Pueblo Culhuacán
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Pueblo Culhuacán () is an officially designated neighborhood of the
Iztapalapa Iztapalapa () is a borough (''demarcación territorial'') in Mexico City, located on the eastern side of the city. The borough is named after and centered on the formerly independent municipality of Iztapalapa (officially Iztapalapa de Cuitláhua ...
borough of
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
, which used to be a major pre-Hispanic city. Ancient Culhuacán was founded around 600 CE and the site has been continuously occupied since. The city was conquered by the
Aztecs The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the ...
in the 15th century, but the Aztecs considered the city to have status with early rulers marrying into Culhua nobility to legitimize themselves. After the
Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was a pivotal event in the history of the Americas, marked by the collision of the Aztec Triple Alliance and the Spanish Empire. Taking place between 1519 and 1521, this event saw the Spanish conquistad ...
, the
Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...
and later the
Augustinians Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...
made Culhuacán a major evangelization center, with the latter building the monastery complex which remains to this day. Today, Culhucan is fully integrated into Mexico City physically and politically. This area was designated as a "Barrio Mágico" by the city in 2011.


Modern Pueblo Culhuacán

Culhuacan is one of the subdivisions of the borough of Iztapalapa, bordering the borough of
Coyoacán Coyoacán ( ; , Otomi: ) is a borough (''demarcación territorial'') in Mexico City. The former village is now the borough's "historic center". The name comes from Nahuatl and most likely means "place of coyotes", when the Aztecs named a pre- ...
. Geographically, it is located at the base of the Cerro de la Estrella mountain. Today, the area known as Culhuacan is politically divided into eleven units, called “colonias,” “barrios” or “pueblos” with the historic center designated as Pueblo (village) Culhuacán, due its earlier independent status as an altepetl and then as a recognized pueblo by the Spanish colonial government. The area was separate and rural as late as early 20th century, made up of chinampas separated by a series of canals. The Culhuacan area is now physically, economically and politically integrated into Mexico City, covered in modern cinderblock and cement structures that continue uninterrupted into neighboring areas. Line 12 of the Mexico City Metro passes through the Pueblo with the elevated station Pueblo Culhuacán only a couple of blocks from the central 16th century monastery complex. What is now Avenida Tláhuac was a canal in the colonial period. This canal was a main waterway connecting Mexico City with the agricultural areas of Chalco and
Xochimilco Xochimilco (; ) is a borough () of Mexico City. The borough is centered on the formerly independent city of Xochimilco, which was established on what was the southern shore of Lake Xochimilco in the precolonial period. Today, the borough cons ...
with flat bottomed canoes called
trajinera Xochimilco (; ) is a borough () of Mexico City. The borough is centered on the formerly independent city of Xochimilco, which was established on what was the southern shore of Lake Xochimilco in the precolonial period. Today, the borough consi ...
s carrying produce to the city. In the mid 20th century, this canal was closed, filled in and paved over to create the current road. Line 12 of the Metro here is elevated following this same road. To this day, the residents of this area maintain a kind of rivalry with those from the historic center of Iztapalapa on the other side of the Cerro de la Estrella. Both host
passion play The Passion Play or Easter pageant is a dramatic Play (theatre), presentation depicting the Passion of Jesus: his Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus, trial, suffering and death. The viewing of and participation in Passion Plays is a traditional part of L ...
s during
Holy Week Holy Week () commemorates the seven days leading up to Easter. It begins with the commemoration of Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednes ...
and each has a small natural cave that contains an image of the buried Christ as a local pilgrimage site. Culhuacan's cave site is marked by a chapel called the Capilla del Señor del Calvario. It refers to the image what is said to have been found over 200 years ago by quarry workers in this cave.


The pre-Hispanic City-State (''altepetl'')

The name comes from
Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...
and means “place of the culhuas.” The term “culhua” means “ancient or venerable” but it can also mean “hunched” which might refer to the Cerro de la Estrella. However, the area was considered by the Mexica to be an ancient religious and mythical place as a connection to the cultural past. Culhuacan was founded in 600 CE and was a center of influence in the lake are of the
Valley of Mexico The Valley of Mexico (; ), sometimes also called Basin of Mexico, is a highlands plateau in central Mexico. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the Valley of Mexico was a centre for several pre-Columbian civilizations including Teotihuacan, ...
. The Ramírez Codex says that this city was recognized by the Mexica as a contemporary to the mythical
Aztlán Aztlán (from or romanized ''Aztlán'', ) is the ancestral home of the Aztec peoples. The word "Aztec" was derived from the Nahuatl a''ztecah'', meaning "people from Aztlán." Aztlán is mentioned in several ethnohistorical sources dating from t ...
and of the ancestors of the peoples who were in the Valley of Mexico before the Aztecs. The early
Mexica The Mexica (Nahuatl: ; singular ) are a Nahuatl-speaking people of the Valley of Mexico who were the rulers of the Triple Alliance, more commonly referred to as the Aztec Empire. The Mexica established Tenochtitlan, a settlement on an island ...
leaders married women from Culhuacan in order to legitimize their lineage. Culhuacan's prime was between the fall of Tula and the rise of
Tenochtitlan , also known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan, was a large Mexican in what is now the historic center of Mexico City. The exact date of the founding of the city is unclear, but the date 13 March 1325 was chosen in 1925 to celebrate the 600th annivers ...
, making it a major power in the Valley of Mexico for three hundred years. Culhuacán was located on the north coast of the
Lake Chalco Lake Chalco was an endorheic lake formerly located in the Valley of Mexico, and was important for Mesoamerican cultural development in central Mexico. The lake was named after the ancient city of Chalco on its former eastern shore. Lake Chal ...
/
Lake Xochimilco Lake Xochimilco (; , ) is an ancient endorheic lake, located in the present-day Borough of Xochimilco in southern Mexico City. It is the last remaining habitat of the axolotl. The lake is within the Valley of Mexico hydrological basin, in ...
, which has since dried up. According to archeological studies, the site appears to have been continuously inhabited since its initial founding. Until between 600 and 800 CE, it was an important provincial city under the domination of
Teotihuacan Teotihuacan (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Teotihuacán'', ; ) is an ancient Mesoamerican city located in a sub-valley of the Valley of Mexico, which is located in the State of Mexico, northeast of modern-day Mexico City. Teotihuacan is ...
. Between 800 and 900 CE, it became governed by a
Toltec The Toltec culture () was a Pre-Columbian era, pre-Columbian Mesoamerican culture that ruled a state centered in Tula (Mesoamerican site), Tula, Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo, Mexico, during the Epiclassic and the early Post-Classic period of Mesoam ...
-
Chichimeca Chichimeca () is the name that the Nahua peoples of Mexico generically applied to nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples who were established in present-day Bajío region of Mexico. Chichimeca carried the same meaning as the Roman term "barbarian" tha ...
dynasty, which dominated much of the south of the Valley of Mexico. Between 900 and 1000 CE, Culhuacan, along with Tula and
Otumba Otumba may refer to: *Otumba, State of Mexico, a municipality in the State of Mexico, Mexico *Otumba de Gómez Farías, a town and the municipal seat of Otumba municipality, State of Mexico *Otompan Otompan (Nahuatl for "place of Otomis") or Otumb ...
, formed the nucleus of the Toltec empire. When this fell, Culhuacan became a haven for the last of the Tula ruling class. The city declined but despite this, it remained the most powerful in the valley until the rise of Tenochtitlan in the 15th century. However, almost nothing remains of the pre-Hispanic settlement because it was completely destroyed, with the exception of the temple at the Cerro de la Estrella, which then became the center of the Aztec's 52-year renewal ceremony.


Colonial-era Culhuacan

A great deal is known about colonial-era Culhuacan, especially the late sixteenth century. Cullhuacan was the subject of a Relación Geografica, a project by the Spanish crown to systematically gather data on indigenous communities. Many of these reports to the crown had pictorial maps drawn by indigenous scribes accompanying them; Culhuacan's written report and the map have been published. A fragment of the first baptismal register survives. The richest source of Culhuacan's history is a collection of last wills and testaments and other documents in Nahuatl from the period 1580–1600, now found in the collections of the
Universidad Iberoamericana The Ibero-American University (), also referred to by its acronym ''UIA'' but commonly known as ''Ibero'' or ''La Ibero'', is a private, Catholic, Mexican higher education institution, sponsored by the Mexican province of the Society of Jesus ( ...
. The analysis of the information in the Nahuatl wills has made possible the writing of a social history of the town at a particular period in its colonial history, an example of the
New Philology New Philology can refer to: * The nineteenth-century intellectual movement in philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary ...
.León-Portilla and Cline, editors. ''Los Testamentos de Culhuacán: Vida y Muerte entre los Nahuas del México Central, siglo XVI'' (2023), Part III, "Vida y muerte en Culhuacán, 1580-1600: Estudio Analítico de ''Los Testamentos de Culhuacán''"


The monastery

The monastery of San Juan Evangelista is one of the few remaining from the 16th century in Mexico City. It is located on Avenida 10 between Avenida Taxquena and Avenida Tláhuac. After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, Culhuacan was selected as an evangelization center first by the Franciscans and then by the Augustinians. The Franciscans founded a small mission over the ruins of the Culhuacan main temple. They were replaced by the Augustinians between 1552 and 1569, who replaced the Franciscan mission with a monastery and church. This monastery was dedicated to the
John the Apostle John the Apostle (; ; ), also known as Saint John the Beloved and, in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Saint John the Theologian, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest apostle, he ...
and became the center of learning and religion for the area. The monastery closed as such in 1756, when the
Spanish Crown The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...
took away much of the power of the religious orders in
New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...
. The complex was converted into a parish. Later it became a Catholic school and then a barracks for the
Zapatistas Zapatista(s) may refer to: * Liberation Army of the South, a guerrilla force led by Emiliano Zapata in the Mexican Revolution 1911–1920 ** Zapatismo, the armed movement identified with the ideas of Emiliano Zapata * Zapatista Army of National L ...
. It also served as the offices of the Direction of Historic Monuments of the INAH. Restoration work began in 1944 when it was declared a historic monument, and finished in the 1980s. The monastery is built in a mostly
Renaissance style Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...
with walls of
basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
obtained locally. The current
portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...
used to lead to the monastery's garden and originally served as an open chapel, then as a portal to receive pilgrims. The wall of this has a series of multicolored frames in Baroque style. In the vestibule a figure of
Saint Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman province), Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced th ...
is featured protecting representatives of various religious orders. Attached to the vestibule is a small chapel for meditation which also conserves some of its painting from the 16th century. The
cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...
is square and sober with frescos in Baroque/
Plateresque Plateresque, meaning "in the manner of a silversmith" (''plata'' being silver in Spanish language, Spanish), was an artistic movement, especially Architecture, architectural, developed in Spanish Empire, Spain and its territories, which appeared ...
style. It has a garden area in the center and on the four sides there are arches in a somewhat Romance style. Behind these are wide corridors which lead to the kitchen, baths, dining room, refectory, chapter house, library, study areas, the church and confessionals. The upper cloister has twelve cells for monks now occupied by offices and halls of the site museum. This area contains some of the best preserved black and white murals from the 16th century and makes the complex notable. These murals include scenes of Augustinian martyrs and one called the Adoration of the Magi. Part of the cloister was opened as a museum in 1995, with three halls dedicated to the area's pre-Hispanic history and one to its colonial history. The first hall is called the “Dominion of Culhuacan and the lake area” which contains ceramics such as plates and bowls, mostly of Toltec influence. The other two halls have to do with the history of the city under Mexica domination. During this time, the city was a ceremonial center. Objects on display include cups for pulque, an effigy of the god of death, female figurines, seals, a sacrificial knife, a mask depicting the god Tlaloc and a sculpture of the goddess Chicomecóatl in basalt, which is unique. One section is dedicated to the New Fire ceremony. In addition, there are a number of objects related to everyday life during the pre-Hispanic era, such as farming tools, objects related to textiles and
obsidian Obsidian ( ) is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock. Produced from felsic lava, obsidian is rich in the lighter element ...
knives and spear points. Most of the pieces on display are from excavations from the adjoining Parque Histórico and others donated by residents of Culhuacán. The last hall relates to the colonial period, which used to be a private chapel for the use of the monks. The objects here are from the original church, such as the base of the pulpit and four wood columns of an
altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...
from the 16th and 17th centuries. There is also a collection of photographs including those showing the restoration of the complex. The Culhuacan Community Center is also located in the former monastery. It is a pilot program of the
Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia The Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH, ''National Institute of Anthropology and History'') is a Federal government of the United Mexican States, Mexican federal government bureau established in 1939 to guarantee the researc ...
dedicated to research, rescue and conservation of local cultural and artistic heritage as well as education. It hosts events such as workshops, concerts, theater, dance and a library, as well as festivals such as the Festival del Son Jarocho and the Feria Latinoamericana del
Tamal A tamale, in Spanish , is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of ''masa'', a dough made from nixtamalized corn, which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaves. The wrapping can either be discarded prior to eating or used as a plate. Ta ...
. It was established in 1984.


Other landmarks

The Parque Historico was established to protect the remaining pre-Hispanic ruins along with a colonial-era dock and reservoir from when this area was part of the
chinampa Chinampa ( ) is a technique used in Agriculture in Mesoamerica, Mesoamerican agriculture which relies on small, rectangle, rectangular areas of fertility (soil), fertile arable land to grow agriculture, crops on the shallow lake beds in the Va ...
zone on the shoreline of Lake Chalco/
Lake Xochimilco Lake Xochimilco (; , ) is an ancient endorheic lake, located in the present-day Borough of Xochimilco in southern Mexico City. It is the last remaining habitat of the axolotl. The lake is within the Valley of Mexico hydrological basin, in ...
and later on the canal connecting it to Mexico City. In the past, this spot was one of the most important for Culhuacán which it is now again today, now as a recreational area. It is part of a reforestation effort in the area by Saul Alcantara Onofre of the INAH and contains native species such as
Montezuma cypress ''Taxodium mucronatum'', commonly known as Montezuma bald cypress, Montezuma cypress, or ahuehuete, is a species of ''Taxodium'' that is primarily native to Mexico and Guatemala, with a few populations in the southwestern United States. Ahuehue ...
and holm oaks . Culhuacan was home to the first paper mill in New Spain, constructed on what is now Avenida Tláhuac and began functioning in 1580. It was constructed next to a spring, whose water was used to power the millstone. Today, the remains of this mill are in an enclosed plaza. The ruins of the paper mill lay for several centuries without anyone knowing what they were until the mid-20th century. It was used as a garbage dump until the site was investigated by a woman named Teresa Ambriz. However, it was not designated as a historical site until 1987, as part of the monastery complex. The site is flanked by vendors and is hard to see by the casual passer-by. When the monastery church was closed, another church was built between 1880 and 1897 to the south to replace it. It was also named San Juan Evangelista. This church has a single name with circular windows on the side walls. The cupola has images of various angels and it has the small Plateresque columns on its altar that are on that of the original church. The Capilla del Señor del Calvario is an important sanctuary in Pueblo Culhuacán as well as Xochimilco and Tlalpan. It contains an image of a buried Christ. This church was built between at the end of the 19th century or early 20th. The interior is small but extended by an appendage added outside and attached to the front facade. The interior is noted for its rich ornamentation with gold leaf on the columns, capitals and areas of the ceiling. The image generally found on the main altar. The church was built next to a small natural cave, which was a shrine in the pre Hispanic period. According to local legend, the image of Christ was found here. In front of this chapel is the Plazuela de la Ancienidad which is dedicated to the memory of the fact that Moctezuma II granted the area to retired soldiers and government servants


See also

Carnivals of Iztapalapa


Further reading

*Brenner, Anita. ''The Influence of Technique on the Decorative Style in the Domestic Pottery of Culhuacan, Mexico. Publicación de la Escuela Internacional de Arqueología y Etnología Americana 1931.'' *Cline, S.L. "Land Tenure and Land Inheritance in late Sixteenth-Century Culhuacan," in ''Explorations in Ethnohistory'', H.R. Harvey and Hans J. Prem, eds. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press 1984. *Cline, S.L. ''Colonial Culhuacan, 1580-1600: A Social History of an Aztec Town''. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press 1986

*Cline, S.L. and Miguel Léon-Portilla. ''The Testaments of Culhuacan''. UCLA Latin American Center Publications. Nahuatl Studies Series, no. 1. 1984. *Gallegos, Gonzalo. "Relación Geográfica de Culhuacan," ''Revista Mexicana de Estudios Históricos'' 1(6)1927: 171–73. *Gorbea Trueba, José. "Primer libro de bautismos del ex-convento de Culhuacán, D.F." Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Boletín 6:3. n.d. * Miguel León-Portilla, León-Portilla, Miguel. "El libro de testamentos indígenas de Culhuacán," ''Estudios de Cultura Náhuatl'', 1976, 12:11-31. *Léon-Portilla, Miguel and Sarah Cline, editors. ''Los Testamentos de Culhuacán: Vida y Muerte entre los Nahuas del México Central, siglo XVI. Transcripciones del náhuatl, traducciones al español e inglés''. With the collaboration of Juan Carlos Torres López. México: Universidad Iberoamericana 2023 digital, open access publicatio
El Libro de Testamentos de Culhuacan
*Prem, Hanns J. "Los reyes de Tollan y Colhuacan" ''Estudios de cultura náhuatl'' volume 30, (1999) pp.23–70 *Séjourné, Laurette. ''Culhuacan''. Mexico: Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 1970.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pueblo Culhuacan Iztapalapa Neighborhoods in Mexico City