For the first time, after five centuries, the mythical Tenochtitlán, capital of the ancient Aztec empire, has re-emerged from its ruins rebuilt in 3D. It is considered the most faithful reproduction of the city conquered in 1521 by Hernán Cortés. Welcomed as a God by Emperor Montezuma II, convinced that he embodied what he said he had seen in a dream, the leader of the Spanish Crown did not have many scruples: a shrewd and fine strategist he exploited the alliance with the populations hostile to the Aztecs and almost massacred 200 thousand inhabitants of what was among the largest and most organized cities in the world. Not happy, he set fire to everything and destroyed the ruins.
Founded in 1325, Tenochititlán disappeared from the Earth and its remains, scattered around and under the lake that surrounded it, were buried by modern Mexico City in the meantime it was built by the conquistadors until the independence of the North American country in 1821. Only in 2015 did archaeological excavations bring to light some of the 42 windows that opened onto what remained of the old capital. But being built right in the heart of Mexico City, it was difficult to proceed with works that still remain unfinished without revealing the beauty and perfect urban organization of the ancient heart of the Aztec empire.
One of the 3D images of the city created by Thomas Kole
A Dutch computer scientist succeeded. His name is Thomas Kole, is 29 years old and lives in Zeist. In his free time, taking advantage of his digital knowledge (he works in a company that develops installations and interactive games for museums and other places) and applying the same criteria with which video games are made which require speed of execution in challenges and attention to detail, brought the entire Tecochititlán back to light. Virtually, in three dimensions. Without ever having set foot on the place and without speaking a single word of Spanish. She did it remotely.
It took him a year and a half, with five increasingly updated versions. A time required to draw, erase and modify a work that is considered exceptional. Kole also managed to overcome the mistrust of historians and archaeologists, who have always been divided on how the imperial city was actually formed. “For me,” admits Thomas interviewed by The country, “it was completely uncharted territory. I don’t even know how I found the topic. I am passionate about history and reading some things about that city I was fascinated by it. It’s become something of an obsession. It was impossible to get rid of it.”
One of the 3D images of the city created by Thomas Kole
By studying and asking three other Mexican artists who helped him in the layout of the city through photos of the most sacred temples and relying on the same original language of Nahuatl, translated by an expert, Kole finally completed his reconstruction and Tenochititlán returned to its ancient splendor. “If you look at it now,” says the computer artist, “it looks like an impressionist painting”. A true journey through time. The Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhualt volcanoes in the background, which cannot be seen today because they are shrouded in pollution. The sacred enclosure extinct and returned to its original state together with the imposing Main Temple. And then the extension of the city built around this, with rectangular plots indicating hierarchies. The 200 thousand inhabitants were divided into neighborhoods that they had markets, schools, own laboratories, in the style of the colonies of current cities. And in the streets and squares, Kole also managed to place the people walking, with their shopping baskets and cotton clothes.
A painting that imagines life in the Aztec capital
“There are things I still have to understand,” adds the young computer scientist. “Like why some streets were laid out in a completely random direction. I believe it was due to the impact of the natural flow of water, which was difficult to channel.” But there is still a wide debate on this. “Maybe in ten years, between new excavations and other reproduction techniques”, he adds, “there will be other versions. I was thinking of transferring a real map to a virtual one. But it doesn’t exist. I did everything photo after photo, image after image, testimonies and stories in the language of the time. Tenochititlán finally appeared.” The most faithful, at least so far, to its original.