Tenochtitlan
/ˌteː.noːt͡ʃˈtit͡ɬan/noun
The historical capital of the Mexica (Aztec) empire, located on an island in Lake Texcoco.
Did you know?The name preserves a founding legend: the Mexica said their god Huitzilopochtli directed them to settle where they saw an eagle on a cactus, turning the city’s name into sacred geography.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Tenochtitlan
“Place of the prickly pear cactus on stone”
Pre-Columbian Nahuatl
Nahuatl
tetl
“stone”
Pre-Columbian Nahuatl
Nahuatl
nochtli
“prickly pear cactus fruit”
Pre-Columbian Nahuatl
Nahuatl
-tlan
“place of, among”
16th Century
Spanish
Tenochtitlan
“Spanish rendering of the Mexica capital's name”
Modern English
English
Tenochtitlan
“The historical Mexica capital city in central Mexico”