What is the oldest street in Mexico City

The historical wonders that Mexico City houses are countless, more than one corner in the capital hides an endless number of memories dating back to the Mexico-Tenochtitlan era. There are also large buildings such as the National Palace (built on the palace of the ancient Mexican Tlatoanis) or the chapel of the Immaculate Conception, better known as “La Conchita” in Coyoacán, two buildings that were born in the colonial period.

According to the magazine Arqueología Mexicana of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), Tacuba Street is classified as the oldest not only in CDMX, but also in America. Although its appearance has changed over time, it has always been a path that the inhabitants have used to move to different parts of the capital.

It is one of the most important arteries in the city center that was built in the 14th century, the same time when the Mexicas established their empire in 1325. The official site of the Historic Center of the City points out that at first the street was named Tlacopan, which means “Place of Jarillas”.

It was given that title due to the abundance of this flower in the area and since then, it has “become a magical neighborhood full of elements that make it an extensive cultural point practically obligatory to know and discover for locals and tourists”.

The same source points out that this place is recognized as one of the oldest on the continent because “there are historical records where you can see its operation since times before the Spanish colonization, being one of the 4 main access points on the island of Tenochtitlan with the periphery of the city”.

It should be noted that in the pre-Columbian stage it was surrounded by lakes and it was until after that much of the aquatic spaces began to be piped and dried out to build the great avenues and streets that are currently known. However, it “retains the same path as hundreds of years ago”.

On the other hand, Enrique Ortiz, the historian and author of the book The Pre-Hispanic World for People in a Hurry, explains that when Hernán Cortés decided to found a new city on the ruins of Tenochtitlan it maintained “for practical reasons the main streets that divided it like a cross into four sectors”. It was for this reason that the first mansions and temples began to be built on that road. In addition to starting to modify the appearance of the street, they decided to change the name of the street.

The important buildings it houses today such as the National Museum of Art (former Palace of the Ministry of Communications and Public Works), the Postal Palace or the famous Café Tacuba are a sign that this site has never lost its historical, social, cultural and economic relevance.

Over time, the street has continued to be transformed, since before the official extension was much longer. Today it is divided into five segments: Tacuba Street, Hidalgo Avenue, Mexico-Tenochtitlan Avenue (formerly called Puente de Alvarado by the famous Spanish conqueror Pedro de Alvarado), Ribera de San Cosme and culminates with the Mexico-Tacuba road.

Finally, religious buildings have also played an important role in the identity of this space, since all along the causeway you can find temples in the New Spain Baroque style such as that of San Fernando, where missionaries who were responsible for the tasks of evangelization were trained. In addition, there is the parish of St. Gabriel the Archangel, built in 1584 by the Franciscan Order.

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