The Eagle and the Cactus
This text is adapted from an original work of the Core Knowledge Foundation.
In legend, the Aztec built their capital on the spot where they saw an eagle perched on a cactus while holding a snake in its beak.
Between the years of 1325 and 1521 CE, a great civilization arose and thrived. They were the Aztec people, who lived in what is today central Mexico.
According to legend, the Aztec were once a nomadic tribe. They wandered the land, setting up temporary homes here and there, fighting off attackers, and surviving on snakes and lizards. The legend says that one day, the god of the sun spoke to the people. The god told the Aztec people to look for a sign—an eagle with a snake in its beak perched on a cactus. On the spot where the eagle perched, the Aztec were to build a great city.
The legend goes on to describe how the Aztec finally received the sign the god had told them about. The eagle appeared on a swampy island in Lake Texcoco (/tesh*koh*koh/). On that day, the Aztec’s wandering ended. They settled down and began building a city. The Aztec people called their new home Tenochtitlán (/tay*noch*tee*tlahn/), which means “the place of the prickly pear.” Even today the eagle and serpent are shown on the flag of Mexico.
