Mexico Citys Zcalo: A History of a Constructed Spatial Identity [Hardcover]

This book presents a case study of one of Latin Americas most important and symbolic spaces, the Z?calo in Mexico City, weaving together historic events and corresponding morphological changes in the urban environment.

List of Figures;  Acknowledgements;  Introduction;  1. From Mexica Axis Mundi to Spanish Conquest;  2. The Plaza Mayors Nascent Urbanscape;  3. Major Events in the Plaza Mayor During the Viceroyalty;  4. The Last Decades of the Viceroyal Period;  5. A Nascent National Identity;  6. Mexicos Second Empire and the Restored Republic;  7. Expressions of National Identity During the Porfiriato;  8. From the Mexican Revolution to World War II;  9. The Plaza de la Constituci?n in the Second Half of the 20th Century;  10. A Recent History of the Z?calo as Public Space;  11. The Z?calo, Mexicos Public Square;  Bibliography;  Image Credits;  Index

Benjamin A. Bross is a registered architect and Assistant Professor at the Illinois School of Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.

This book presents a case study of one of Latin Americas most important and symbolic spaces, the Z?calo in Mexico City, weaving together historic events and corresponding morphological changes in the urban environment. It poses questions about how the identity of a place emerges, how it evolves and, why does it change? Mexico Citys Z?calo: A History of a Constructed Spatial Identity utilizes the history of a specific place, the Z?calo (Plaza de la Constituci?n), to explain the emergence and evolution of Mexican identities over time.

Starting from the pre-Hispanic period to present day, the work illustrates how the Z?calo reveals spal&