The founding of Tenochtitlan. Codex Mendoza, 1541-1650 (pictorial manuscript)

MS. Arch. Selden. A. 1, fol. 2r. The founding of Tenochtitlan ("Prickly Pear Cactus Growing on a Stone"), capital city of the Aztec empire, on a rock at the centre of a crossway of clear water in an otherwise marshy region. The eagle, still the national emblem of Mexico, is an Aztec symbol for the sun. In the four quadrants (? wards of the city) are depicted the city's ten founders, including their leader Tenuch ("Stone Cactus Fruit") on the left nearest the centre. Below are two standard conquest scenes, each with a pyramid temple toppled and burning. Around the margin is the 51-year count of Tenuch's rule, calculable as 1325 to 1375.The signature and title of André Thevet, the manuscript's earliest owner in Europe, are added at the top.