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All Mexico Cuernavaca Moctezuma Plaza

Moctezuma Plaza

The former headquarters of a leader in the Mexican Revolution, and the site of an often-reproduced image.

Cuernavaca, Mexico

Added By
Mario Yair T.S.
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Ancient Hotel Moctezuma   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
Ancient Hotel Moctezuma   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
The iconic photo   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
Zapata was here   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
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About

This building was once the Moctezuma Hotel, where the Zapatista army was installed during the Mexican Revolution. In the decades since the revolution, the space has been filled with other hotels, shops, and offices. Today, the building is a cultural center, and the legacy of the Moctezuma Hotel lives on in the form of a much-reproduced photograph.

The Moctezuma Hotel was built in 1903. It was a luxurious hotel, with columns and high arches made of red brick.  During the Mexican Revolution, this grand hotel served as headquarters for General Emiliano Zapata Salazar, the leader of the peasant revolution in Mexico's state of Morelos. It was in this hotel that an iconic photograph of Zapata was taken, standing in front of one of the hotel's staircases.

The photo was published in Leslie's Magazine in 1912. After the assassination of President Francisco Madero in 1913, the revolutionary leaders, including Zapata, became famous. The Mexican press used the same photo for its illustrations, and the engraver José Guadalupe Posada was inspired by it for his informative pamphlets. Diego Rivera used the same photo as a reference for Zapata in his murals.

Zapata was assassinated in 1919, and his death made him a romantic revolutionary leader. In the 1960s, the same photo of him was used in Mexico alongside images of Ché Guevara. Today, the photo is used for puzzles, shirts, flags, bills, textbooks and has inspired paintings, sculptures and more. This photo is said to be the most reproduced photo of a Mexican citizen in the world.

To commemorate the 100th year since Zapata's assassination in 2019, the space was transformed into a Cultural Center called Aquí estuvo Zapata (Zapata was Here). It has galleries, restaurants, and cafes, along with a display that points out the exact spot where the photo was taken so that anyone can reproduce it.  

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Revolution Military History Photography Hotels Architecture Military

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The building is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entrance is free.

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Added By

Mario Yair TS

Published

January 31, 2020

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Sources
  • https://www.launion.com.mx/blogs/turismo/noticias/140119-hotel-moctezuma-el-cuartel-del-jefe-zapata.html
  • https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/zapata-assassinated-in-mexico
Moctezuma Plaza
20 Matamoros
Cuernavaca, 62000
Mexico
18.924398, -99.236424
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Cuernavaca Cathedral Murals

Cuernavaca, Mexico

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Cuernavaca

Cuernavaca

Mexico

Places 4

Nearby Places

Cuernavaca Cathedral Murals

Cuernavaca, Mexico

miles away

Palace of Cortés

Cuernavaca, Mexico

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Cuernavaca

Cuernavaca

Mexico

Places 4

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