Mexico City

History of Mexico City

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area where Mexico City is now located was known as Tenochtitlán. The establishment of the city is linked to an ancient prophetic vision that held that a city would be founded on the site where an eagle devouring a snake and perched on a cactus was located. On March 18, 1325, this prophecy was fulfilled by the Mexican peoples of the Aztec Empire on the island of lake Texcoco. This prophetic vision is commemorated through an illustration of the [Page 787]eagle, the snake, and the cactus on the national flag of Mexico.

In spite of the swampy terrain, the Mexica displayed a rather innovative show of technological ability by creating a foundation for the city through a system of floating lands that would gradually take root in shallow waters.

Though Tenochtitlán grew to become the largest thriving city in Mesoamerica, the turn of the 16th century brought about an unexpected change in the civilization of the Aztec Empire. In 1519, the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro arrived on the shores of the present-day Yucatan Peninsula. By 1521, Cortés and his forces had successfully conquered Tenochtitlán. The new Spanish territory—inclusive of the former Tenochtitlán—was renamed the Vierreinato de Nueva España (“Viceroyalty of New Spain”).

It is widely accepted that the indigenous peoples of the Americas were brutally beaten and terrorized during the years following Cortés's conquest. Despite the religious influence that followed from the Roman Catholic Church, for the next three centuries much of the native population was destroyed through disease and maltreatment.

The years that followed brought revolution and independence from Spain in 1821, a war with the United States between 1846 and 1848, a brief monarchy from 1864 to 1867, an internal revolution from 1910 to 1920, and the Cristero religious conflict from 1926 to 1929. Notwithstanding these events, Mexico City has survived well into the 21st century as major cultural, economic, and industrial city in Latin America.

Culture of Religion in Mexico City

After the Spanish conquest, the majority of the indigenous religions were suppressed. As the colonization of Mexico by the Spanish Empire expanded, the Roman Catholic Church also established its presence, which is still evident today. According to recent census data, nearly 90% of the religious population in Mexico is Roman Catholic.