After the conquest of the Aztec Empire by the Spanish, the city of Tenochtitlan was reconfigured but the new layout did not affect this area of the city that much because it was criss-crossed by various canals and chinampas or artificial extensions of land. At first the only changes were the expansion of plazas and the construction of bridges wide enough to allow the passage of horses and carriages. Political changes to the area began early with the territory divided into three parts: Parcialidad de San Pablo, Cuartel and Colonia Centro.