View allAll Photos Tagged Chapultepec
Chapultepec has the rather dubious distinction of being the only castle within North America to ever house actual sovereigns. It was originally constructed in 1725 on the orders of the Viceroy Bernardo de Gálvez, and was meant to be a large manor house for the Viceroy, who was the commander-in-chief of the Spanish colony, New Spain. During the Mexican War of Independence the castle was abandoned, and remained in a state of dereliction for several decades. It was eventually refurbished and turned into a Military Academy. It was in this capacity that the castle served as the site of the Battle of Chapultepec during the Mexican-American War in 1847. It was here according to folklore that six (possibly fictional) teenage cadets died defending the castle with one of the boys, Juan Escutia, wrapping himself in the Mexican flag and jumping to his death from the battlements to avoid the dishonor of it being captured by the American invaders.
The second largest urban park in Latin America, the Bosque de Chapultepec is considered the most important green space in the city. This pond is located near the baths of Montezuma and at base of Chapultepec Hill.
“Construir castillos con terrazas ajardinadas”, fue la definición de felicidad que Maximiliano expresó en alguna ocasión. Profundo conocedor de la arquitectura y la jardinería palaciegas de su época, y aficionado a la botánica, en la terraza del Castillo encontró un sitio para hacer realidad su sueño. Alrededor de este jardín íntimo, bordeado por corredores con techos ligeros sostenidos sobre delgadas columnas de hierro, Maximiliano escuchaba y dictaba su correspondencia. Al igual que en los palacios europeos de la época, el jardín interior se integraba visualmente a un parque exterior, aquí el bosque de Chapultepec.
castillo de chapultepec (dentro)
Castillo de Chapultepec, built by the Viceroy Bernardo de Galvez in 1785. Many newer additions were added by Emperor Maximilian in 1865-1866.
El Castillo was the last position captured by the U.S. army in it's invasion of Mexico City in 1847. This battle is known as the Battle of Chapultepec, September 12-13, 1847.
The Chapultepec Castle is located in the Bosque de Chapultepec, a massive park located in Mexico City DF. It is 1600 acres (6 sq km) in size and is a major tourist attraction in the city. In the early 13th century the Aztecs first arrived in what is now Mexico City (Valle de Mexico). Living temporarily in the area of the current park, they named it Chapultepec, which means 'grasshopper hill' in the Aztec language, Nahuatl. The Spanish follwed in 1521 taking control of the entire valley and declaring the area of Chapultepec to be a protected for the good of the population.
Located within the park are Chapultepec Zoo (Zoologico de Chapultepec), Auditorio Nacional, an amusement park called La Feria, the modern art museum (Museo de Arte Moderno) and contemporary art museum (Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Internacional Rufino Tamayo), and Mexico's world famous Anthroplogy Museum (Museo Nacional de Antropologia e Historia).
The park is within easy walking distance from the neighbouring districts of Polanco, Insurgentes, and Zona Rosa. There are three Metro (subway) stations adjacent to the park (Auditorio, Constituyentes, and Chapultepec). It is a very large park and walking between the different attractions will take longer than expected.