THE EAGLE ON THE PRICLY PEAR

TENOCHTITLAN'S FOUNDATION

Note: This text is based on the mexicayatl chronicle written by Fernando de Alvarado Tezozomoc, around 1600 and, based as well, in very old documents of the Real House of Mexico. It is basically, the bottom line of many myths that have been repeated by several authors, because this text is very old. Click here to see the Bibliography Section. The links within the text will give you a short explanation of a certain issue - I will make them very brief - for a greater understanding of the story.

Cuaucohuatl and Axolona were scouting and so they found and watched a thousand wonders between canes and rushes.

So it had been said to them and to their fathers by their God Huitzilopotchtli. And he said to them: "There, where you'll find land between rushes and reed, there will be and will reign Huitzilopotchli".

Thus, by his own voice, had been ordered.

After a long pilgrimage, what the scout's eyes saw was just as the God had said: white and straight willows; white rushes and reedbeds and even white frogs, snakes and fish. And in a rocky site with overlapping stones dividing it, there was a cave.

Four rocks closed it. One rock, to the east, had no water. The second rock of the cave watched the north: it was overlapping and it brought forth water of greenish blue colour.

When they saw all this, these old scouts cried realizing that it was the indicated place and they said to each other: "And so it is here where it will be."

The God indicated to them that they had to look for a special place: 'You will see many wonders.' "We are watching them," they exclaimed, "and we are admired." With great joy they called to the other mexicas saying to them: "Let's go, let's go to admire what we have seen. Let's tell the Priest and he'll decide what we have to do."

This way they went to Temazcatitlan and that night they spoke with Cuauhtlaquetzqui, the priest, who spoke for Huiztilopocthli himself and he interrogated them.

"Cuauhcohuatl, did you see everything? what was between the rushes and reeds? Still another thing remains to be seen! Go back there and look for a wild prickly pear (nopal) bush and there, on it, you will see, calm and regal, an eagle. There it eats and combs its feathers and that will give joy to your hearts; There was thrown the heart of Copil! there, where the water turns and turns. There it fell! in the cave you have seen between the rushes and reeds, there lies the heart of Copil. It has brought forth the wild bush! And there we will stay and from there we will reign: there we will wait and meet all kinds of people!

Our chests, our heads, our arrows, our shields; we will make them see there: to all those that surround us there we will conquer them! ! There will stand our city Tenochtitlan!

The place where the eagle screams, where it opens its wings; the place where it eats, where the fish jumps and where the serpents roll and whistle!

There will Mexico Tenochtitlan be and many things will happen."

And Cuauhcohuatl said: "Very well, my lord priest. It's granted! Let's go so that our fathers and the elders and all the rest together listen to this!"

And they gathered all the elders and they were told Huitzilopotchli's words according to the priest. And hearing them they went again to the border of the cave between rushes and reeds. When they arrived at the site where the wild nopal grew there was on the brink of the cave, calm, an eagle. It was perched on nopal. ' There it eats, there it devours and throws to the cave the remains of its meal.'

And when the eagle saw the mexicas it bowed deeply.Its nest was visible and it had all whichever fine feathers were, bluejays, red birds and quetzal there. And therealso were heads, legs and bones of precious birds lying on the earth.

The God spoke to them and thusly said: 'Ah, mexicas: it will be here ! Mexico is here '

And although they did not see who spoke to them, they were sobbing and saying: "Oh joy, oh what great joy! We have seen where our city is going to be ! Let's go and rest there."