Cerro de la estrella in Iztapalapa: why it was important for the inhabitants of Tenochtitlan

The representation of the Passion of Christ in Iztapalapa, in Mexico City, is one of the capital's most important religious celebrations during Holy Week for more than 170 years. It is so important that, in 2012, it was classified as Cultural and Intangible Heritage of the Mexican capital.

The representation of the death of Jesus Christ began to take place in 1833, 179 years ago, and the eight districts of the demarcation participate in it: San Lucas, Santa Barbara, San Ignacio, San Pablo, San José, San Pedro, La Asunción and San Miguel.

Although today the Cerro de la Estrella represents an important place in Iztapalapa, in pre-Hispanic times it was also a very representative place. It was in this area that Cortes was received before entering the great city of Tenochtitlan. The stop of the Spaniards and their allies in this city was not a fortuitous event. In itself, it reflected the importance of Iztapalapa's strategic location as a “gateway” to the southern and eastern territories, and a clear passage to the road with the same name, which reached the heart of Mexico-Tenochtitlan.

Because of this, during the war of Conquest, several episodes of defense and attack of both sides took place in this place, in the shadow of one of the mountains that, in its time, was one of the most important mountains, which today has the name of Cerro de la Estrella.

This is the summit of the Iztapalapa peninsula, and in the old lake environment, to the west, communication opened between Lake Texcoco to the north and the lakes of Xochimilco and Chalco to the south. The significance of the hill went beyond its geographical position, because there, at its summit, the great ceremony of the New Fire was held by the Mexicas, corresponding to the year 1507, at the time of Moctezuma II or Moctezuma Xocoyotzin. The choice of this place to serve as the sacred hill of Tenochtitlan involves several aspects: the aforementioned strategic geography of the place, and the transcendental sense of belonging and identity that the Mexicas had towards the former holder of the hill's power and where they inherited the Toltec lineage, Colhuacan.

Colhuacan or Tollan Colhuacan was located on the west side of the hill, and shared tripartite power at different times in history, with Otumba and Tenayocan, and with Azcapotzalco and Coatlinchan. Having existed for several centuries, its political influence was reinforced by recognition of its ancestrality and the ruling class of colhua exposed its cultural heritage from Teotihuacan times, with the so-called theocolhuas and its link with Tollan Xicocotitlan and Tollan Cholollan.

At that time, a thousand years ago, the Cerro de la Estrella was called Colhuacaltépetl and was conceived as an image of the mythical hill, of the origin of migrations and the birthplace of deities, by simulating an island among the lakes, having multiple caves and having a characteristic humpback shape. It was also known as Mixcoatépetl.

Colhuacan influenced the history of the Mexicas and vice versa. When the Mexica were wandering on pilgrimage, before settling in Teotihuacán, they were attacked during their brief stay in Chapultepec. There, their leader Huitzilihuitl was arrested and taken to Colhuacan to be sacrificed. Later, the Mexica settled in the territory of the Colhuas, in Tizapan. By that time, the temple at the top of the hill had already had four previous construction stages: two built by the Teocolhuas and two by the booming Colhuacán.

The Mexican stay in Colhuacan would build the roots of his identity: with the assimilation of the myth of Mixcóatl to enrich that of Huitzilopochtli, the polishing of the Nahuatl language, learning ritual elements and the creation of family ties. The most important thing was to obtain the Toltec lineage, which would sustain their legitimacy in the following centuries, and they would carry with them despite their expulsion.

After the expulsion of the Mexicas from Colhua territory, he continued his pilgrimage to the founding of Tenochtitlán in the center of Lake Texcoco, trying to survive outside the existing powers: Azcapotzalco, Coatlinchan and Colhuacan himself.

For its part, another temple would not be built again on the top of Cohuacaltépetl for several centuries, due to an adverse environment caused by the problems of Colhuacan with Tenayuca, the subsequent submission by Coatlinchan and finally, its violent conquest by the tepanecas. It is noteworthy that in the latter, it was the Mexicas who set fire to the main temple of Colhuacan.

The next event that changed the way power was exercised in the basin was the destruction of Azcapotzalco; a fact that marked the beginning of the last Triple Alliance. The three forces that assumed control were: Texcoco, which claimed the Chichimeca lineage of altépetl acolhua; Tlacopan, which resumed the lineage of the altepetl tepaneca; and Tenochtitlán, which demanded for itself the lineage of altepetl colhua and therefore the toltec feeling and power over the Colhuacatepetl. The latter would be renamed Huixachtécatl.

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