| Other Language 1: | Spanish |
| Other Title 1: | Retrato de Tenochtitlan |
| Other Language 2: | Nahuatl |
| Other Title 2: | In ixtli, in yollotl, in Tenochtitlan |
| Wikidata: | Q124685571 |
| Artist: | Thomas Kole |
| Year: | 2023 |
| Movement: | Digital art |
| Subject: | Tenochtitlan |
| Website: | https://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]
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]
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]
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.