Founding of Tenochtitlan (1325)

Timeline

1. 1320–1325Lake Texcoco · Valley of MexicoAccording to Aztec traditional chronicles, the Mexica migrated from the north into the Valley of Mexico, successively residing under the rule of city-states such as Culhuacan and Azcapotzalco while long searching for the prophesied site of their city. In the 1320s they continued operating around Lake Texcoco, preparing for final settlement.
2. 1325Island of Tenochtitlan · Valley of MexicoThe Mexica formally established Tenochtitlan on an island in the lake; according to documents such as the Codex Mendoza, the site selection was linked to the sign of an eagle perched on a cactus, holding a snake. Early residents began construction by reclaiming land from the lake, building causeways and simple temples; the city's name means 'place of the cactus stone'.
3. 1325–1330Tenochtitlan · MexicoIn the years after the founding, the Mexica expanded chinampa agriculture, improved water supply and defense systems, and established complex diplomatic and tribute relations with neighboring polities such as Texcoco and Tlacopan. Though still a rising power among the valley's states, Tenochtitlan's strategic position and organizational capacity laid the groundwork for the later rise of the Triple Alliance.