Mexitli
/meʃˈitɬi/noun
A Nahuatl name associated in colonial sources with the legendary ancestor or deity from whom the Mexica were believed to derive their name.
Did you know?Colonial-era sources connect Mexitli with Huitzilopochtli and with the origin of the name Mexica, but scholars caution that its exact meaning remains disputed.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian period
Nahuatl
Mexitli
“A personal or divine name associated with the Mexica’s ancestral traditions.”
14th–16th Centuries
Nahuatl
Mēxihcah
“The self-designation of the people later known in English as the Mexica.”
16th Century
Classical Nahuatl
Mexitin
“A plural or group form appearing in traditions concerning the Mexica people.”
16th Century
Spanish
Mexica / Mexitli
“Colonial transcriptions of Nahuatl ethnic and personal names.”
16th–17th Centuries
Spanish
México
“The place-name derived through Spanish from Nahuatl forms connected with the Mexica.”
Modern English
English
Mexitli
“A specialized historical name referring to a legendary Mexica ancestor or deity.”