Horizons of The Past

 

The Square of Santo Domingo is considered Mexico´s City second largest square, after the Zocalo, due to its location and because it is bounded by historic buildings that  during the Viceroyalty fulfilled important economic, religious, political and commercial roles. The Temple of Santo Domingo and the Temple of la Enseñanza, the Chapel of Atonement, the Palace of the Inquisition and the Customs old building are some of the New Spain's significant buildings that make up this urban space of the Historical Downtown.

In the book La Plaza de Santo Domingo. Sixteenth century, Pedro Alvarez y Gasca explains that, initially, this place was located in the quarter of Santa Maria and built over the ancient Mexica Calpulli Cuepopan; according to other sources, before the fall of Tenochtitlan, Cuauhtemoc´s Palace occupied part of it. When the Dominicans arrived in 1526 the space was free, so it was assigned to operate as a convent. In 1571 the Royal Court of the Inquisition was settled in the northeast corner of the Square, and early on the XVII century, there were a large cross and a fountain, which supplied water to the neighborhood. In 1676 the Customs building was settled on the eastern side, it managed the taxes and reviewed the objects entering from Europe to New Spain via the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

The Temple of Santo Domingo, a building that dates from the XVII century, which replaced the original after a fire, still retains the XVII century altarpieces of Mexican artist Manuel Tolsá. Besides all these constructions there was, in the center of the Square, a fountain with the motif of the eagle and the cactus, it was replaced in 1890 with the fountain of the Corregidora Doña Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez.  (LugarCero)

music+image
Thanks for visiting, please be sure that I read each and every one of your kind comments, I appreciate them all. Stay tuned.