Tenochtitlan

Timeline

1. 1325Tenochtitlan Island · AztecAccording to Aztec tradition, the Mexica founded their capital where an eagle perched on a cactus on a small island in Lake Texcoco, naming it Tenochtitlan, and built the Templo Mayor. The city was based on the lake island, relying on canoe transport and land reclamation for expansion.
2. 1341–1350Tenochtitlan · AztecIn the 1340s the city was in the early reign of Acamapichtli (r. 1376–1395), with population and chinampa agricultural areas gradually expanding, in a competitive landscape among city-states such as Texcoco and Tlacopan before the embryonic formation of the Aztec Triple Alliance.
3. 1428–1519Tenochtitlan · Aztec EmpireAfter the Aztec Triple Alliance was established in 1428, Tenochtitlan became the military and tribute center, the Templo Mayor was expanded, and the population reportedly reached over 200,000 according to Spanish accounts, making it one of the largest cities in pre-Columbian Americas.
4. 1521Tenochtitlan · New SpainIn 1521 Cortés's allied forces captured the city after a siege of several months, and Tenochtitlan was severely damaged. The Spanish built Mexico City on its ruins, and land reclamation gradually transformed the original lake-island terrain.