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Mexico
City History: Before Christopher Columbus set sail for the
New World, the Valley of Mexico was already a bustling center of life
and commerce. Known for being the longest continuously inhabited city
in the Western Hemisphere (it was founded in 1325), Mexico City now
ranks as the largest city in the world. Once called Tenochtitlan,
the Aztec capital city was built on a one-square mile island in an
enormous shallow lake. By the early 1500's it was the capital of a
military empire that stretched from Texas to Honduras. The Spanish
crown, led by Hernan Cortes, conquered the Aztec Empire in 1521. It
was not until the early 1800s that Mexico began its long, hard quest
for independence - which it won in 1821.
Not only is Mexico City the capital of Mexico, but it is also Mexico's
commercial center. The zocalo, or central plaza, is the world's largest
square and Mexico City's main historic district. A whirlwind of history
can be discovered in the district's museums, hotels, cathedrals, and
public buildings. One mile to the north is the Tlatelolco Reforma
and Chapultepec Park. Once housing the historic Aztec marketplace,
it is now home to the Plaza of Three Cultures, depicting the three
dramatic eras of Mexico City's evolution. The elegant Paseo de la
Reforma surrounds Mexico City from west to northeast. It was modeled
after the Champs-Elysees in Paris and built during the reign of Emperor
Maximilian, the Archduke who ruled Mexico from 1864-67. Just south
of the Reforma is the fashionable Zona Rosa, or the Pink Zone. Built
in the 1920's and reminiscent of Greenwich Village, its location is
ideal - half-way between the zocalo and Chapultepec Park. Most of
the superior and deluxe Mexico City hotels are located here, as well
as the city's finest restaurants, historic landmarks and public buildings.
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