Mexica

The Mexica People

The Mexica were a group of people who lived in the Valley of Mexico. They spoke a language called Nahuatl and were part of a big group often called the Aztec Empire. In 1325, they started a city named Tenochtitlan on an island in a lake called Lake Texcoco.

The Mexica are important because they helped create what we now call Mexico City. They had a special relationship with another group called the Culhua. Today, many people in Mexico are descendants of the Mexica and other groups.

The Mexica looked for a sign from their god, Huitzilopochtli, to find the perfect place to build their city. They saw an eagle with a snake in its beak on a prickly pear cactus, and that’s where they built Tenochtitlan. This story is still remembered and shared by people today.

Even though their empire ended many years ago, the Mexica’s language, Nahuatl, is still spoken by over a million people. Their history and stories continue to be an important part of Mexico’s rich culture.