Central America · Mesoamerican civilizations
Tenochtitlan
1325/1326–1428 as tributary *altepetl*; core of the empire thereafter
Tenochtitlan, the Mexica (Aztec) capital, was founded on an island in Lake Texcoco — traditionally in 1325 — where, per the migration legend, the wandering Mexica saw the promised divine omen of an eagle perched on a nopal cactus (the image enshrined on the modern Mexican flag). The Mexica had arrived as impoverished latecomers and mercenaries, and initially served and paid tribute to the powerful Tepanec city of Azcapotzalco under its king Tezozomoc.
- Existed
- 1325/1326–1428 as tributary *altepetl*; core of the empire thereafter
- Shown on the map
- 1326–1428
- Peak area
- 3k km²
- Region
- Central America
Overview
Tenochtitlan, the Mexica (Aztec) capital, was founded on an island in Lake Texcoco — traditionally in 1325 — where, per the migration legend, the wandering Mexica saw the promised divine omen of an eagle perched on a nopal cactus (the image enshrined on the modern Mexican flag). The Mexica had arrived as impoverished latecomers and mercenaries, and initially served and paid tribute to the powerful Tepanec city of Azcapotzalco under its king Tezozomoc. Lacking legitimate dynastic rank, Mexica leaders petitioned Culhuacan for a royal bride, and her son Acamapichtli became the first tlatoani (traditionally enthroned 1372/1376), founding the imperial dynasty; he replaced houses of cane with stone, built a great temple, and was said to have promulgated the first Aztec laws. He was followed by Huitzilihuitl and Chimalpopoca.
Decline and legacy
The city was an engineering marvel, built on chinampas (highly productive raised agricultural beds reclaimed from the lake), linked to the mainland by causeways with removable bridges, and supplied with fresh water by aqueduct from Chapultepec. When Chimalpopoca died amid the Tepanec succession crisis under Maxtla, the Mexica under Itzcoatl allied with Texcoco and Tlacopan to destroy Azcapotzalco (1428), transforming Tenochtitlan from a tributary town into an imperial capital. At its height it and its twin, Tlatelolco (with its vast market), together may have held 200,000 or more inhabitants, astonishing the Spanish who compared it to Venice. Tenochtitlan fell to Cortés on 13 August 1521 and was systematically razed; Mexico City, with its cathedral built over the ruins of the Templo Mayor, rose in its place.
Common questions
- What was Tenochtitlan?
- Tenochtitlan, the Mexica (Aztec) capital, was founded on an island in Lake Texcoco — traditionally in 1325 — where, per the migration legend, the wandering Mexica saw the promised divine omen of an eagle perched on a nopal cactus (the image enshrined on the modern Mexican flag). The Mexica had arrived as impoverished latecomers and mercenaries, and initially served and paid tribute to the powerful Tepanec city of Azcapotzalco under its king Tezozomoc.
- When did Tenochtitlan exist?
- Tenochtitlan existed 1325/1326–1428 as tributary *altepetl*; core of the empire thereafter. On this map it is drawn 1326–1428.
- How large was Tenochtitlan?
- At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Tenochtitlan covered about 3,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
- How did Tenochtitlan end?
- The city was an engineering marvel, built on chinampas (highly productive raised agricultural beds reclaimed from the lake), linked to the mainland by causeways with removable bridges, and supplied with fresh water by aqueduct from Chapultepec. When Chimalpopoca died amid the Tepanec succession crisis under Maxtla, the Mexica under Itzcoatl allied with Texcoco and Tlacopan to destroy Azcapotzalco (1428), transforming Tenochtitlan from a tributary town into an imperial capital.
Sources
This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. Its bibliography names the English Wikipedia articles for each polity and for the key figures and events as the basis of these profiles, supplemented by Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Geographic, EBSCO Research Starters and academic sources. The article this entry is anchored on:
- Wikipedia — Tenochtitlan en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenochtitlan
This entry was last updated .
This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made
Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.
Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).
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