the Mexica people stand in field of grass looking at a prickly pear

Who were the Aztec, really? It’s complicated.

Before their defeat by the Spanish in 1521, the triple alliance ruled Mesoamerica through complex trade networks—and warfare.

The Mexica priest Cuauhtlequetzqui points out the place where his people should found their city in around 1325. The prickly pear evokes the story that the name Tenochtitlan means “place among the prickly pears.” Mexican artist José María Jara painted the scene in 1889. National Museum of Art, Mexico City.
PHOTOGRAPH BY DAGLI ORTI/AURIMAGES
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