The great cities we know today often arise from the ruins of past places. Some of them are several centuries old, and it is interesting to see that there is almost another city underneath cities like Paris. This also applies to Mexico City, a huge city with over nine million inhabitants (in its urban area), built on top of cities like Tenochtitlan or Tlatelolco.

The area has been one of the most interesting areas of the city for some time, but now its canals and pre-Hispanic pier explain the strategic importance the area has had for many years.

Tlatelolco. In 1338 a large indigenous group dispersed. Some of them remained in Tenochtitlán while the Tlatelolca group founded Tlatelolco. Not that they were too crazy about the name, but they maintained their independence for over a hundred years, during which time their markets – tianguis – became a very important center for not only commercial but also cultural exchange. The city was divided into 19 neighborhoods, and its great cultural wealth was due to the merchants from distant lands who stayed in the city.

Beyond its architecture, which can be seen today in the heart of Mexico City, highlights of its culture are ceramics, murals and sculptures. However, recent discoveries teach us that in addition to being a multicultural society, they also mastered hydraulics.

hydraulic experts. Archaeologists affiliated with the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) carried out excavations in approximately 40 test pits in an area of ​​11 thousand square meters. This helped to understand not only the lifestyle at that time, but also the water structure of the city. One of the most important discoveries concerns a structure consisting of channels ranging in size from 1 to 8 meters, dating back to the Late Postclassic period (between 1200 and 1521 AD). Also a pier measuring 4.8 x 3.1 meters.

Xantal Rosales García, one of the archaeologists who participated in the discovery of these canals, explains that in the pre-Hispanic period, they used stone masonry to build walls as well as stairs that led down to the water. They also discovered that Tlatelolco’s northern boundary was about 300 meters earlier than previously believed.

According to archaeologist Tulio Cordero, this discovery is useful because “knowing the boundaries of Tlatelolco allows us to complete the image we have of this city and imagine the life of its inhabitants with its complex hydraulic system.” Beyond the pier, it was discovered that Tlatelolco had a complex system of canals intended for irrigation and drainage, but which also allowed for navigation.

What has now been found is evidence of its existence, as works such as this mural by Diego Rivera in 1945 have already demonstrated this complex system of canals that allowed for both navigation and crop irrigation.

Traces of indigenous culture. During the excavation, archaeologists uncovered new human remains thanks to three graves. Additionally, funeral gifts and hundreds of ceramic pieces were found inside. This is interesting because they suggest that indigenous people continued to live in the area after the arrival of the Spanish and that the cultural change was more gradual, unlike what happened in other regions.

Why do they know this? Since traces of offerings from pre-Hispanic times were found in these graves, the indigenous people continued to practice some of their rituals and culture, at least for a time.

Disaster. Now it seems that this total change of mentality came with the floods in 1555 and 1607 and the epidemics that caused the decline of the indigenous population in that part of the city. 17th and 18th centuries.

Pictures | ProtoplasmaKid, Thelmadatter

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