Lake Texcoco
E49096
Lake Texcoco was a large, now mostly drained lake in the Valley of Mexico that once surrounded the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan and is central to Mexico’s national origin myth.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Lake Texcoco (former) area | 1 |
| former Lake Texcoco | 1 |
Statements (52)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
endorheic basin
ⓘ
former lake ⓘ geographical feature ⓘ |
| adjacentTo |
former Lake Chalco
ⓘ
surface form:
Lake Chalco
Lake Xaltocan ⓘ Lake Xochimilco ⓘ former Lake Zumpango ⓘ
surface form:
Lake Zumpango
|
| archaeologicalSignificance | remains of Aztec causeways and chinampas ⓘ |
| associatedWithCulture |
Aztec Empire
ⓘ
surface form:
Aztec civilization
Mexica ⓘ
surface form:
Mexica people
|
| basinCountry | Mexico ⓘ |
| capitalCityOnIslands |
Tenochtitlan
ⓘ
Tlatelolco ⓘ |
| conqueredBy | Spanish conquistadors ⓘ |
| conquestYear | 1521 (fall of Tenochtitlan) ⓘ |
| drainage | endorheic (no natural outlet) ⓘ |
| drainageBegan | 16th century ⓘ |
| elevation | about 2,240 metres above sea level ⓘ |
| environmentalIssues |
dust storms from dry lakebed
ⓘ
land subsidence in Mexico City ⓘ loss of wetland habitat ⓘ |
| hasCoordinateRegion | central Mexico ⓘ |
| hasLanguageName |
Classical Nahuatl: Tetzco(h)co
ⓘ
Spanish: Lago de Texcoco ⓘ |
| historicalPeriodOfImportance |
Postclassic period of Mesoamerica
ⓘ
surface form:
Aztec Empire period
Postclassic period of Mesoamerica ⓘ
surface form:
Postclassic Mesoamerica
|
| hydrologicalType | closed basin lake ⓘ |
| knownFor |
role in Mexico’s national origin myth
ⓘ
site of the eagle on cactus founding legend of Tenochtitlan ⓘ surrounding the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan ⓘ |
| locatedIn | Valley of Mexico ⓘ |
| locatedInCountry | Mexico ⓘ |
| locatedInPresentDay |
Greater Mexico City metropolitan area
ⓘ
surface form:
Mexico City metropolitan area
|
| locatedNear |
Sierra Nevada volcanic range
ⓘ
Sierra de Guadalupe ⓘ Sierra de las Cruces ⓘ |
| majorDrainageProjects |
Valley of Mexico
ⓘ
surface form:
Desagüe del Valle de México
Grand Canal of the Valley of Mexico ⓘ |
| modernLandUse |
agricultural land
ⓘ
infrastructure projects ⓘ urban development ⓘ |
| mostlyDrainedBy | 20th century ⓘ |
| mythologicalSignificance | place where Mexica saw eagle on cactus devouring a serpent ⓘ |
| partOf |
Mexican Plateau
ⓘ
lake system of the Valley of Mexico ⓘ |
| siteOf | former Mexico City New International Airport project ⓘ |
| surrounded |
Tenochtitlan
ⓘ
Tlatelolco ⓘ |
| symbolAppearsOn |
Mexican national coat of arms
ⓘ
surface form:
coat of arms of Mexico
flag of Mexico ⓘ |
| waterType |
brackish
ⓘ
saline ⓘ |
Referenced by (11)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Lake Texcoco (former) area
subject surface form:
Former Lake Zumpango
this entity surface form:
former Lake Texcoco