Concept in Definition ABC

The term Aztlán belongs to the language Nahuatl and with it refers to a mythical place of the civilization Aztec, specifically an island paradise that reminds us of Eden. As for its meaning in the Nahualt language, it means "place of the herons".

One of the first written references about Aztlán is found in "History of the Indies of New Spain and the Islands of Tierra Firme", a chronicle of the Dominican friar Diego Durán published in 1567.

A mythical place that provokes all kinds of interpretations

As with Atlantis, El Dorado or the city of Troya, the location of Aztlán generates a debate among researchers. For some, it is a legendary site that never really existed, but is the starting point symbolic that allows to explain the remote origin from where the Aztec people departed before their arrival in Tenochtilan, the current capital of Mexico. On the other hand, other researchers affirm that Aztlán corresponds to the island of Mexcaltitán (the historian19th century Mexican politician and archaeologist Alfredo Chavero was one of the first to maintain this

The sacred place of the Aztec people constitutes the founding myth of Tecnochitlán

When at the beginning of the XVl century the Spaniards settled in the present territory Mexicans began to become acquainted with ancient legends about the Aztecs. In the oral accounts a mysterious place was mentioned from where the Aztec pilgrimage began and this place was called Aztlán.

According to legends, it was an islet located in a large lake where herons lived, there was lush vegetation and fishing abounded. In the accounts of the town it was affirmed that the first Aztecs left Aztlán with the intention of founding a new empire and on their pilgrimage they encountered a golden eagle perched on a tunal while devouring a snake (the presence of the eagle was interpreted as a sign that indicated the correct direction towards the Promised Land, Tecnochitlán).

Note, on the other hand, that the eagle and the snake appear on the Mexican flag as symbolic elements of the nation.

The Aztec legends about Aztlán aroused the interest of the Spaniards and for this reason different expeditions began in search of that mysterious place. As with the mythical stories about El Dorado, no expedition found traces of "the place of the herons."

The Boturini Codex

In this pre-Hispanic codex formed by sheets of paper and elaborated from the Mexica script, the journey or pilgrimage of the Aztecs from Aztlán is addressed.

According to this manuscript, the god Huitzilopochtli was the one who told his people that they should leave their place of origin and look for a sign that would show them the way to a new homeland.

Fotolia photos: mitgirl / artbox_of_life