Tenochtitlan, the Lake City

Timeline

1. c. 1325–1350Small island in Lake Texcoco · Valley of MexicoThe Mexica founded Tenochtitlan on a lake island according to an oracle, expanding the island's base with wooden stakes and lake mud, building the first temples and the chieftain's palace, and gradually enlarging the urban area by reclaiming land from the lake.
2. 1365Tenochtitlan · TenochtitlanIn the 1360s the city's population numbered tens of thousands; a predecessor of the great temple and noble residential districts had been built, a canal network ran through the city, and rafts and canoes were the main transport; through military conquest and marriage alliances the Mexica established dominance among the polities of the valley.
3. 1428–1519Tenochtitlan · TenochtitlanAfter the Mexica formed the Triple Alliance with Texcoco and Tlacopan in 1428, Tenochtitlan became the imperial capital; major construction of the great temple, the royal palace, and market districts followed, with a population estimated at 200,000–300,000, making it one of the largest cities in the world at the time.
4. 1521Ruins of Tenochtitlan · Valley of MexicoIn August 1521 Cortés's allied forces captured the city; temples and palaces were then systematically demolished, and Mexico City was built on the site using stone from the ruins, ending Tenochtitlan's era as a city on the lake.