Fun facts about Tenochtitlán

The origin of Tenochtitlán is a mix of reality and spirituality . After a pilgrimage of over 200 years from the north of Mesoamerica , the Aztecs arrived at the Valley of Mexico , back then known as Anáhuac .

In 1325 , the Aztecs settled on a small island in the Texcoco lake where they lived and gave tributes in exchange to the Tepanecs in Azcapotzalco .

Here is when Tenochtitlán’s story begins to be a legend for allegedly Huitzilopochtli , one of the main gods of these people, sent the Aztecs a signal, an eagle standing on a nopal while eating a snake, to found their own city.

The Aztecs found Mexico-Tenochtitlan in the place where they found this signal.

Here are 10 fun facts about this powerful ancient city.

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1. Tenochtitlán was inspired by Teotihuacán

When the Aztecs arrived at the Valley on Mexico in the 13th century , Teotihuacán had been abandoned for centuries, according to archeologist and anthropologist Eduardo Matos Moctezuma in his book Tenochtitlán .

The Aztecs found the remains of the city and attributed its creation to the gods. They admired it so much that they copied the structure for their own city. Over 40 Teotihuacan objects have been found in the Templo Mayor.

2. First, the Aztecs built a temple

The first thing built by the Aztecs in their new city was a temple in honor of Huitzilopochtli in the exact place where the signal had been revealed.

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3. The city was divided in four sections

With Huitzilopochtli’s Temple in the center, the new city was divided into four main neighborhoods: Moyotlan, Teopan, Atzacualco, and Cuepopan .

4. They built four main roads

After dividing the city into four neighborhoods, the Aztecs created four roads according to the four cardinal points. Tepeyac pointed toward the North; Iztapalapa to the south, Tacuba to the West, and a smaller one pointed to the East.

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5. Tenochtitlán had a twin city

A few years after creating Tenochtitlán, a group of discontent settlers left the original group and founded, in 1337 , the city of Tlatelolco , which would become its main rival.

6. The first leader

Near 1368 , Tenoch , the priest who had directed the Aztecs in the pilgrimage, died, so a new leader had to be elected. The people resorted to Nauhyotl , the lord of Culhuacán , to choose the first tlatoani of Tenochtitlán, and so Acamapichtli was chosen.

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7. Facing Azcapotzalco

For years after the city was founded, the Aztec continued paying tribute to Azcapotzalco. The situation between both groups was tense until, in 1420 , Tenochtitlán rebelled for its independence and created an alliance with Texcoco , according to Richard F. Townsend and Ralph Townsend in State and Cosmos in the Art of Tenochtitlán.

8. It had a great hydraulic system

When the Spanish colonizers arrived at Tenochtitlán, they noticed the Aztecs had built an excellent hydraulic system since they had to prevent saltwater from flooding the system at the same time they conducted freshwater for human consumption.

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9. The Templo Mayor, Tenochtitlán’s treasure

The Templo Mayor was the most important religious building for the Aztec; it was located in the crossing of two of the city’s main roads.

10. The Spanish were amazed by the city

Bernal Díaz del Castillo

left a testimony of the impression Tenochtitlán left in the colonizers: “Some of our soldiers asked themselves if the things we were seeing were a dream. I don’t know how to describe it; to see things as we had never seen before and that had never been talked about or seen, nor even in dreams ,” he said.

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