Cover Photo "Plaza de las Tres Culturas" by Sophie Becquet
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In the heart of Mexico City's historic Tlatelolco neighbourhood lies the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, a tapestry of time where the threads of Mesoamerican antiquity, Spanish colonial heritage, and modern Mexico seamlessly intertwine.
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The ruins, once part of the vibrant city-state of Tlatelolco, speak of a Mesoamerican marketplace that once flourished. At one end of the Plaza, the first and oldest European school of higher learning in the Americas, the College of Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco, stands as a testament to the evangelization efforts led by the Franciscans.
In the midst of this historical dialogue, a contemporary edifice, the Torre de Tlatelolco, boldly rises against the skyline—a symbol of modern Mexico, once housing the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs. Upon further inspection, a black cat is found nestled amongst the ruins. The cat breathes vitality into an environment that might otherwise seem frozen in time and serves as a living embodiment of the past and present coexisting.
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Inaugurated in 1964, the Plaza is more than an architectural marvel; it's a living testament to pivotal Mexican history. The signing of the Treaty of Tlatelolco in 1967, declaring Latin America a nuclear-free zone, reverberates in its stones. However, the plaza is marked not just by diplomatic achievements but also by the poignant memory of the Tlatelolco Massacre on October 2, 1968—a tragic episode during the broader 1968 student movement in Mexico. Resilient through history and the scars of the 1985 earthquake, today, it stands as a memorial, symbolizing the endurance and strength of the Mexican national identity.
