Tenochtitlan founding legend
E15258
The Tenochtitlan founding legend tells how the Mexica people established their capital on an island in Lake Texcoco after seeing a prophesied eagle perched on a cactus devouring a serpent, a scene now central to Mexican national symbolism.
All labels observed (3)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Aztec migration narratives | 1 |
| Mexica migration period | 1 |
| Tenochtitlan founding legend canonical | 1 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Mesoamerican myth
ⓘ
Mexica legend ⓘ founding legend ⓘ origin narrative ⓘ |
| associatedWithDeity | Huitzilopochtli ⓘ |
| associatedWithPeople |
Mexica
ⓘ
surface form:
Aztecs
Mexica ⓘ |
| centralMotif | eagle perched on a cactus devouring a serpent ⓘ |
| culturalSignificance |
central to Mexican national identity
ⓘ
important in post-Conquest chronicles ⓘ |
| describesEvent |
Mexica migration ending at Lake Texcoco
ⓘ
recognition of a prophesied sign ⓘ |
| describesFoundingOf | Tenochtitlan ⓘ |
| geographicContext | Central Mexico ⓘ |
| hasVariant |
versions emphasizing a nopal cactus on a rock
ⓘ
versions without the serpent element ⓘ |
| includesAnimal |
eagle
ⓘ
serpent ⓘ |
| includesPlant | cactus ⓘ |
| influencedSymbol |
Mexican national coat of arms
ⓘ
surface form:
Mexican national emblem
Mexican national coat of arms ⓘ
surface form:
coat of arms of Mexico
flag of Mexico ⓘ |
| languageContext | Nahuatl oral tradition ⓘ |
| motivatesAction |
Mexica settlement on an island
ⓘ
founding of the Mexica capital ⓘ |
| narrativeTheme |
chosen people
ⓘ
divine guidance ⓘ search for a promised land ⓘ |
| prophecyLocation | island in Lake Texcoco ⓘ |
| recordedIn |
Codex Boturini
ⓘ
surface form:
Codex Aubin
Codex Boturini ⓘ Codex Mendoza ⓘ writings of Bernardino de Sahagún ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Aztlan origin myth
ⓘ
Mexica migration from Aztlan ⓘ |
| resultedInFoundingOf | Tenochtitlan ⓘ |
| setIn |
Lake Texcoco
ⓘ
Valley of Mexico ⓘ |
| symbolicMeaning |
legitimization of Mexica rule
ⓘ
triumph and resilience of the Mexica people ⓘ union of earth, water, and sky ⓘ |
| symbolizedBy | eagle on cactus with serpent ⓘ |
| timeOfCodification | post-Conquest period ⓘ |
| usedAs | foundational charter myth for Tenochtitlan ⓘ |
| usedIn |
Mexican civic iconography
ⓘ
Mexican patriotic discourse ⓘ Mexican school textbooks ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Aztec migration narratives
this entity surface form:
Mexica migration period