26 jul 2025

700th Anniversary of the Founding of Meshico Tenochtitlan (1325-2025)

  

- Ika tlajtoli uan tlaskamatilistli kenke totatamej, tlamokuitlauianij tlen tlamachtilistli -

 “With permission and gratitude to our grandparents, guardians of tradition”

By Victor Barrera

City of Meshico Tenochtitlan

After abandoning the mythical Aztlan, "the place of the herons," from which they took the name Aztecs, in 1064-1116, the ancient Mexicans began their 260-year journey through what we now call Mexico. Their journey appears to have been guided by the shadow of an eclipse that occurred that year, which is identical to the one that occurred in 1991 (fig. 1). The shadow of this eclipse marked a route from the shores of the Pacific Ocean to the area of what is now the Valley of Mexico, the Valley of Anahuac.

Around the year 1321, the Aztecs arrived in Anahuac. By order of their god Huiztipochtli, they changed their name to Mexicas. At that time, the Valley of Mexico was already fully populated, and they had to find a place to settle. At that time, the Tlatoani Tepanec was Acolnahuacatl, who ruled the Azcapotzalco area from 1302 to 1366. He was the father of Tezozomoc, who would govern after his death. The Mexicas requested permission from Acolnahuacatl, who distrusted the newcomers and, in exchange for tribute and vassalage, assigned them an abandoned islet in the middle of a lake (today Lake Texcoco); a desolate place full of snakes and scarce food, with the intention of killing them.

The Mexica not only survived by eating their predators, but over time they built an enormous city, whose architecture, ecological balance, and agriculture through the construction of chinampas (fig. 2) surprised everyone. Perhaps neither Acolnahuacatl nor Tezozomoc could have imagined at the time that they were allowing the construction of what would later be called Meshico Tenochtitlan ("The Belly Buttom of the Maguey - the place of prickly pears on the stones"). Its founding occurred in 1325. The second zenithal passage and the appearance of a solar eclipse were taken into account, on July 26 in the Julian calendar or August 6 in the Gregorian calendar. This date, in the Mexica calendar, is equivalent to the day Ce Cipactli (one crocodile) of the year Ome Calli (two house). The city was first named Cuauhmixtitlan, something like "the place of the eagle among the clouds," and later Tenochtitlan, "the place of prickly pears on the stones", in honor of their leader Tenoch "stone prickly pear". From that moment on, the Mexicas changed their name to Tenochcas.

At that time, the Anáhuac region was made up of several kingdoms (so to speak) that were independent, but at the same time subordinate to a higher authority: that of the Huey Tlatoani Chichimeca Ixtlixóchitl, who ruled Texcoco. When Tezozómoc assumed the Tepanec government upon his father's death, he disagreed with the then Chichimeca ruler. He believed that the place belonged to him. Although he swore loyalty to Ixtlixóchitl, in 1414 he went to war with the Chichimeca kingdom. The Mexica-Tenochca, due to the allegiance they owed to the Tepanec empire, supported the rebellion against Texcoco. Tezozómoc murdered Ixtlixóchitl. He assumed the role of the new Huey Tlatoani of Chichimeca and forced the 15-year-old Netzahualcóyotl, son of Ixtlixóchitl, to flee and remain hidden for approximately five years.

In 1420, upon the death of Tezozómoc, his son Tayatzin inherited the empire; however, years later in 1426, he was assassinated by his brother Mashtla, who also coveted power. In 1429, Netzahualcóyotl returned, and the Triple Alliance was formed between the peoples of Tlacopan (Tacuba), ruled by Totoquihuatzin, Tenochtitlan with the Tlatoani Izcóatl, and the descendants of the Chichimeca, commanded by Nezahuacóyotl. The idea for the formation of this Triple Alliance came from Tlacaélel: statesman, thinker and ideologist of the Mexica-Tenochca supremacy (fig. 3)

Once order was restored and the Tepanec kingdom, including Mashtla, had disappeared under the rubble, Nezahualcóyotl hoped everything would return to normal, but the members of the Triple Alliance, especially the Mexica, were no longer willing to continue being vassals. The old Chichimeca kingdom split into three, and thus the Mexica empire was truly born.

The Mexica-Tenochca emerged as the great empire of the region and gradually subdued the nearby peoples, demanding tribute and obedience from them. Their form of leadership was strong and demanding, so much so that The neighboring towns were fed up with it, especially the Tlaxcalans (video 3). The subjugated peoples—Tlaxcalans, Totocans, Xochimilcas, etc.—never united against the Mexica-Tenochca. It was at this moment that Hernán Cortés and the Spanish appeared.

In 1519, Hernán Cortés arrived on the Mexican coast. He traveled across the Yucatán Peninsula and entered the core of Meshico Tenochtitlan, despite the various obstacles placed in his way. He was received by Moctecuhzoma Xocoyotzin on November 8, 1519 (Julian calendar). For a time, Spaniards and Mexica coexisted until the tragedy of the Templo Mayor massacre occurred on May 10, 1520, during the festivities of the month of Tóxcatl, which commemorated the ceremony of the first zenithal passage (fig. 4).

Cortés had left on another expedition, and Pedro de Alvarado had remained in charge of the Spanish troops in the city of Meshico Tenochtitlan. Alvarado, seeing the Tenochcas gathered in the main plaza singing and dancing, thought it was a rebellion. Alvarado ordered the murder of a large number of its inhabitants. Faced with this situation, the Tenochcas attacked the Spaniards for the first time, who took refuge in Moctecuhzoma's palace, probably taking him prisoner. They remained imprisoned there for approximately a month. On Alvarado's orders, Moctecuhzoma tried unsuccessfully to calm the Tenochca people.

On June 24, Cortés returned. He managed to enter the city, which was under siege, and once again asked Moctecuhzoma to calm the people. It is unknown whether the Tlatoani of Tenochtitlan was already dead by then and whether it was merely a pretense. Given the circumstances, the Spaniards fled the city in haste. This event is known as "The Sad Night."

By then, Cortés realized that reconciliation (if there ever was one) was not possible and took advantage of the discontent among the neighboring peoples, who saw an opportunity to ally with the Spanish to defeat their common enemy: the tenochcas. The Spanish troops consisted of around 400-450 soldiers, and their indigenous allies are estimated at around 6,000, according to some historians, although there are those who claim that there were 200,000 indigenous people. It was an alliance between Spanish troops and those from Tlaxcala, Totonac, Choluteca, Texcocan, Chalca, Otomi, Xochimilca, etc.

Thus, the city of Meshico Tenochtitlan fell on August 13, 1521, according to the Julian calendar; on the day 1 Serpent, of the 1 Serpent trecena, month Tlaxochimaco, year 3 House, of the Mexica-Tenochca calendar (fig. 5). Upon the death of Moctecuhzoma, it was Cuitlahuac who assumed power for a brief period before dying of smallpox. Ultimately, Cuauhtémoc would become the last tlatoani of Tenochca. He survived the fall of his empire and died a few years later, on February 28, 1525.

Meshico Tenochtitlan: A reign that, compared to others, lasted only a short time: from 1429 to 1521, or 92 years. The defeat of Meshico Tenochtitlan was due to the alliances of the indigenous peoples with the Spanish; this is a paradox, since it was the ancient Mexicans who achieved the so-called "conquest of Mexico" and not necessarily the Spanish, as is commonly thought (fig. 6).

Meshico Tenochtitlan had 13 leaders from 1325 to 1521) (video 1). It was a city full of fantasy and grandeur, with successes and failures, which lived according to the conditions and customs of its time: a Late Postclassic period characterized by militarization, war, and struggle between the peoples of Mesoamerica. Despite the events that shaped its history, no one can deprive it of its privileged place in the beginnings of today's Mexico.

 

As long as the world remains,

 the fame and glory of Mexico-Tenochtitlan will never end.

Memorials of Culhuacan




Fig 1. Shadow of the solar eclipse of 1991








Fig. 2. Description of the chinampas used in Meshico Tenochtitlan








Fig. 3 The Tlatoque who formed the triple Alliance







Fig 4. The Massacre of the Templo Mayor (recreation)


Fig 5. Fall of Meshico Tenochtitlan in 1521 (recreation)











Fig 6. Proportion of troops of the indigenous and Spanish Alliance

Video 1. Mexica-Tenochca leaders from 1325 to 1521



THE ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORDS MEXICO AND TENOCHTITLAN

The word Mexico, which should be pronounced "meshico", is derived from the Nahuatl words Metl, "maguey"; Xictli, belly buttom; and the locative Co, translated as "Place of the belly buttom of the maguey." Other versions claim it comes from Mexi, another name for Huitzilopochtli. It is not correct to translate the meaning of Mexico as "belly buttom." Those familiar with the tradition disagree. There is debate on this matter.

Alfonso the Wise, in the 12th century, determined that all words with the phoneme "sh" should be written with an "X." Thus, the word Mexico was written with an "X." Later, in 1815, the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language agreed to replace words that had an "X" with a "J." However, by that time, independence was already brewing in Mexico, and the insurgents retained the "X" as a symbol of resistance and patriotism.


The word Tenochtitlan is derived from the Nahuatl Tenoch, the name of its leader, which in turn appears to come from Tla, "land," nochtli, "prickly pear," and the locative Tlan, meaning "Place of prickly pears on the stones." 


LINKS

Tenochtitlan. Aztec History (short version, about 8 min)

Rise of the Aztecs (complete version, 2h 11min)



REFERENCES

Guadarrama, Sofía (2022) Todos los caminos lleva a tenoctitlan. Tomo I y II. Penguin Random House. México

Guadarrama, Sofía (2021) Tlatoque. Penguin Random House. México

Montell, Jaime (2021) Era nuestra herencia una red de agujeros. La caída de México Tenochtitlan. Instituto Nacional de Estudios Históricos de las Revoluciones de México (INEHRV). México

Meza, Arturo (2024) Fundación Mexihco Tenochtitlan. Altépetl. México

Arqueología Mexicana (2007) Tira de la peregrinación. Diciembre del 2007. Núm 26. Mexico

 

López, Ángel (2004) El peregrinar de los aztecas. Ed. Tomo. México

Pimentel, Guadalupe (2005) Sabiduría y cultura azteca. Ed. Progreso. México


 LINKS

A Portrait of Tenochtitlan

Tenochtitlan: Aztec History





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