Cerro de la Estrella station
Metro · 8 Line 8
Neighbouring stations
- 8Line 8Iztapalapa Cerro de la Estrella UAM-I
Transfers to other networks
The story behind the icon
The station image represents a hill, three crosses and a star.
Set in an archaeological zone and religious centre, it is considered one of the most important places in Iztapalapa and in the east of Mexico City.
The story goes that when the Mexica left Aztlán, which was an island in a lake, they crossed the waters and reached firm land until they came to a nearby place called Culhuacán the ancient; from there they went to several places and finally, at Coatepec, they kindled the first new fire, meaning that 52 years had passed since they left Aztlán. They kindled the second new fire in the State of Mexico. They then travelled along the northern part of the lake area of the Valley of Mexico until reaching Tecpayocan (today the Chiquihuite hill, near the villa of Guadalupe), where they kindled the third new fire. They continued on their way towards Pantitlán, Amalinalpan and Acolnáhuac, until they reached Popotlan, present-day Popotla, and settled at Chapultepec. On the Cerro de la Estrella they kindled their fourth new fire. Before long they faced a coalition formed by the peoples of the valley intent on driving them out. They were defeated and taken as prisoners of war to Culhuacán. Later, when the Aztecs were already masters of Tenochtitlan, they performed on the Huizachtecatl (Cerro de la Estrella) the ceremony of the new fire, once the constellation of the Pleiades reached the zenith, a sign that the movement of the stars, and therefore life, would continue. The last ceremony of this kind was held in 1507.