TENOCHTiTLAN

One mountain range, the Sierra Madre Occidental, runs along the Pacific Ocean to the west. The other, the Sierra Madre Oriental, rises in the east. Another range, the Sierra Ajusco, marks the southern edge of the Aztec’s territory. The region is now called the Valley of Mexico. Actually, it is a basin—a large area of land

Marked by sloping sides.

The Valley of Mexico had five lakes, and the Aztecs chose to settle on two islands in swampy Lake Texcoco. These island locations had good conditions for raising crops. They also had some problems. The swamp was full of insects and building materials were hard to find. But the Aztecs had canoes and could travel easily through the swamp. And an island was easier to defend than a site on land.

The Aztecs founded their new city, Tenochtitlan, in 1325. The city measured five square miles. Its name came from tenochtli, the Nahuatl word for “prickly pear cactus.” As it grew, Tenochtitlan looked like a mountain erupting from the lake, and it dominated the landscape. It became the capital of the Aztec Empire.

A sister city, called Tlatelolco, was started on a neighboring island. It later became the Aztec center for trade and grew to be nearly the same size as Tenochtitlan.

Water was critical for the Aztecs’ survival. Canals linked together smaller plots of land called chinampas. These were small islands the Aztecs built in shallow waters so they could grow crops. Small footbridges connected the chinampas so farmers could easily move between them as they worked. The waterways between the chinampas provided transportation routes for the island’s inhabitants. Fish and waterfowl were plentiful on the lake. These added protein to the Aztecs’ mainly vegetarian diet.

Stone water channels brought fresh water into the city for drinking and bathing. The Aztecs bathed every day, and wealthy Aztecs frequently had steambaths in their homes. Sewage and trash were placed on barges, and much of the sewage became fertilizer for the crops raised on the chinampas.

Mixtecs in the News

A Mixtec site being studied by archaeologists today shows that the Mixtecs used cremation, or burning a corpse, in their burial rituals. The burial site currently being excavated (dug out and examined) shows that cremation was used as far back as 3,000 years ago.

According to Andrew Balkansky, an archaeologist from Southern Illinois University, it is possible the Mixtecs believed that burning a corpse released the person's soul from the body. "The idea was that, basically, you'd have someone's soul ascend to the heavens in the smoke," said Balkansky (quoted in National Geographic News, April 9, 2008). Historians think the Mixtecs believed cremation brought their spirits closer to the gods.

Aztec engineers produced an island city much like Venice, Italy, which is famous for its canals. In Tenochtitlan, canals were used as streets and people traveled everywhere by canoe. Architects created three causeways (raised roads) to connect the city to the mainland. The transportation links enabled the Aztecs to carry food and goods to and from the city’s market, trade with other peoples, and go to war.