Early Mexica Settlement and Vassalage to Azcapotzalco (Legendary Mid-Fourteenth Century)

Timeline

1. 1341–1344Tenochtitlan · Valley of MexicoLegend holds that in 1323 they saw the oracle of an eagle perched on a cactus, and the founding is usually dated to 1325 on the island in the lake. The first part of the Codex Mendoza begins in 1325. In the 1340s they were still a small lakeside settlement. Acamapichtli had not yet become tlatoani at this time (accepted chronologies begin in 1350 or later).
2. 1342–1348Azcapotzalco · Valley of MexicoFor decades after the founding, the Mexica paid tribute and supplied warriors to the Tepanec Azcapotzalco in exchange for living space in the lake region. The specific tribute terms for 1342–1348 cannot be verified; it can only be said that this phase fell under Tepanec hegemony.
3. 1348–1350Valley of Mexico · Valley of MexicoThe Aztec Triple Alliance (Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, Tlacopan) was founded in 1427 to oppose Azcapotzalco, not on the eve of 1348. No verifiable 'preparations for a triple alliance' existed in the late 1340s. The Mexica royal house was established only after the election of Acamapichtli.