It is fascinating to read accounts by Spanish explorers about
the gardens they encountered in Mexico in the 1520s. We have descriptions by Hernán
Cortés in a letter to King Charles V in 1520; by Bernal Díaz del
Castillo (1492-1580), one of Cortés's foot soldiers from 1519-1522; by Fray Bernardino de Sahagun (1499-1590), a Franciscan missionary; by Diego Duran, a
Spanish chronicler; by Francisco Hernandez, a natural historian sent by King
Charles to document resources and collect plants; and by many others. They
describe complex irrigation systems bringing water from far off mountains;
white-washed palaces and buildings gleaming in the sun; and lush gardens filled
with local trees and plants and specimens from all over Mesoamerica.
Contemporary archaeologist Susan Toby Evans, and historians William Prescott (1796-1859) and Francisco del Paso y Troncoso (1842-1916), propose that the Aztecs developed the world’s first botanical gardens, and that European botanical gardens (such as those created in Italy in the 1540s) were inspired by the great Mesoamerican gardens. I love this idea, which turns western gardening history on its head. Plants and ideas were on the move all around the world, as humans explored the planet.
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| Dahlias in bold colors originated in the Americas |
Moctezuma I, and his grandson Moctezuma II, created a
botanical garden at Huaxtepec, working from 1467 until Cortés arrived in 1520. The
climate was warm and subtropical, the soil moist and fertile. Here the
Moctezuma rulers assembled trees, herbs, shrubs, and cultivated plants—such as
cacao, magnolia, and vanilla—from all over the empire. Medicinal plants were
grown, and used in a busy "health products" industry. Rare plants
were brought in tribute, typically with their roots wrapped in cloth. When Cortés arrived,
the gardens spread over seven miles in circumference, and held around 2000
species of herbs, shrubs, and trees. Cortés describes the garden:
“A very pretty rivulet [stream] with high banks ran through it from one end to the other. For the distance of two shots from a crossbow there were arbors [shady spots] and refreshing gardens and an infinite number of different kinds of fruit trees; many herbs and sweet-scented flowers. It certainly filled one with admiration to see the grandeur and exquisite beauty of this entire orchard.”
“...we went to the orchard and garden, which was a marvelous place both to see and walk in. I was never tired of noticing the diversity of trees and the various scents given off by each, and the paths choked with roses and other flowers, and the many local fruit-trees and rose-bushes, and the pond of fresh water. Then there were birds of many breeds and varieties which came to the pond. I say again that I stood looking at it, and thought that no land like it would ever be discovered in the whole world...”
Contemporary archaeologist Susan Toby Evans, and historians William Prescott (1796-1859) and Francisco del Paso y Troncoso (1842-1916), propose that the Aztecs developed the world’s first botanical gardens, and that European botanical gardens (such as those created in Italy in the 1540s) were inspired by the great Mesoamerican gardens. I love this idea, which turns western gardening history on its head. Plants and ideas were on the move all around the world, as humans explored the planet.
Learn More:
- Mexicolore Website: http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/aztefacts/aztec-pleasure-gardens
- True History of the Conquest of New Spain, by Bernal Díaz del Castillo (written in 1560): http://chnm.gmu.edu/worldhistorysources/unpacking/travelanalysis.html
- General History of the things of New Spain by Fray Bernadino de Sahagun: The Florentine Codex. The codex includes twelve volumes: http://www.wdl.org/en/item/10096/#q=florentine+codex&qla=en
- Florentine Codex, Book XI: Natural Things: http://www.wdl.org/en/item/10622/
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