Monument to the Ninos Heroes

This guide examines the Monument to the Niños Héroes in Mexico City's Chapultepec Park, built to honor six teenage cadets said to have died defending Chapultepec Castle against invading American troops in 1847. It traces the shifting count of casualties across contemporary accounts, the 1947 excavation that placed bones beneath the monument's six marble columns, and the colonel, Felipe Santiago Xicotencatl, buried at its center. Look closely at the six white columns and their bronze eagles before you decide what you believe.