Bosque de Chapultepec

Why go

the Aztecs made a temporary home after arriving from northern Mexico in the 1200s. Chapultepec Park, which consists of the hill and 1,600 acres (6.5 km2) of surrounding land, has many attractions, including Chapultepec Castle. The castle's sumptuous interior now houses the National History Museum. The eastern portion of the park has contained the official residences of the.

What to look for

• Notice how Bosque de Chapultepec relates to the surrounding streets and skyline.
• Look for surviving details that reveal the site's principal historical layer.

The full story

President of Mexico. History Ritual and domestic objects including funerary urns in the Teotihuacan style from about the 4th century have been discovered by archaeologists on Chapultepec. The Mexica settled there in the year 8 Reed or 1299 A.D., they lived in Chapultepec for 20 years, started the next ceremonial fire, then a Tepanec alliance including Culhuacan, Xochimilco, and Azcapotzalco harassed and drove them out. In the days when Tenochtitlán was the island capital of the Aztecs, the city was linked to Chapultepec by a causeway. Aztec chiefs turned the hill and the surrounding forest into a royal retreat. The poet-king Nezahualcóyotl built a palace there in the 1400s, along with an aqueduct to carry spring water to the Aztec capital. A monumental garden was established atop Chapultepec, featuring bas-relief sculptures of rulers, plants from across the empire, and sculptures of plants found in the empire but unable to grow in the high altitudes of the summit. Processional paths were lined with āhuēhuētl trees because of their association with royalty.

Useful to know

• Allow enough time to see Bosque de Chapultepec and its immediate setting without rushing.
• Check current official access information before entering any managed interior.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.