Mexico City

While the history of Mexico dates back thousands of years, the story of Mexico City, the country’s capital, only dates to pre-Columbian times, with the founding of Tenochtitlan by the Mexica people in 1325. Tenochtitlan quickly became the most powerful city-state in the region, with a population of about two hundred thousand at its peak, and was known for its architectural and engineering feats.

Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived in 1521 and began a brutal campaign of colonial conque...