Santo Domingo Square

The Santo Domingo Square, in Mexico City

The Santo Domingo Square is one of the oldest squares of Mexico City, long occupied by public scribes and marked by a grave history. The Mexico City audio-guided tour stops here, with respect, to evoke its baroque church, the former Palace of the Inquisition witness of painful persecutions, and the memory of Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec emperor.

The square of the scribes and of memory

You are on a square that was long occupied by public scribes and printers, who offered their services to clients unable to read or write, still numerous after the colonisation. You still cross there a few scribes, perpetuating this tradition rooted in the history of the city. Behind you is the small baroque church of Santo Domingo, built in 1736, that it is fitting to discover with respect, as well as the Museum of Mexican medicine, installed in the former Palace of the Inquisition. Let us evoke this place with gravity: it was the scene of the religious persecutions that followed the Spanish colonisation, and its memory invites to contemplation. Originally, the square hosted the palace of the emperor Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec chief, taken prisoner then executed by the Spaniards. The exact circumstances of his death are not known, but this emperor remains deeply respected by the Mexicans, for he fought with courage against the conquerors, until his capture. His memory, like that of the indigenous peoples, hovers over this square laden with history. Today peaceful and lined with arcades, the Santo Domingo Square mingles daily life, the memory of the scribes and the grave traces of a painful past. A historic square and a place of memory, the Santo Domingo Square is discovered with respect.

What to see

Here you discover, with respect, one of the oldest squares of Mexico City, long occupied by public scribes whose tradition a few scribes perpetuate; it shelters the baroque church of Santo Domingo, of 1736, and the former Palace of the Inquisition, become the Museum of medicine, witness of painful persecutions, on the site of the former palace of Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec emperor. The Santo Domingo Square is a place of memory of Mexico City. It is a stop to be discovered with respect.

Practical information

The Santo Domingo Square lies in the historic centre of Mexico City, north of the Zócalo, reachable on foot or by metro. It is a public square freely accessible, lined with arcades, the church of Santo Domingo and the former Palace of the Inquisition; the church can be visited with respect according to the hours of the parish. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

Why is the Santo Domingo Square of Mexico City a place of memory?

Because it shelters the former Palace of the Inquisition, witness of the painful religious persecutions that followed the colonisation, and because it rises on the site of the former palace of Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec emperor taken prisoner then executed by the Spaniards, deeply respected for his courage; long the square of public scribes, it keeps the baroque church of Santo Domingo of 1736.

Where is the Santo Domingo Square in Mexico City?

In the historic centre of Mexico City, north of the Zócalo, in Mexico.