Tenochtitlán
The Aztecs (Mexica), a wandering, Nahuatl-speaking people, claimed the island in the middle of Lake Texcoco as their own in the early 1300s. (Their god, Huitzilopochtli, had led them there, identifying the island with the long-awaited sign: an eagle perched on a cactus devouring a snake—now featured on the Mexican flag.) They enlarged the island-city by creating chinampas, lush agricultural islands. (Thus, Mexico City’s center is largely landfill, which explains why the 1985 earthquake was so devastating).
By the time Cortés arrived, Tenochtitlán was larger and more populous than even most European cities at the time; and it lorded over an empire extending throughout central Mexico. In fact, the Spaniards “… were amazed and said that [Tenochtitlán] was like the enchantments… on account of the great towers… rising from the water, and all built of masonry. And some… even asked whether the things that [they] saw were not a dream?” Three great causeways connected Tenochtitlán to the mainland, and it boasted aqueducts, Venice-like canals, a zoo, botanical garden and even an aquarium.
The most imposing structure was the massive Templo Mayor, rising more than 90 feet above the city, the scene of sometimes thousands-at-a-time gruesome human sacrifices to placate Huitzilopochtli.
After defeating the Aztecs, Cortés destroyed the great pyramid, built a Catholic church on its foundations, renamed Tenochtitlán “Mexico City,” and made it the capital of New Spain. Today it is the eighth largest metropolis in the world.
This is a selection of Ellison’s recently published book, Mexican Streets: Tales of Tragedy and Triumph.
- Streets of Mexico – December 2024 - November 30, 2024
- Streets of Mexico – November 2024 - October 29, 2024
- Streets of Mexico – October 2024 - September 28, 2024
