Tenochtitlan 1325 – 1521 → Glyph Model of the city of Tenochtitlan at the National Museum of Anthropology Capital Not specified Language(s) Nahuatl Religion Aztec religion Government Monarchy Historical era Pre-Columbian  - Established 1325  - Defeat 1521

Tenochtitlan (sometimes paired with Mexico as Mexico Tenochtitlan or Tenochtitlan Mexico) was a Nahua altepetl (city-state) located on an island in Lake Texcoco, in the Valley of Mexico. The Nahuas are a group of indigenous peoples of Mexico. Their language of Uto-Aztecan affiliation is called Nahuatl and consists of many The altepetl, in Pre-Columbian and Spanish conquest -era Aztec society, was the local ethnically based political entity A city-state is a Region controlled exclusively by a City, usually having Sovereignty. Lake Texcoco (Lago de Texcoco was a natural Lake formation within the Valley of Mexico, a basin with an average Elevation of 2236 m Above Valley of Mexico is a highland Plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with the present-day Distrito Federal and the eastern half of the State Founded in 1325, it became the seat of a growing empire in the 15th century, until being defeated in 1521. Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who achieved political San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán It subsequently became a cabecera of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and today the ruins of Tenochtitlan are located within Mexico City, Mexico. The Viceroyalty of New Spain (Virreinato de Nueva España was a name given to the Viceroy -ruled territories of the Spanish Empire in North America, Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America.

Tenochtitlan was one of two Mexica altepetl, the other being Tlatelolco. The Mexica ( Nahuatl: Mēxihcah, meːˈʃiʔkaʔ or Mexicans ( Spanish: Mexicanos) were an indigenous people of the Tlatelolco (Tlatelōlco tɬate'loːlko (sometimes also called Xaltelolco) was a Pre-Columbian Nahua Altepetl (state in the Valley

Geography

Tenochtitlan covered an estimated 8 to 13. 5 square kilometers, situated on the western side of the shallow Lake Texcoco. Lake Texcoco (Lago de Texcoco was a natural Lake formation within the Valley of Mexico, a basin with an average Elevation of 2236 m Above

In the time of Spanish conquest, Mexico City comprised Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco at the same time. Since then, the city extended from north to south from the north border of Tlatelolco to the swamps which by that time were gradually disappearing to the west, the city ended more or less at the present location of Bucareli street. A swamp is a Wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water

It was connected to the mainland by causeways leading north, south, and west of the city. These causeways were interrupted by bridges that allowed canoes and other traffic to pass freely. The bridges could be pulled away if necessary to defend the city. The city itself was interlaced with a series of canals, so that all sections of the city could be visited either on foot or via canoe.

Lake Texcoco was the largest of the five interconnected lakes. Lake Texcoco (Lago de Texcoco was a natural Lake formation within the Valley of Mexico, a basin with an average Elevation of 2236 m Above An endorheic lake, Lake Texcoco was brackish. An endorheic basin (from Greek endo ‘inside’ + rhein ‘to flow’ also terminal or closed basin) is a closed Drainage basin During the reign of Moctezuma I, the "dike of Nezahualcoyotl" was constructed, reputedly designed by Nezahualcoyotl himself. Moctezuma I (c 1398 – 1469 also known as Motecuhzoma Ilhuicamina, Huehuemotecuhzoma or Montezuma I (Motēuczōma Ilhuicamīna|mo Nezahualcoyotl (Nezahualcoyōtl nesawaɬˈkojoːtɬ (meaning "Coyote in fast" or "Coyote who Fasts"( April 28 1402 &ndash June 4 Estimated to be between 12 and 16 kilometers in length, the dike was completed circa 1453; the dike kept the spring-fed fresh water in the waters around Tenochtitlan and kept the brackish waters beyond the dike, to the east.

Two double aqueducts, each more than four kilometres long and made of terra cotta,^[1] provided the city with fresh water from the springs at Chapultepec. An aqueduct is an artificial channel that is constructed to convey water from one location to another Terra cotta ( Italian: "baked earth" is a Ceramic. Its uses include vessels water & waste water pipes and surface embellishment in Building construction Chapultepec ( Chapoltepēc "at the grasshopper hill" in the Nahuatl language; c This was intended mainly for cleaning and washing. For drinking, water from mountain springs was preferred. Most of the population liked to bathe twice a day; Moctezuma was said to take four baths a day. As soap they used the root of a plant called copalxocotl (saponaria americana); to clean their clothes they used the root of metl, the maguey. The Century Plant or Maguey ( Agave americana) is an Agave originally from Mexico but cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant Also, the upper classes and pregnant women enjoyed the temazcalli, which was similar to a sauna bath and is still used in the south of Mexico; this was also popular in other Mesoamerican culture. From pre- Hispanic heritage, Mexicans have recovered a ritual Ceremony that was celebrated among indigenous cultures as a therapeutic cleansing A sauna (ˈsɔːnə or as Finnish) is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary

City plan

Tenochtitlan looking east from the shore of Lake Texcoco, by Dr Atl (1930)

The city was divided into four zones or campan, each campan was divided on 20 districts (calpullis, Nahuatl calpōlli), and each calpulli was crossed by streets or tlaxilcalli. Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1496 &ndash 1584 was a Conquistador, who wrote an eyewitness account of the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards under Hernán In Precolumbian Aztec society a Calpulli (from the Nahuatl meaning "large house" was the designation of an organisational unit below the level Nahuatl ( is a group of related languages and dialects of the Aztecan or Nahuan branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family There were three main streets that crossed the city, each leading to one of the three causeways to the mainland; Bernal Díaz del Castillo reported that they were wide enough for ten horses. Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1496 &ndash 1584 was a Conquistador, who wrote an eyewitness account of the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards under Hernán The calpullis were divided by channels used for transportation, with wood bridges that were removed at night.

Each calpulli had some specialty in arts and craft. When each calpulli offered some celebration, they tried to outdo the other calpullis. Even today, in the south part of Mexico City, the community organizations in charge of church festivities are called "calpullis".

Marketplaces

Each calpulli had its own tiyanquiztli (marketplace), but there was also a main marketplace in Tlatelolco - Tenochtitlan's sister city. Cortés estimated it was twice the size of the city of Seville with about 60,000 people, trading daily. Seville ( Spanish: Sevilla, see also different names) is the artistic cultural and financial capital of southern Spain. Bernardino de Sahagún provides a more conservative population estimate of 20,000 on ordinary days and 40,000 on feast days. Bernardino de Sahagún (1499 &ndash October 23 1590) was a Franciscan missionary to the Aztec ( Nahua) people of Mexico There were also specialized markets in the other central Mexican cities.

Public buildings

In the center of the city were the public buildings, temples and schools. Inside a walled square, 300 meters to a side, was the ceremonial center. There were about 45 public buildings including: the main temple, the temple of Quetzalcoatl, the ball game, the tzompantli or rack of skulls, the temple of the sun, the platforms for the gladiatorial sacrifice, and some minor temples. The Templo Mayor (commonly known by this Spanish name meaning " Great Temple " was the main temple of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan The Mesoamerican ballgame was a Sport with ritual associations played for over 3000 years by the Pre-Columbian peoples of Mesoamerica. A tzompantli is a type of wooden rack or palisade documented in several Mesoamerican civilizations which was used for the public display of human Skulls typically Outside was the palace of Moctezuma with 100 rooms, each one with its own bath, for the lords and ambassadors of allies and conquered people. Also located nearby was the cuicalli or house of the songs, and the calmecac. The Calmecac ( "the house of the lineage" was a school for the children of Aztec nobility ( pīpiltin) in the Late Postclassic period of

The city had a great symmetry. All constructions had to be approved by the calmimilocatl, a functionary in charge of the city planning. .

Palaces of Moctezuma

The palace of Moctezuma also had two houses or zoos, one for birds of prey and another for other birds, reptiles and mammals. About three hundred people were dedicated to the care of the animals. There was also a botanical garden and an aquarium. The aquarium had ten ponds of salt water and ten ponds of fresh water, containing fish and aquatic birds. Places like this also existed in Texcoco, Chapultepec, Huaxtepec (now called Oaxtepec) and Texcotzingo

Inhabitants

Sahagún reported that the city also had beggars (only crippled people were allowed to beg), thieves and prostitutes. Texcoco ( Classical Nahuatl: Tetzco(hco, tetsˈkoʔko was a major Acolhua City-state in the central Mexican plateau region of Mesoamerica Chapultepec ( Chapoltepēc "at the grasshopper hill" in the Nahuatl language; c Oaxtepec is a town within the municipality of Yautepec in the northern part of the Mexican state of Morelos. At night, in the dark alleys one could find scantily clad ladies with heavy makeup (they also painted their teeth), chewing tzictli (chicle, the original chewing gum) noisily to attract clients. Chicle is the Natural gum from Manilkara chicle, which is a tropical evergreen tree native to Central America. There seems to have been another kind of women, ahuianis, who had sexual relations with warriors. The Spaniards were surprised because they did not charge for their work.

Bernal Díaz del Castillo was amazed to find latrines in private houses and a public latrine in the tiyanquiztli and main streets. Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1496 &ndash 1584 was a Conquistador, who wrote an eyewitness account of the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards under Hernán Small boats went through the city collecting garbage, and excrement was collected to be sold as fertilizer. About 1,000 men were dedicated to cleaning the city's streets.

For public purposes, and to be able to set the pace of official business, trumpets were sounded from the tops of the temples six times a day: at sunrise, later on in the morning, at midday, again in the mid-afternoon, after sunset, and at midnight.

History

See also: Fall of Tenochtitlan

Mexico City statue commemorating the foundation of Tenochtitlan. San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico

Tenochtitlan was the capital city of the Aztec civilization, consisting of the Mexica (meh-SHEE-kah) people, founded in 1325. The state religion of the Aztec civilization awaited the fulfilment of an ancient prophecy: that the wandering tribes would find the destined site for a great city whose location would be signaled by an eagle eating a snake while perched atop a cactus. The Aztecs saw this vision on what was then a small swampy island in Lake Texcoco, a vision that is now immortalized in is Mexico's coat of arms and on the Mexican flag. The Coat of Arms of Mexico has been an important symbol of Mexican politics and culture for centuries The Flag of the United Mexican States or Mexico is a vertical tricolor of Green, White, and Red with Not deterred by the unfavourable terrain, they set about building their city, using the chinampa system (misnamed as "floating gardens") for agriculture and to dry and expand the island. Chinampa is a term describing a method of ancient Mesoamerican agriculture which used small Rectangle -shaped areas of Fertile Arable land

A thriving culture developed, and the Aztec civilization came to dominate other tribes all around Mexico. The small natural island was perpetually enlarged as Tenochtitlan grew to become the largest and most powerful city in Mesoamerica. Mesoamerica or Meso-America (Mesoamérica is a Region extending approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua, defined Commercial routes were developed that brought goods from places as far as the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Ocean and perhaps even the Inca Empire. The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The Inca Empire (or Inka Empire) was the largest empire in Pre-Columbian America.

After a flood of Lake Tenochtitlan, the city was rebuilt under the rule of Ahuitzotl in a style that made it one of the grandest ever in Mesoamerica.

Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived in Tenochtitlan on November 8, 1519. Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro 1st Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca ( 1485&ndash December 2, Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration At this time it is believed that the city was one of the largest in the world; compared to Europe, only Paris, Venice and Constantinople were larger. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS Some of the conquistadores had travelled as widely as Venice and Constantinople, and many said that Tenochtitlan was as large and fine a city as any they had seen. Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS

The most common estimates put the population at over 200,000 people. One of the few comprehensive academic surveys of Mesoamerican city and town sizes arrived at a population of 212,500 living on 13. 5 square kilometres,^[2] although some popular sources put the number as high as 350,000. ^[3]

Cortés and his men, aided in particular by the Confederacy of Tlaxcala, eventually conquered the city on August 13, 1521, after a siege that lasted months in which much of the city was destroyed. Tlaxcala ( Nahuatl Tlaxcallān "place of maize tortillas" was a pre-Columbian City state of central Mexico. Events 3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation the start of the Maya calendar. San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán (See: Fall of Tenochtitlan)

After the conquest

Cortés subsequently ordered the city rebuilt, despite opposition, with a central area designated for Spanish use (the traza). San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán The outer Indian section, now dubbed San Juan Tenochtitlan, continued to be governed by the previous indigenous elite and was divided into the same subdivisions as before, sans the Spanish area.

Ruins of Tenochtitlan

Some of the remaining ruins of Tenochtitlan's main temple, the Templo Mayor, were uncovered during the construction of a metro line in the 1970s. The Templo Mayor (commonly known by this Spanish name meaning " Great Temple " was the main temple of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan A small portion has been excavated and is now open to visitors. Mexico City's Zócalo, the Plaza de la Constitución, is located at the location of Tenochtitlan's original central plaza and market, and many of the original calzadas still correspond to modern streets in the city. In many cities in Mexico, a zócalo is the main plaza or square set in the heart of the town La Plaza de la Constitución, informally called El Zócalo, is the main square in Mexico City.

Notes

References