A Portrait of Tenochtitlan

Artwork Finished Projects
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Do you recall? Some 1,5 years ago, I started a project to recreate Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire, in it’s heyday. I did not expect it would take as long as it has, but here it is:

All was made in Blender, making plenty of use of Geometry Nodes, and rendered in Cycles.
Some postprocessing in Gimp and Darktable.

Enjoy! When I find the time, I will show a bit more behind the scenes.

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There’s plenty more images here to enjoy in high resolution:

publications

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/09/aztec-capital-of-tenochtitlan-re-created-in-3d/148567
https://luzmedia.co/tenochtitlan-3d-reconstruction
https://wearemitu.com/wearemitu/culture/aztec-capital-tenochtitlan-compares-mexico-city/
https://historianet.nl/beschavingen/azteekse-hoofdstad-is-tot-in-het-kleinste-detail-nagebouwd
https://animalpolitico.com/tendencias/ciencia-tecnologia/retrato-tenochtitlan-3d-thomas-kole
https://consent.yahoo.com/v2/collectConsent?sessionId=3_cc-session_673b9322-507e-44ea-9296-75e5900326a9
https://www.infobae.com/mexico/2023/09/05/asi-luce-en-3d-asi-se-veria-la-gran-tenochtitlan-antes-de-la-conquista-espanola/
https://www.forbes.com.mx/fotogaleria-el-retrato-en-3d-de-tenochtitlan-que-se-hizo-viral/
https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/tendencias/fotos-crean-retrato-de-tenochtitlan-en-3d-asi-se-veria-la-capital-del-imperio-azteca/
https://expansion.mx/tendencias/2023/09/05/tenochtitlan-3d-artista-reconstruye-imperio-azteca
https://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/maqueta-3d-tenochtitlan.html
https://www.chilango.com/ciudadania/tenochtitlan-en-3d-las-impresionantes-imagenes-de-la-cdmx-como-se-veria-hace-500-anos/
https://www.mediotiempo.com/otros-mundos/tenochtitlan-de-1518-fue-recreado-en-3d-por-un-artista-holandes
https://mxcity.mx/2023/09/revelan-la-version-mas-exacta-de-como-se-veia-tenochtitlan-fotos/
https://www.sopitas.com/noticias/tenochtitlan-reconstruccion-3d-fotos-thomas-kole-dron-galeria-capital/
https://www.archdaily.mx/mx/1006766/reconstruccion-en-3d-muestra-un-retrato-de-la-ciudad-de-mexico-tenochtitlan
https://www.radioformula.com.mx/estilo-de-vida/2023/9/3/fotos-asi-era-tenochtitlan-lanzan-la-version-mas-exacta-de-como-se-veia-778846.html
https://ensedeciencia.com/2023/09/08/asi-es-el-increible-retrato-3d-de-la-antigua-ciudad-mexico-tenochtitlan-que-no-es-hecha-por-una-ia/
https://tahm.com.mx/el-diseno-de-nuestra-ciudad-tenochtitlan-ciudad-de-mexico/
https://www.debate.com.mx/viajes/Un-viaje-en-el-tiempo-Asi-puedes-ver-Tenochtitlan-la-capital-mexica-en-3D-20230908-0151.html
https://www.elsoldemexico.com.mx/cultura/tenochtitlan-artista-holandes-recrea-en-3d-la-antigua-capital-azteca-fotos-10651010.html
https://aristeguinoticias.com/0509/cultura/retrato-de-tenochtitlan-la-reconstruccion-3d-de-la-capital-mexica/
https://vanguardia.com.mx/noticias/lo-imaginabas-aqui-puedes-contemplar-la-gran-tenochtitlan-de-hace-500-anos-DI9183317

Interviews:

158 Likes
2

This has been one of my favorite projects to follow, the end result is absolutely breathtaking but I’m a bit sad it’s finished :sweat_smile: you’ve done fantastic work here, without a doubt the best fake clouds I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait for your next project :grin:

It should be noted- anyone that likes the new image comparison slider, you have @ThomasKole and this project to thank for that, he brought up the idea a long time ago and we finally got it added to the site

10 Likes
3

Very cool. Looking forward to the behind the scenes.

4

I’ve been following this for a while! Amazing project! Congratulations on completing it and the result is great!

5

Yes I do recall, this is a mega project, congratulations on the result and for all the hard work you put into it.

:clap: :clap: :clap:

6

Insane effort, grats!!!

7

It’s beautiful, spectacular and impressive, but how much of it is based in reality and how much is concept?

8

There’s all kinds of details about the research on the linked site

9

Got it. Read everything. awesome.

10

Holy crap. (In a good way.)

11

Extremely impressive job. I flipped back and forth between the drone shot of modern-day Mexico City and the matching Tenochtitlan render many times to compare. It’s awesome the former lake bank front right is still recognizable in the street plan nowadays. How you did all this is beyond me but I love every pixel of your reconstruction.

12

I’ve very much enjoyed following and learning from this project. I hope that you find time to create some tutorials on the techniques you have developed for this project. I know that the Blender community would be very grateful learning from your expertise.

13

Thanks guys : )
Not sure if I have the time to make full-blown tutorials, but a few of my posts outline some of the most important “new” techniques.

12 Likes
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It’s fantastic! Excellent work!:heart_eyes::heart_eyes::heart_eyes:

15

Bookmarked for later enjoyment :slight_smile:

16

Incredible job with a lot of tips to manage environment jobs.
And a fantastic presentation on your website.

17

I bookmarked the thread long ago; there’s a wealth of interesting information in there, and it’s been fascinating to watch Tenochtitlan grow. So hurrah for it being finished!

18

Majestic, congratulations. Your work is very impressive.

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A little Blender in National Geographic :wink:

7 Likes
20

Well done!!