Case file · Folklore / legend
The eagle on the cactus: founding of Tenochtitlan
Mexica tradition holds that their god Huitzilopochtli told them to settle where they saw an eagle perched on a prickly pear growing from a rock; they found the sign on an island in Lake Texcoco and founded Tenochtitlan, traditionally in 1325.
1325 CE · 19.43, -99.13 · status: legend
The account
The scene opens the Codex Mendoza and is today Mexico's coat of arms. Archaeology supports a founding in the early 14th century on the swampy islands, close to the traditional date.