Barbara_E._Mundy]_The_Death_of_Aztec_Tenochtitlan

176 • The deaTh of azTec TenochTiTLan, The Life of mexico ciTy

were essential in creating a sense of shared history. The
first established in the post-Conquest city was that of
San Hipólito, discussed in chapter 4 and shown in fig-
ure  8.2, which offered urban residents a commemoration
of the Spanish victory over Mexica armies. This event was
recalled both in the sermon preached at the Mass and in
the movement up and down the Tacuba causeway, the path
of escape during the Noche Triste, when the Spanish and
their allies were routed from the city. Another route was
that taken on Easter Sunday, and this is also shown on the
map; Chimalpahin, writing at the beginning of the seven-
teenth century, tells us that it had two starting points: one
for indigenous participants at San Francisco and one for
Spaniards at the church of Veracruz. These two points of
origin served participants with a yearly reminder of their
inclusion in one (and exclusion from the other) of the two

“republics” within the city. Veracruz, which sat upon the

Tacuba causeway, had been established as a parish in 1568,

and through the colonial period it was understood as the

entrance to the city; it was here that the Virgin of Reme-

dios would be welcomed into the city in 1577 after her cult

gained popularity due to the reputation of the statue of her

as effecting “remedies” for various ills, such as lack of rain. 33

In addition, Veracruz was located near San Hipólito, that

monument to Spanish victory. The two streams created by

the two republics came together in the area of Ayoticpac,

which marked an earlier moment in the city’s history: it was

here where an old woman seller had raised the cry to alert

the Mexica that their enemies were escaping, a moment of

Santa María

Santo Domingo

Ayoticpac La Concepción

San Hipólito Veracruz

Causeway to Tacuba (Tlacopan)

Causeway of San Juan

La Encarnación Santa Catalina

de Sena

Cathedral

Plaza

Mayor

San Francisco

San José de

los Naturales

San Juan Moyotlan

Tecpan Tianguis

of Mexico

Procession of San Hipólito

N

Indigenous procession

Joined Easter procession

figuRe 8.2. Map of central Mexico City showing processional routes,

by Olga Vanegas.