The monument to Cuauhtémoc was created as an initiative of the Minister who promoted the Porfirian regime, Don Vicente Riva Palacio; he proposed this monument so as to honor the last of the Mexica emperors. For this, he organized a public competition and then he summoned, in 1877, a group of outstanding sculptors and architects as judges of the projects that had been submitted. The winner turned out to be the architect Francisco H. Jiménez whose project had included several elements of prehispanic Mexican architecture, inspired by the ancient buildings of Uxmal, Mitla and Palenque, among others.

The first stone was placed on May 5^th 1878 and the monument was inaugurated 9 years later in 1887.

The monument is topped off by a sculpture of the Emperor Cuauhtémoc which was created by the outstanding Mexican sculptor Miguel Noreña, who also created the other sculptural elements that comprise the monument, including 8 bronze leopards with feathered headdresses and tombs meant to commemorate important events in the monarch’s life.