Aztecs: where eagles dare

The coat of arms of Mexico – seen on the country’s flag – shows an eagle poised on a cactus, grappling with a snake in its beak and talons. This image and even the name of the country are indebted to the Aztecs, or, as they referred to themselves, Mexica. Coming from a mythical place of origin called Aztlán (from which the label ‘Aztec’ was later derived in the 18th and 19th centuries), these people were, according to myth, guided by their god Huitzilopochtli as they travelled south to find an unspecified place where an eagle sat on a prickly pear cactus. It was here, the prophecy said, they should build a city. That city was Tenochtitlan.

Historical sources say that Tenochtitlan was founded in AD 1325. It was built on a group of islands in Lake Texcoco, using sediment from the shallows of the lake to reclaim land and establish one of the great metropolises of the day. The Aztec city was divided into four quadrants, reflecting the four cardinal directions. In the centre, the pillis (nobles) and the tlatoani (emperor) lived in lavish palaces; in the Sacred Precinct – a hive of religious activity – were temples, priestly houses, armouries, monoliths, a ball-game court, and more.

Aztec Tenochtitlan thrived for two centuries until 1521, when the city fell to Hernán Cortés and the Spanish conquistadores. They largely destroyed the Aztec buildings, and the capital of New Spain, Mexico City, was built right on top of the ruins. A lot of what we know about the Aztecs and their cities comes from the accounts written by the Spanish. Sometimes surviving members of the Aztec elite provided information for these Spanish documents. But as many of the settlements, like Tenochtitlan, were built over, uncovering archaeological evidence can be something of a challenge, sifting through material from the colonial period – fragments of Chinese porcelain, Spanish and Italian majolica, vessels that carried olives, wine, and oil all the way from Andalucía – before reaching the Aztec levels. Still, the Aztecs left behind evidence of a rich material culture that sheds light on their world, their beliefs, and their wealth – subjects explored in a travelling exhibition currently on view at the Weltmuseum Vienna (see p.54) – and archaeologists working in Mexico City continue to make exciting new discoveries.