Texcotzingo
Encyclopedia
Texcotzingo is contested as one of the first extant botanical garden
s in the world, along with Montezuma's gardens in Huastepec
. The gardens and archaeological site are located roughly 20 miles Northeast of central Mexico City
, Mexico
Texcotzingo is adjacent to the Axtec capital city of Texcoco and acted as the summer imperial garden
s, resplendent with all the royal trappings of the time including imperial and courtly residences and fantastic waterworks. Tetzcotzingo however should also be seen as a hedonist/sacred space, agricultural space, political statement or emblem, performance space, and earthwork
s.
, in the 15th century, these imperial gardens were used to collect and display plant and animal specimens towards an encyclopedic understanding of fauna and flora of the whole of the Aztec empire as well as the cultivation of medicinals. Conceived as a place for sensual gratification on one hand and as a re-creation of paradise on the other. Dedicated to the rain god Tlaloc
, (He Who Makes the Plants Spring Up), Texcotzingo was designed by incorporating Aztec
myths through sculpture depicting gods and sacred number observances (such as the number 52).
New hydraulic projects and terrace gardens transformed the previously un-arable land into lush eatable gardens containing the three ubiquitous staples of the Americas - maize
, beans and squash. Waterways were also used to connect pools imbued with historical and mythical significance - through monolithic sculptures and symbolic representations, therefore reasserting the Aztec's empire connection to mythic cosmographies and preceding empires. One clear example is a bath/pool flanked by three frogs representing the three city states of Tenochitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan
, cities which created the ruling empire of the central Mexico basin for a century. The baths in the Texcotozingo Site were made out of solid rock and were surrounded by lush gardens and waterworks.
Aesthetic manifestations of practiced myths - vital to Aztec culture - also occupied an important place at Texcotzingo, with spaces designed for the performance of poetry, singing, dancing and oration. The transformation of the mountain of Texcotzingo into art and the perception that the mountain itself is art - in that it holds high significance (mythical or otherwise) in pre-Columbian culture classifies Texcotzingo as an earthwork
. There is also a permeable connection between the ideas of art, culture and nature manifested by rock/sculptures, existing flora/plantings, etc. in the design of Texcotzingo .
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
s in the world, along with Montezuma's gardens in Huastepec
Oaxtepec
Oaxtepec is a town within the municipality of Yautepec in the northern part of the Mexican state of Morelos. Its main industry is tourism, mostly aimed at the inhabitants of nearby Mexico City, and the town possesses various aquatic resorts and hotels. The climate is tropical and the countryside...
. The gardens and archaeological site are located roughly 20 miles Northeast of central Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
Texcotzingo is adjacent to the Axtec capital city of Texcoco and acted as the summer imperial garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
s, resplendent with all the royal trappings of the time including imperial and courtly residences and fantastic waterworks. Tetzcotzingo however should also be seen as a hedonist/sacred space, agricultural space, political statement or emblem, performance space, and earthwork
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
s.
History
Texcotzingo was designed-created by NezahualcoyotlNezahualcoyotl
Nezahualcoyotl was a philosopher, warrior, architect, poet and ruler of the city-state of Texcoco in pre-Columbian Mexico...
, in the 15th century, these imperial gardens were used to collect and display plant and animal specimens towards an encyclopedic understanding of fauna and flora of the whole of the Aztec empire as well as the cultivation of medicinals. Conceived as a place for sensual gratification on one hand and as a re-creation of paradise on the other. Dedicated to the rain god Tlaloc
Tlaloc
Tlaloc was an important deity in Aztec religion, a god of rain, fertility, and water. He was a beneficent god who gave life and sustenance, but he was also feared for his ability to send hail, thunder and lightning, and for being the lord of the powerful element of water. In Aztec iconography he...
, (He Who Makes the Plants Spring Up), Texcotzingo was designed by incorporating Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
myths through sculpture depicting gods and sacred number observances (such as the number 52).
New hydraulic projects and terrace gardens transformed the previously un-arable land into lush eatable gardens containing the three ubiquitous staples of the Americas - maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, beans and squash. Waterways were also used to connect pools imbued with historical and mythical significance - through monolithic sculptures and symbolic representations, therefore reasserting the Aztec's empire connection to mythic cosmographies and preceding empires. One clear example is a bath/pool flanked by three frogs representing the three city states of Tenochitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan
Tlacopan
Tlacopan , also called Tacuba, was a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican city-state situated on the western shore of Lake Texcoco.Founded by Tlacomatzin, Tlacopan was a Tepanec kingdom subordinate to nearby Azcapotzalco...
, cities which created the ruling empire of the central Mexico basin for a century. The baths in the Texcotozingo Site were made out of solid rock and were surrounded by lush gardens and waterworks.
Aesthetic manifestations of practiced myths - vital to Aztec culture - also occupied an important place at Texcotzingo, with spaces designed for the performance of poetry, singing, dancing and oration. The transformation of the mountain of Texcotzingo into art and the perception that the mountain itself is art - in that it holds high significance (mythical or otherwise) in pre-Columbian culture classifies Texcotzingo as an earthwork
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
. There is also a permeable connection between the ideas of art, culture and nature manifested by rock/sculptures, existing flora/plantings, etc. in the design of Texcotzingo .