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Zócalo/Tenochtitlan (Mexican Spanish pronunciation (help·info))[lower-alpha 2] is a station of the Mexico City Metro in the historic center of the city, in the Cuauhtémoc borough. It is an underground station with two side platforms, served by Line 2 (the Blue Line). It lies between Allende and Pino Suárez stations. The station's pictogram features the coat of arms of Mexico and it receives its name from the Plaza de la Constitución, commonly known as Zócalo, Mexico City's main square located above the station. The station was opened on 14 September 1970, on the first day of the service Tasqueña–Tacuba.

Zócalo/Tenochtitlan
STC rapid transit
Station platform after station renaming, 2022
General information
Location	Plaza de la Constitución Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City Mexico
Coordinates	19°26′00″N 99°07′58″W
Operated by	Sistema de Transporte Colectivo (STC)
Line(s)	(Cuatro Caminos – Tasqueña)
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	Zócalo–Pino Suárez passageway Ecobici
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Disabled access	Partial
Other information
Status	In service[lower-alpha 1]
History
Opened	14 September 1970 (1970-09-14)
Previous names	Zócalo
Passengers
2021	6,390,406[1]  10.73%
Rank	31/195[1]
Services
Preceding station Mexico City Metro Following station Allende toward Cuatro Caminos Line 2 Pino Suárez toward Tasqueña
Route map Legend Cuatro Caminos State of Mexico Mexico City Panteones Tacuba Cuitláhuac Popotla Colegio Militar Normal San Cosme Revolución Hidalgo Bellas Artes Allende Zócalo/Tenochtitlan Pino Suárez San Antonio Abad Chabacano Viaducto Xola Villa de Cortés Nativitas Portales Ermita General Anaya Tasqueña Tasqueña yard This diagram: view talk edit
Location
Zócalo/Tenochtitlan Location within Mexico City
Area map

The station facilities are partially accessible for people with disabilities as there is an elevator; there is an Internet café, an information desk, a cultural display, a mural titled Cenefas conmemorativas del Bicentenario, and a passageway that connects with Pino Suárez station, where there is a free mini-cinema and various bookstores. In 2019, the station had an average daily ridership of 71,613 passengers, making it the tenth busiest station in the network and the third busiest of the line. The station was formerly named Zócalo until August 2021, when it was renamed to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Fall of Tenochtitlan.

Location

Zócalo/Tenochtitlan is a metro station in the colonia (Mexican Spanish for "neighborhood") of Centro, otherwise known as the historic center of Mexico City. It is in the Cuauhtémoc borough and serves multiple landmarks, including Constitution Square (which is locally known as "Zócalo"), the National Palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the archaeological remains of Tenochtitlan's main temple, Templo Mayor.[2] Within the system, the station lies between Allende and Pino Suárez.[3]

There are six exits. The first one is next to National Palace to the east, the second entrance is on the opposite side, serving Constitution Square; the third and fourth are on Pino Suárez Avenue, on the south side of the square but one is on Corregidora Street (next to the building of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation) on the southeast, while the other one is near the corner of Venustiano Carranza Street. The remaining exits serve the northern part of the square: one is next to the Metropolitan Cathedral, while the other is next to the National Palace near the corner of Moneda Street.[3] The area is serviced by the Ecobici system.[4]

History and construction

Line 2 of the Mexico City Metro was built by Ingeniería de Sistemas de Transportes Metropolitano, Electrometro and Cometro, the latter a subsidiary of Empresas ICA.[5] Zócalo station was built underground;[5] the Zócalo–Allende tunnel is 602 meters (1,975 ft) long, while the Zócalo–Pino Suárez stretch measures 745 meters (2,444 ft).[6]

The station was opened on 14 September 1970, on the first day of the Tasqueña–Tacuba service;[7] the facilities are partially accessible for people with disabilities as there is an elevator.[3] In 1983, Zócalo was planned to be an interchange station connecting Line 2 with Line 8, which was proposed to run from Indios Verdes to Pantitlán.[8] The project was canceled due to the lack of planning and the potential damage it would cause to historical buildings.[8] The line was later modified to run from Garibaldi to Constitución de 1917 stations in a line that goes under Eje Central Avenue.[9]

In December 2019, the turnstiles in the southern side were replaced with motion-sensor speed gates that avoid users from entering the station for free.[10][11]

Name and pictogram

The pictogram represents the coat of arms of Mexico, which depicts an eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus devouring a snake.[3] The station was named after the main square of Mexico City, Constitution Square.[3] The term zócalo originally means "base" in architecture.[12] During the times of Antonio López de Santa Anna, it was planned to have a monument dedicated to the Mexican War of Independence at Constitution Square.[13] The sole base—an 8 m (26 ft) long and 30 cm (12 in) high pedestal—was built in 1843 but the Mexican–American War caused the cancelation of the project. The base was eventually buried and was uncovered until 2017. Because of that, zócalo has been used as a synonym for "square" or "plaza" in Mexican Spanish and its usage eventually spread throughout the country.[12]

In August 2020, authorities of the system changed the signage at the station to "Zócalo/Tenochtitlan", and they announced the modifications would be formalized in a civic ceremony.[14] The station was officially renamed on 13 August 2021 to coincide with the 500th anniversary of the Fall of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire,[15] and the civil ceremony that formalized it took place on 19 August, where Puente de Alvarado Avenue and the respective Metrobús station, named after Pedro de Alvarado, were also renamed to Calzada México-Tenochtitlan and México-Tenochtitlan station, respectively.[16]

Incidents

On 29 March 1998, a drunk passenger started shooting at users, injuring a security guard who tried to stop him.[17] Due to its location, Zócalo/Tenochtitlan station is commonly closed by the authorities. It has been closed due to national security concerns,[18] the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico,[19][20][21] live events at Constitution Square,[22][23][24] and protests in the zone.[25][26] Demonstrators have vandalized the station multiple times.[27][28]

Ridership

According to the data provided by the authorities, Zócalo/Tenochtitlan station has been one of the busiest stations of the system's 195 stations, where commuters averaged, between 2011 and 2021, between 17,500 and 72,900 daily entrances. In 2019, before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public transport, the station's ridership totaled 26,138,960 passengers,[29] which was a decrease of 282,172 passengers compared to 2018.[30] In the same year, it was the tenth busiest of the system and it was the line's third busiest.[29]

Annual passenger ridership
Year	Ridership	Average daily	Rank	% change	Ref.
2021	6,390,406	17,507	31/195	−10.73%	[1]
2020	7,158,490	19,558	30/195	−72.61%	[31]
2019	26,138,960	71,613	10/195	−1.07%	[29]
2018	26,421,132	72,386	10/195	+3.01%	[30]
2017	25,648,342	70,269	10/195	−3.86%	[32]
2016	26,678,428	72,891	10/195	+1.71%	[33]
2015	26,229,616	71,861	10/195	−0.66%	[34]
2014	26,402,602	72,355	9/195	+4.59%	[35]
2013	25,244,785	69,163	10/195	+28.47%	[36]
2012	19,651,029	53,691	12/195	+6.70%	[37]
2011	18,417,493	50,458	14/175	–	[38]

Landmarks inside the station

Since 2009, there is a free Internet café, the first to be opened by the system.[39] There is also an information desk and multiple murals titled Cenefas conmemorativas del Bicentenario (2010), by Juan Carlos Garcés Botello and Jesús Cristóbal Flores Carmona.[3][40] There is also a cultural display managed by the National Institute of Anthropology and History, where the history of Constitution Square is illustrated with a scale model.[41] The station has a corridor that connects with Pino Suárez station through an underground passageway on the south side, called Pasaje Zócalo–Pino Suárez. It was opened in 1997 and there are 42 bookstores and a free library and mini-cinema.[42][43] Originally it was a passageway created to add another station named Salvador, but it was canceled due to the proximity of both stations.[44]

Notes

References

External links

• Media related to Zócalo/Tenochtitlan at Wikimedia Commons
• "Metro Zócalo/Tenochtitlan". At the Official Guide to Mexico City.
• Pasaje Zócalo–Pino Suárez Official Website
• "Zócalo Metro Models". Atlas Obscura.

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