 |
|
 |
 According to legend, the Aztecs’ place of origin was an island called Aztlan, or Chicomostoc [chee-co-MOH-stok], “Place of the Seven Caves.” The exact location of Aztlan is controversial, but it is thought to have been located somewhere north of the Basin of Mexico.
Migrating to a New Home
The Aztec migration story tells us that, although life was good in Aztlan, the people left and went in search of a promised land. Led by their solar warrior god Huitzilopochtli [wheet-see-lo-POACHT-lee], they traveled south through central Mexico for hundreds of years.
 Sometime during the 1200s, the Aztecs and other Nahuatl-speaking groups finally arrived in the Basin of Mexico. Ancient abandoned temples in the area made it clear many different peoples had settled in the Basin over the years. The Aztecs also encountered many living peoples whom they sometimes battled in their search for a homeland.
Building A New Life
Huitzilopochtli advised the Aztecs to establish their city where they found an eagle devouring a serpent while perched on a cactus. Near the shores of Lake Texcoco, they saw the promised sign, and began to build Tenochtitlan [tay-noch-TEET-lahn], their capital city.
Continue through the Introduction: Tenochtitlan. >>
|
|
|
|
