Acachinango

Acachinango (or Acachinanco) is one of the least-known and most historic sites along the Calzada de Tlalpan. It contributes a very good candidate for where the legendary meeting of Hernán Cortés with Moctezuma took place.  Although, various legends put the meeting as far south as the Villa de Cortés Metro station. Today the site is merely the intersection of the Calzada with Obrero Mundial which arrives from the west. Even this once modest intersection is superseded by the much larger Viaducto interchange immediately to the north.

Acachinango was once a very small islet, likely unable to support even a small hut. It may have served as a first stop for the ancient builders of the Calzada de Ixtapalapan, begun in 1432. But with the completion of the road, this slightly broader spot became a control point for the ancient capital city of Tenochtitlan. It also likely held a dock for canoes.

The place is mentioned by Sahagún as slightly more than a garrison and it was depicted with at least two defensive towers and high walls. Cortés is said to have continually maintained a small fort here. During the 75-day siege of Teochtitlan in 1521, Cortés touched base with the island every night. With the fall of the Mexica capital, the captured Cuauhtémoc was transported here and held for three days. And thereafter the small island and its fort faded into oblivion.

By the time of a flood in 1604, it was noted only as a point between which repairs to the Calzada were made. And it remained of no particular significance as the lake dried and the neighborhoods began to fill in the space along the old Rio de Piedad into the 20th century.

Very few international visitors will stop to walk the cloverleaf interchange. But for those passing on Metro Line 2, it remains a poignant reminder of a past that’s not quite forgotten.