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Portrait of Tenochtitlan

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Portrait of Tenochtitlan
Spanish: Retrato de Tenochtitlan, Nahuatl: In ixtli, in yollotl, in Tenochtitlan
The twin cities of Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco against the backdrop of the Popocatépetl and Ixtacchíhuatl vulcanos
ArtistThomas Kole
Year2023
MovementDigital art
SubjectTenochtitlan
Websitehttps://tenochtitlan.thomaskole.nl/index.html

Portrait of Tenochtitlan is a render of Tenochtitlan and the Valley of Mexico at the start of the 16th century by Dutch programmer Thomas Kole using 3D computer graphics.[1] Drone photograpy by Mexican geomatic engineer Andrés Semo was used to compare the past with present-day Mexico City. The unbiased rendering won critical acclaim as a credible image of the Mexica capital. [2]

Development

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The images were developed in 2022 and 2023 with open-source software engines Blender, Gimp and Darktable. The project used historical and archeological sources and expert advice.[3]

Launch

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The images were launched on the website of the project in September 2023 with a text in English, Spanish and Nahuatl, the latter translated by Rodrigo Ortega Acoltzi. The project was published under Creative Commons-license BY 4.0.[4]

Reception

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The Spanish-language edition of National Geographic published an article on Portrait of Tenochtitlan and the website went viral.[5] During Kole’s first-ever visit to Mexico City in February 2024, Kole, Semo, and Ortega gave a presentation at the National Museum of Anthropology that was well received.[6] A second presentation was given at the Tlatelolco Cultural Centre.

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References

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  1. ^ Milligan, Mark (2023-09-13). "Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan re-created in 3D". HeritageDaily - Archaeology News. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  2. ^ José, Elena San (2024-02-13). "The lost city of Tenochtitlan, recreated from the apartment of a Dutch computer scientist". EL PAÍS English. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  3. ^ "Long-Lost Aztec City Of Tenochtitlan Recreated In 3D". IFLScience. 2023-09-14. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  4. ^ "a portrait of Tenochtitlan". tenochtitlan.thomaskole.nl. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  5. ^ Leija, Lydia (2023-09-06). "La capital imperial vuelve a la vida: Explora la reconstrucción 3D de Tenochtitlan realizada por el artista holandés Thomas Kole". National Geographic en Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  6. ^ Lebrija Clavel, Mariana. "Recrean el Tenochtitlan prehispánico". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2024-03-02.