Hospital founded by Spanish conqueror persists 500 years later in Mexico's capital

MEXICO CITY (AP) — In Mexico City’s bustling historic center, the Hospital de Jesus covers most of a city block. Its faded unassuming yellow facade, characteristic of the middle of the last century, obscures the medical center within founded 500 years ago by Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés.

Entering between street-level shoe stores, visitors find the oldest continuously operating hospital in the Americas. Stone arches lead to expansive patios filled with lush vegetation.

The hospital was founded to treat the conquering Spanish, then later opened to the local Indigenous inhabitants to ensure a healthy workforce. Today it provides 24/7 emergency care, as well as affordable access to medical specialists for current residents of what was at the time of its founding the center of the Aztec empire.

“You can feel the Mexican heritage here,” said Dr. Pedro Álvarez Sánchez. “For 500 years, the hospital has never closed its doors.”