A detailed image of Tenochtitlan is one of the only surviving maps of the Aztec capital city. The city was established in the middle of Lake Texcoco in the Valley of Mexico in 1325. Today, the city is underneath Mexico City—a process that began with the Spanish Conquest in 1521. So how do we reconstruct what Tenochtitlan looked like?

This image is the frontispiece, or first image, in the important codex called the Codex Mendoza. It contains a wealth of information about the Aztecs (Mexica) and their empire, making it one of the most important primary sources for understanding Aztec history within the broader context of Mesoamerica.

Speaker: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank

CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction to Tenochtitlan's map in the Codex Mendoza

0:44 A diagram

1:36 The city's foundation and name

2:37 Founders and Tenoch

3:36 Warfare, Chinampas, and the Templo Mayor

4:28 Year glyphs and the New Fire Ceremony

5:13 Military Conquest

5:45 Why was this map created?