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.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Mesoamerican myth
→
Mexica legend → founding legend → origin narrative → |
| associatedWithDeity |
Huitzilopochtli
→
|
| associatedWithPeople |
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 emblem
→
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 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 (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Mexican flag
→
|
symbolizes |