Mexico City - Square of the Three Cultures

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last desperate stand by the Aztecs. This event is remembered by means of a memorial tablet bearing the words "On 13 August 1521 Tlatelolco, so heroically defended by Cuauhtémoc, finally fell into the hands of Hernán Cortés. It was neither a triumph nor a defeat; it was the painful moment of birth of the Mexico of today, of a race of mestizos".

The square was designed by Mario Pani and completed in 1964. It takes its name from the fascinating juxtaposition of buildings from three different periods - Aztec pyramids and temples, a Spanish conventual church and modern tower blocks. In 1968 the police fired on a crowd which was demonstrating in the square and, according to unofficial estimates, killed some 250 people. In 1985 and 1986 it was covered with tents to provide shelter for the many who had been rendered homeless by the earthquake.

In addition to the principal pyramid which shows fourteen superimposed structures, the Aztec remains include other pyramids, platforms, staircases, walls and altars and a "tzompantli" ("wall of skulls"). On one of the subsidiary pyramids can be seen some fine reliefs of Aztec calendar signs.