Where did the Aztecs live?
For 150 years, the Aztecs travelled land and lakes for a place to build their city. It took 150 years when they finally spotted a piece of land unoccupied at the end of a lake. The land was nothing like Mexico City today. The land was swampy and hardly liveable. It was a land that no one would bother to take a second glance at.
While rowing towards the land on their boat, the Aztecs spotted an eagle sitting on a cactus. According to their legend and beliefs, the God of the Aztecs told them to look for an eagle perched on a cactus. If they found it, they would build their city there. The eagle they found was a sign from the God telling them that there they shall stay. They soon called the land Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan was surrounded by five lakes (Lake Zumpango, Lake Xaltocan, Lake Texcoco, Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco) and the Aztecs built the chinampa in the waters around their land to grow crops for food. They also built an aqueduct to bring in fresh water from underground springs outside of the city.
In the 200 years the Aztecs ruled the land, they built temples dedicated to their Gods and people and homes. Some of the temples were built on top of the nearby mountains, which the Aztecs saw mountains as a holy site since mountains make you physically higher to the Gods. The mountains also circled around the land and protected them from being attacked by outsiders. They also grew squash, beans, chillies, peppers and tomatoes in order to feed the people. Aztec merchants often set off to get different foods that the Aztecs couldn’t grow themselves such as avocados, papayas and cacao.
While rowing towards the land on their boat, the Aztecs spotted an eagle sitting on a cactus. According to their legend and beliefs, the God of the Aztecs told them to look for an eagle perched on a cactus. If they found it, they would build their city there. The eagle they found was a sign from the God telling them that there they shall stay. They soon called the land Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan was surrounded by five lakes (Lake Zumpango, Lake Xaltocan, Lake Texcoco, Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco) and the Aztecs built the chinampa in the waters around their land to grow crops for food. They also built an aqueduct to bring in fresh water from underground springs outside of the city.
In the 200 years the Aztecs ruled the land, they built temples dedicated to their Gods and people and homes. Some of the temples were built on top of the nearby mountains, which the Aztecs saw mountains as a holy site since mountains make you physically higher to the Gods. The mountains also circled around the land and protected them from being attacked by outsiders. They also grew squash, beans, chillies, peppers and tomatoes in order to feed the people. Aztec merchants often set off to get different foods that the Aztecs couldn’t grow themselves such as avocados, papayas and cacao.