Here stands a bronze figure. It is the Monumento a Cuitláhuac. This monument honors a leader who resisted Spanish conquest.
The Monumento a Cuitláhuac stands at the southern end of the Cuitláhuac Macroplaza. Find it in the Historic Center of Iztapalapa. The monument is dedicated to the last lord of Iztapalapa.
Cuitláhuac was the tenth Huey Tlatoani. He governed Tenochtitlan for 80 days in 1520. Cuitláhuac led the Aztec resistance. This was against the Spanish and Tlaxcalteca conquest. He followed the death of Moctezuma II.
Cuitláhuac was Axayacatl’s eleventh son. He was also Moctezuma II’s younger brother. Cuitláhuac’s mother was the daughter of Cuitlahuac I. The younger Cuitláhuac also ruled in Iztapalapa.
Hernán Cortés imprisoned both Moctezuma and Cuitláhuac. After the massacre of Aztec elites, the Mexica besieged the Spanish. Cuitláhuac was released. He was asked to reopen the market for food. Moctezuma died and Cuitláhuac became tlatoani. This happened after the Spanish fled Tenochtitlan on June 30 1520.
Cuitláhuac then married Moctezuma’s eldest daughter. She was only ten or eleven. She was later called Isabel Moctezuma. Cuitláhuac ruled for only 80 days. He likely died from smallpox. The disease came with an African in Pánfilo de Narváez’s expedition.
After Cuitláhuac’s death, Cuauhtémoc became tlatoani. The modern municipality of Cuitláhuac is named for him. It is in Veracruz. Mexico City’s Metro Cuitláhuac station also honors him. Even an asteroid bears his name. It is 2275 Cuitláhuac.
The monument has an eight-sided pedestal. Each side has a name. These are the names of Iztapalapa’s eight original barrios. The Macroplaza uses this civic plaza as a center for the alcaldía.
Jesús Aguirre designed the base. Ignacio Asúnsolo sculpted the bronze statue. The Monumento a Cuitláhuac shows him standing. He stands in a defiant pose. President Adolfo López Mateos inaugurated it on November 21 1964. This coincided with the northern expansion of Paseo de la Reforma.
The Monumento a Cuitláhuac is more than a statue. It symbolizes resistance. It embodies the spirit of a leader who stood against invasion. Remember Cuitláhuac. Remember his brief but significant reign.