Palace of Axayacatl
| Palace of Axayacatl | |
|---|---|
 Plaque marking the site of the former palace | |
 Location in Mexico City | |
| Location | Mexico City, Mexico |
| Coordinates | 19°26.061′N 99°8.045′W / 19.434350°N 99.134083°W |
| Built | Between 1469–79[1][2] |
| Built for | Axayacatl |
| Demolished | c. 1521 |
The Palace of Axayacatl, also known as the Old House of Moctezuma, (Spanish: Palacio de Axayácatl) is the name of a pre-Hispanic residential complex composed of interconnected palaces.[3] The complex served as the royal palace and chambers of Tenochtitlan's sixth emperor Axayacatl,[3] and later as the residence of Hernán Cortés.
Only ruins of the Palace exist today.[4]
Aztec history
[edit]The Palace was built during the reign of Axayacatl (1469–81), and it was completed no later than 1479.[2] During his life, Axayacatl used the palace as his main living quarters.
The Palace was then passed down to Axayacatl's son Moctezuma II in 1481, and he lived there until he moved into the "New Houses" built specifically for the ninth emperor.[5] While he lived at the Palace, Moctezuma kept hundreds of objects made from gold and jade on display which were later melted down by the conquistadors.[6][7]
Colonial history
[edit]Moctezuma allowed conquistador Hernán Cortés to live in the Palace in 1519; within months, he had converted the building into a massive fortress with embrasures for cannons and crenels for musketeers.[6] Here, he imprisoned several Mesoamerican rulers including Moctezuma II, who was put under house arrest in the hopes that Cortés could rule through him.[8] In May 1520, several of these rulers were killed during a religious festival at the Palace.[4]
After Moctezuma II died within the grounds of the Palace in 1520,[4] Hernán Cortés had the original palace demolished by forcing the former residents of Tenochitlan to raze the Palace buildings during the Massacre of Toxcatl on 22 May 1520,[9] and rubble from the demolished palace was used by Alonso García Bravo construct a new building built specifically for Cortés between c. 1521–25.[3] The building then became the seat of the first cabildo government of New Spain in 1525.[10] Cortés used the building until 1530 and it stayed within his family until 1562, when it was acquired by the Spanish crown.[6]
The main office of the pawnshop known as the Nacional Monte de Piedad was built on the site between 1774–77, and they acquired the site in 1836.[10]
Discovery and excavation
[edit]In September 2017, during renovations at the main office of the Nacional Monte de Piedad, workers discovered pre-Columbian basalt ruins underneath the floor of the modern pawnshop building.[3][10] By August 2018, archaeologists Raúl Barrera Rodríguez and José María García Guerrero had discovered a second room belonging to the Palace.[4]
Description
[edit]Description of the Palace
[edit]The Palace was likely a large building with an outdoor courtyard area.[10][4]
Surviving ruins
[edit]The surviving ruins of Cortés' residence consist of a basalt floor, columns, and walls reaching no higher than 3 metres (9.8 ft) that date to around 1521 which incorporated older stonework from the Palace, indicated by several reworked glyphs such as a depiction of Quetzalcōātl.[4] Underneath these ruins, an older paved basalt floor was found, which belonged to the Palace courtyard.[3]
The site is several layers deep because the Spanish colonials built Mexico City on top of the Aztec buildings.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Conrad, Geoffrey W.; Demarest, Arthur A. (1984-08-31). Religion and Empire: The Dynamics of Aztec and Inca Expansionism. Cambridge University Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-521-31896-9.
- ^ a b "Aztec Rulers: Axayacatl, Sixth Tlatoani". www.mexicapodcast.com. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Remains of Aztec Palace of Axayácatl & House Built by Hernán Cortés Discovered". www.heritagedaily.com. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Bugos, Claire (15 July 2020). "Aztec Palace and House Built by Hernán Cortés Unearthed in Mexico City". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
- ^ "Hallan restos de las Casas Nuevas de Moctezuma en DF". Retrieved 8 April 2011.
- ^ a b c Galindo, Carmen; Magdelena Galindo (2002). Mexico City Historic Center. Mexico City: Ediciones Nueva Guia. ISBN 968-5437-29-7.
- ^ López Luján, Leonardo; Ruvalcaba Sil, José Luis (2015). «The Gold of Tenochtitlan: The Archaeological Collection of the Templo Mayor Project» . Nahuatl Culture Studies 49 : 7–57. ISSN 0071-1675 . Retrieved 31 July 2020 .
- ^ "Conquistadors – Cortés. November, 1519 – Montezuma Arrested". PBS. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- ^ a b Marroqui, Jose Maria (1969). La Ciudad de Mexico. Mexico City: Ayuntamiento del Distrito Federal. pp. 21–25.
- ^ a b c d Miller, Ryan. "Remains of Aztec palace, house built by Hernán Cortés found near Mexico City plaza". USA TODAY NEWS. Retrieved 3 May 2025.