Mexcaltitán, home of the Mexicans
In Nayarit is the island of Mexcaltitán, and its name means “house of the Mexicans”, a Magical and picturesque Town, home of the legend of Aztlán, the abundant and kind city, where the Nahuatlaca tribes would have begun their great pilgrimage to find an eagle devouring a snake, and founding there the Great Tenochtitlán, what is today Mexico City.
The iconic shield of our national flag was seen for the first time in the Anahuaca Valley, in the middle of Lake Texcoco, after two centuries of wandering through the national territory.
According to pre-Columbian legend, the Boturini codex narrates the path followed by the Aztecs to Tenochtitlán. Also mentioned is the place where they left in the year 1116, which was known as Aztlán, the birthplace of their last god Huitzilopochtli, who ordered them to find a new place to settle.
Among the theories that try to explain where Aztlán is located, the one that states that it is the island of Mexcaltitán is the strongest for several reasons:
- Aztlán means “place of the Herons”, which are abundant in the fauna of the area.
- At this site, a stone carving of a heron devouring a snake was found, which is exhibited in the Museum of Origin, on the island.
- And the geography of the Island coincides with what is narrated in the Boturini codex.
- Another point to consider was the similarity in the structure of the cities of Mexico – Tenochtitlán, which was founded on islets in Lake Texcoco.
As the years went by, Aztlán was forgotten by the Aztec priests and warriors, but this site, which was the cradle of Mexicanness, continues to be described as paradise on earth, due to the natural wealth that surrounded that mythical island, that gave rise to our national identity and that today bears the name of Mexcaltitán.
