Trekkin' Across Mexico, 1920s Style

Welcome to Mexico a century ago--join me on this trek across Mesoamerica

We’ll start off with a little bit of history here (via Wikipedia, which is good enough here, and while I kept the links, I deleted the endnotes):

Human presence in Pre-Columbian Mexico dates back to 8,000 BC as one of six cradles of civilization. Mesoamerica hosted civilizations including the Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, Teotihuacan, and Purepecha. Aztec domination of the area preceded Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, which established the colony of New Spain centered in the former capital, Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City). [line break added]

The Mexican War of Independence in the early 19th century was followed by political and socioeconomic upheaval. The Mexican–American War resulted in significant territorial losses in 1848. Liberal reforms introduced in the Constitution of 1857 prompted domestic conflict, French intervention, and the establishment of an Empire, countered by the Republican resistance led by Benito Juárez. The rise of Porfirio Díaz's dictatorship in the 19th century sparked the Mexican Revolution in 1910, which led to profound changes, such as the 1917 Constitution.

And this is where we start—in Mexico City in the 1920s.

Mexico City in the 1920s

Behold—the National Palace in the 1920s:

The National Palace (Spanish: Palacio Nacional) is the seat of the federalexecutive in Mexico. Since 2018 it has also served as the official residence for the President of Mexico. It is located on Mexico City's main square, the Plaza de la Constitución (El Zócalo). This site has been a palace for the ruling class of Mexico since the Aztec Empire, and much of the current palace'‘s building materials are from the original one that belonged to the 16th-century leader Moctezuma II.

Here’s the National Palace from another perspective:

On the reverse of the first postcard, it is noted that in the 1920s, it housed the offices of the president, the Senate, the Departments of War, Finance, and the Treasury.

In other words, it also shows the massive growth of bureaucracy over the past century.

Here’s a postcard showing the National Library:

And another landmark—what remains of the Convent of Nuestra Señora de La Merced—was also a prominent feature of the Mexican postcards in the 1920s:

The Convent of Nuestra Señora de La Merced was a Roman Catholic colonial religious complex in present-day Historic center of Mexico City, that was destroyed to give more space to future buildings. The cloister is all that is left of a monastery complex built in the late 16th and early 17th century by the Mercedarian order. It is located on Uruguay and Talavera Streets in the historic downtown of Mexico City. The complex lent its name to the area around it, La Merced, which in turn, inspired the name of the metro station and the well-known neighborhood Market.

And, finally, an image of the cathedral of Mexico City, which is located right in the historic centre of ancient Aztec city.

Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven (Spanish: Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de la Bienaventurada Virgen María a los cielos), also commonly called the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, is the cathedral church of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico. It is situated on top of the former Aztec sacred precinct near the Templo Mayor on the northern side of the Plaza de la Constitución(Zócalo) in the historic center of Mexico City. The cathedral was built in sections from 1573 to 1813 around the original church that was constructed soon after the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlan, eventually replacing it entirely. Spanish architect Claudio de Arciniega planned the construction, drawing inspiration from Gothic cathedrals in Spain.

Isn’t it awesome that these postcards are in my grandfather’s collection?

This Mexican-themed series has two more parts: in the second instalment we’ll talk about major Catholic churches across the country, and in the third part, I’ll take you to Chichén Itzá, all of it in the 1920s.

Stay tuned!