On a Saturday evening, walking past this square, the monument/fountain caught my eye…read more
As small offshoot of the Zocalo (the large plaza surrounded by the Palacio Nacional and the Metropolitan Cathedral), this is a smaller paved area directly opposite the Supreme Court building to the east and the Mexico City Government Building adjacent to the west.
As its name suggests, it commemorates the founding of the city of Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec empire in 1325, which later became Mexico City. A fountain with a cluster of sculptures in the center--created in 1970 by artist Carlos Marquina--depicts the legend of Nahua* settlers migrating from the (possibly mythical) city of Aztlán. Upon sighting an eagle devouring a snake while perched on a nopal (cactus), they took it as a sign to settle and create the city. This same imagery adorns the Mexican flag today.
When I was there in January 2026 the fountain was filled and the sculpture is easily visible from the street and sidewalk.
For more info:
https://mexicocity.cdmx.gob.mx/venues/plaza-fundacion/
*an indigenous group of peoples in Mexico and Central America, with a current population of over 1.6 million, speaking various dialects of the Nahuatl language, and historically linked to the Aztec Empire.