“Where am I?” is a question no one asks when walking down San Cosme. The Arco de San Casmeo stands proudly. It is an iconic part of Mexico City. It marks a place unto itself.
The Ribera de San Cosme is a section of the Calzada de México-Tacuba. It acts as a border. Santa María la Ribera is to the north. San Rafael lies to the south. These neighborhoods are iconic. Yet, San Cosme existed before them.
Once, farmland and orchards surrounded the old Cosme and Damian Church. People referred to the area as San Cosme. The church was just a spot on the causeway. Hundreds of years later, neighborhoods appeared on these farms.
Today, the Arco de San Casmeo marks a place famous for its semi-permanent tianguis. This street market occupies most of the south side. It is one of the city’s longest-running street markets. It feels like an extension of the market.
Loving neighborhoods flank the Ribera de San Cosme. The Jardín de Mascarones invites you to enjoy the avenue. It sits opposite the Casa de los Mascarones. Much of the Calzada was re-landscaped in 2022. This central part gives you an idea of the whole area.
During the Mexican-American War, the road to San Cosme became a battlefield. U.S. General Winfield Scott planned to attack the San Cosme gate. He wanted to force Santa Anna to move troops.
Lieutenant Thomas J. Jackson moved his cannons down the causeway. He fired on Mexican cavalry. His actions devastated their ranks. Another future Civil War general, Ulysses S. Grant, also used artillery. He set up a howitzer in a nearby church belfry. Grant shelled the San Cosme gate defenders.
Worth’s men broke through the San Cosme gate. The soldiers rested amidst the wreckage. Scott called out to the Mounted Rifles. He said, “Brave Rifles, you have gone through fire and come out steel.”
The pueblo of San Cosme began in 1524. Hernán Cortés distributed lands for farms. By 1540, a chapel and hospital existed. Franciscans maintained the hospital in 1581.
The current Templo de los Santos Cosme and Damian began in 1672. Viceroy Juan Vázquez de Acuña was buried here. He regularly attended Mass. The farmland became gardens. The tivoli of San Cosme was highly regarded. It had forested gardens and waterways.
The church has a Latin cross plan. It includes a barrel-arched ceiling. An octagonal dome caps the tower. Inside, a relief shows the Holy Family. Sculptures of twin brother saints flank the family. The main altarpiece came from San Joaquín de Tacuba.
Saints Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers. They were hung on a cross and stoned. Arrows shot them. Finally, they were beheaded. Three of their brothers suffered the same fate. Damian’s name lives on at the temple, even if not as much in the neighborhood’s memory.
The Arco de San Casmeo stands on the avenue. The tianguis, market, and Metro station surround it.