Tenochtitlan

Mexico-Tenochtitlan
1325–1521
Glyph
Tenochtitlan and Lake Texcoco in 1519
First European map of Tenochtitlan, 1524
Capital	Tenochtitlan 19°26′N 99°8′W / 19.433°N 99.133°W / 19.433; -99.133
Common languages	Classical Nahuatl
Religion	Aztec religion
Government	Monarchy
Historical era	Pre-Columbian
• Foundation	1325
• Formation of the Aztec Empire	1428
• Destruction due to the Spanish conquest of Mexico	1521
Population
• Estimate	140,000+[1]
Succeeded by New Spain

Tenochtitlan

Ruins of the Templo Mayor, main temple of the Mexica people
Location of Tenochtitlan Show map of Mexico Tenochtitlan (Mesoamerica) Show map of Mesoamerica
Alternative name	Mexico-Tenochtitlan
Location	Mexico City, Mexico
Region	Lake Texcoco, Valley of Mexico
Coordinates	19°26′N 99°8′W / 19.433°N 99.133°W / 19.433; -99.133
History
Founded	Unclear date, declared 13 March 1325
Abandoned	Conquered in 1521
Periods	Late Postclassic
Cultures	Aztecs
Site notes
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco
Criteria	Cultural: ii, iii, iv, v
Reference	412
Inscription	1987 (11th Session)

Tenochtitlan,^[a] also known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan,^[b] was a large Mexican altepetl in what is now the historic center of Mexico City. The exact date of the founding of the city is unclear, but the date 13 March 1325 was chosen in 1925 to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the city.^[2] The city was built on an island in what was then Lake Texcoco in the Valley of Mexico. The city was the capital of the expanding Aztec Empire in the 15th century^[3] until it was captured by the Tlaxcaltec and the Spanish in 1521.

At its peak, it was the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas. It subsequently became a cabecera of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Today, the ruins of Tenochtitlan are in the historic center of the Mexican capital. The World Heritage Site of Xochimilco contains what remains of the geography (water, boats, floating gardens) of the Mexica capital.

Tenochtitlan was one of two Mexica āltepētl (city-states or polities) on the island, the other being Tlatelolco.

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