MEXICO CITY.- The mythical founding of Mexico-Tenochtitlan, the awe-inspiring capital of the Aztec empire, may have been intrinsically tied to the winter solstice, according to a groundbreaking new book. Between the Sky and the Lake: The Founding of Mexico-Tenochtitlan, by University of Tepeyac researcher Ismael Arturo Montero García, offers a fresh perspective by blending archaeology, astronomy, and ancient cosmology.
As Mexico commemorates 700 years since the birth of this formidable pre-Hispanic metropolis, Montero García, who also contributes to INAH's underwater and high-mountain archaeology projects, delves into how the Mexica people chose to build their city in such an inhospitable lake environment. His work explores the interplay of space, time, mythology, and urban design, shedding new light on why this "wandering people" chose this spot as their universe's sacred center.
"We're talking about a prodigious city that emerged from a lake, initially as a natural island, and then artificially expanded," Montero García explains. Historical records, like the Teocalli of the Sacred War, pinpoint its birth in the year 2-House (1325 AD). The city was first known as Cuauhmixtitlan ("among the eagle's clouds") before its dominance led to the name Tenochtitlan ("the place of the nopal cactus on the stone").
A central tenet of his book is the idea of the Templo Mayor (Great Temple) serving as a sophisticated astronomical observatory. From this precise vantage point, the Mexica could track the Sun's position against the prominent horizon of the Basin of Mexico. This opens up new avenues for understanding the exact moment they conceived their city's origin.
"It wasn't just about founding a city; it was about performing a ritual act of consecration: establishing their temple and sacred space as the axis mundi of Anáhuac, the symbolic center of the Mexica universe," he asserts.
Montero García suggests that the Mexica didn't simply celebrate a founding date like we would today. Instead, they reenacted the consecration of the Huey Teocalli, the Templo Mayor, at the completion of each major construction phase – such as the last great expansion in 1487. This consecration was marked by the lighting of a New Fire during the 20-day period (or veintena) of Panquetzaliztli.
Based on this, the archaeoastronomer posits that the mythical founding of Mexico-Tenochtitlan must have occurred during this specific veintena, a time when the Mexica honored Huitzilopochtli, their tutelary god of the sun and war.
"This proposed foundational date brings together astronomy, cosmology, religion, the calendar, and the symmetry axis of the Templo Mayor," Montero García says. "It's rooted in the conjunction of Venus and the Sun during the winter solstice, which aligns with Huitzilopochtli's ritual birth during the Panquetzaliztli veintena."
Furthermore, Montero García highlights the segmentation of the year into 73-day periods, starting from the winter solstice. The first of these intervals, he argues, determined the symmetry axis of the Templo Mayor and, consequently, the entire urban layout of Tenochtitlan. This ancient alignment, he notes, corresponds remarkably to the current street grid of Mexico City's Historic Center, serving as a symbolic link to the Huey Teocalli.
Ultimately, Montero García concludes that the Mexica weren't focused on pinpointing a verifiable historical event. Rather, they sought to evoke a mythical moment to explain their story, legitimize their lineage, and project their sacred destiny. This foundational narrative, which emerged in the first half of the 14th century, is often attributed to the tlatoani Itzcóatl and the cihuacóatl Tlacaélel, who, after conquering the Tepanecs of Azcapotzalco and forming the Triple Alliance, reshaped their people's history and religion to align with their burgeoning military expansion.
