Part of our fourth series of City Plates. The theme of this fourth collection is “Empire Building” and looks at the global impact of empires on settlement patterns, national borders, cultural identity, and modern city form.
Mexico City – The first incarnation of Mexico City was as Tenochtitlan during the Aztec Empire. The historic core (the area in white at the center of the plate) was inspired by Aztec city planning and abuts the Baroque city planning that was brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Spanish colonialists expanded their empire through conquests in the Americas, and in doing so they brought an entirely new form of architecture to Mexico City. This is seen in the very Baroque designs along the Paseo de la Reforma (in green), which tells of the citys transformation along its central extension.
The City Plates measure 12 across. Key buildings are represented with persimmon icons, while rivers and public spaces are shown in blue and green.