next to it parts of the headdress and below the legs of the ruler as well as other traditional costume elements. The drill holes of the destruction are clearly visible.
Tenochtitlan , the capital of the Aztec Empire, was in the middle of Lake Texcoco and was supplied with drinking water via several aqueducts across the lake. One of the aqueducts was fed by springs at the foot of Chapultepec Hill. When Hernán Cortés besieged the city in 1521, his captains Pedro de Alvarado and Cristóbal de Olid destroyed the aqueduct at Chapultepec and cut off the Aztecs' water supply.
In 1847, at the Battle of Chapultepec during the Mexican-American War , six young cadets defended their academy against invading American troops to the death. One, Juan Escutia, is said to have wrapped himself in the flag and jumped to his death from the roof, as a mural commemorates. The Niños Héroes are honored on September 13th every year with a national holiday. They were called:
- Juan de la Barrera (Age 19)
- Juan Escutia (Age 15-19) (?)
- Francisco Márquez (Age 13)
- Agustín Melgar (Age 15-19) (?)
- Fernando Montes de Oca (Age 15-19) (?)
- Vicente Suárez (Age 14)
The Monumento a los Niños Heroes below the castle is dedicated to them and is located behind the main entrance of the park.
Connection to the public transport network
From the city center of the metropolis you can reach the Bosque de Chapultepec on foot, by car or bus, the easiest way is via the Paseo de la Reforma.
Three Metro stations surround the few kilometers southwest of the city center located park: located in the northern area, the location on the Paseo de la Reforma between Auditorium and Zoo Station Auditorium , the location on the southern edge on Avenida Constituyentes station Constituyentes . Both stations are served by Line 7, which is the westernmost north-south connection of the Mexico City Metro . It runs between El Rosario in the north and Barranca del Muerto in the south. The two stations at the Bosque de Chapultepec are also connected by the Calzada Molino del Rey; a road that runs through the park and largely separates the first and second sections of the park.
Not far from the main entrance to the Bosque de Chapultepec on Paseo de la Reforma is the Chapultepec station on the eastern edge of the park , which is on the line 1. This is the most important underground east-west connection of the Mexican capital and it runs between the terminus Observatorio in the west and Pantitlán in the east.
General system
Individual evidence
- ↑ Baedeker's Allianz Travel Guide (Stuttgart 1986), p. 186 ISBN 3-87504-079-1
- ^ Henry B. Nicholson: The Chapultepec Cliff sculpture of Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin . In: Tomo especial de homenaje consagrado a honrar la memoria del ilustre anthropólogo Doctor Hermann Beyer , México 1959, pp. 379–444
- ↑ Bernal Díaz del Castillo : True History of the Conquest of Mexico, 1988, p. 465
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original dated May 16, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Competition venues for the 1968 Summer Olympics
Coordinates: 19 ° 25 ′ 13.7 ″ N , 99 ° 10 ′ 54.4 ″ W.