El Parterre (Parterre Garden), Madrid

Venture west through the green labyrinth of Retiro, and you’ll arrive at the Parterre—a space that draws admirers of symmetry, serenity, and a bit of old-world flair. With its manicured, geometric layout, this part of the park feels like something lifted straight from the gardens of a European palace—particularly one with a French touch. Strolling the paths or pausing on a shaded bench, you’re wrapped in calm. And if you’ve brought a camera, good—you’ll need it!

The Parterre is home to Madrid’s oldest trees, including a true patriarch: the Montezuma cypress. Towering at 25 meters with a six-meter girth, its silhouette resembles a green chandelier. Native to Mexico, the Aztecs called it “watery old man”—a nod to its love of riversides and its impressively long life. This particular watery giant has stood here since 1632, making it the oldest tree in Madrid.

Legend has it that Captain General Hernán Cortés brought it here—or at least a fragment of its lineage. Perhaps a cutting, perhaps a seed tucked into a sleeve. A stolen bit of sorrow. You see, on the so-called “Sad Night” of July 1st, 1520, as Spanish troops were ambushed and decimated by the Aztecs while retreating from what we now call Mexico City, Cortés is said to have wept beneath a Montezuma cypress. And from that grief, from that imperial bruise, a fragment of the tree may have made the journey across the ocean, eventually rooting itself in this quiet garden. A leafy monument to a night of tears.