I am deeply saddened by the passing of my good friend Tomás Filsinger, and I feel the need to memorialize his groundbreaking work. Tomas was the leading cartographer and digital artist for depictions of Tenochtitlan, the capital city of the Mexica empire, which now lies beneath Mexico City.
He was also an early supporter of my Aztec Empire project, and a mentor. He generously provided crucial information about Tenochtitlan when I was doing research for my project in 2016.
Tomás began his cartographic explorations by creating a digital rendition of Teotihuacan, an older Mesoamerican site, in the 1980s. Computing power at the time was, of course, very limited. Tomás described how he would work out dimensions of sections of the city, then feed the calculations into a Cray-type supercomputer that took all night to process the data and render images.
In the 1990s, archeological finds in Mexico City were providing new glimpses of Tenochtitlan’s layout. Tomás turned his energies to creating a digital depiction of the Mexica city-state—something no one else had done yet. He began with a basic overhead view looking down, then later he used that information to produce bird’s-eye angled views.
As Tomás progressed with his project, he produced more detailed views, breaking down the districts and streets.
Images above and below by Tomás Filsinger.
He then created variations on the maps, showing the development of Tenochtitlan from its founding, through its height, and into the Spanish colonial era. He even created flyover animation of the city.
Above, a history of the development of Tenochtitlan.
Below, an overlap of Tenochtitlan and present day Mexico City.
Images by by Tomás Filsinger.
Tomás and I corresponded frequently, but we didn’t meet in person until 2019. When Anina Bennett and I visited Mexico City for the 500th anniversary of Motecuhzoma’s first meeting with Cortes, we unexpectedly got to spend time with Tomás.
One of the anniversary commemorations was a grand opera performed in the Zocalo, Mexico City’s main square. Anina and I got to sit in the VIP section for the opera with our friend Enrique Ortiz, a celebrity historian. As we waited for the show to begin, I heard a voice yell, “Paul!”
I turned around and, to my great surprise, it was Tomás. Neither of us had known the other was Mexico City at that time. Tomás was there as a key designer for the opera, providing large-scale animated backdrops for the elaborate production. What a treat to not only see his work on prominent display, but also luck into seeing him in person!
Photos above & below from the 2019 opera.
After the opera ended, Tomás was supposed to go to an after party. But instead, he wanted to hang out with us. Most of the nearby restaurants had closed already, but we found a hotel with a café where we could all get sandwiches. Tomás regaled us with tales about his life and his early digital work. I showed him a copy of a map I’d been working on, depicting the area of Tenochtitlan surrounding the Sacred District. He was impressed and basically said “no notes.” That was a profound thrill for me.
Left to right: Paul Guinan, Tomás Filsinger, Enrique Ortiz, Anina Bennett.
Running into Tomás that night was perhaps the most magical of many magical moments on our 2019 trip. I’ll be forever grateful for the experience. More important, his legacy is secure. Anyone who’s interested in re-creations of Tenochtitlan has certainly seen his work, even if they didn’t know the artist’s name. Tomás Filsinger will inspire artists, writers, and researchers for many years to come.
If you don’t know Tomás Filsinger’s name, or if you’ve never seen his work, here are a few places to get started:
An interview in Spanish with Tomás
A time lapse video showing the evolution of Tenochtitilan over the centuries from 1300 to 2015.
Tomás' Legacy & Inspiration, the work of Thomas Kole
