The most widespread meaning of ‘Mexico’ is navel of the moon, although this is not accepted by various linguists and anthropologists. Other versions suggest that the true meaning is the residence of Mexi.
The word ‘Mexico’ was chosen by the Aztec-Mexica people to give the name to the great city of Mexico-Tenochtitlán, founded on Lake Texcoco around 1325.
The name of the country that we currently know as Mexico is thus derived from the name of the capital of the Aztec empire.
So we know that the word ‘Mexico’ had origin in the Nahuatl language. However, it is its etymological meaning that has been the subject of debate. Below we share the two main hypotheses about the meaning of ‘Mexico’.
1. Mexico, “Mexi’s place of residence”
According to ancient accounts collected by chronicles from the 16th century, the Aztecs changed their name to ‘Mexica’ when they left Aztlán. They did it by order of the Mexi priest, whom they followed in search of a promised land.
Mexi embodied the wishes of the god Huitzilopochtli. In this way, the Mexica migrated to the Anáhuac Valley and lived there for many years.
One day the priests said they had received the sign from the god Huitzilopochtli to found a city. This happened when they saw an eagle, perched on a cactus, devouring a snake. The scene occurred on an islet in Lake Texcoco. The order was for Mexico to be founded there.
In Nahuatl, ‘Mexi’ would refer to the priest, or perhaps to the god Huitzilopochtli, since one of the variants of his name was ‘Mexitli’. While the suffix ‘co’ means “place of”, so ‘Mexico’ It would mean “the place of Mexi and his followers.”
This hypothesis is based on manuscripts by Fray Toribio de Benavente and other religious people. With more details it was later proposed by the 18th century Jesuit historian, Francisco Xavier Clavijero.
2. Mexico, “the navel of the moon”
Another popular hypothesis about the word ‘Mexico’ is that it means “the place at the navel or center of the moon.” Well, Mexico would be the word composed of ‘meztli’, the moon; ‘xictli’, center or navel; and ‘co’, the ‘place of’.
This idea was presented by the Mexican archaeologist, Alfonso Caso, in his reception speech before the Mexican Academy of History in 1946. Case was based on the importance that the moon had in the worldview of the Mexica, who believed that their city, Mexico-Tenochtitlán, was located at the center of the universe.
Although this version of the meaning of ‘Mexico’ is widely disseminated, it is very difficult to prove. There are no historical testimonies or written records that associate the name of Mexico with the moon, neither in pre-Hispanic codices nor in Spanish chronicles.
Mexico, the name of the country
Before the independence of ‘Mexico’, the name given to its territories was Viceroyalty of New Spain. The word ‘Mexico’ was only used to designate the most important city of the viceroyalty, but it was not common to call the entire territory that comprised it that way.
The extension of the name to the rest of the territories occurred during the fight for independence. In 1814, the “Constitutional Decree for the freedom of Mexican America” was published, and since then this term was used to refer to all the northern and Central American territories that sought to separate from Spain.
Once independence was achieved, Mexico went through different political processes that caused variations in its constitutional name. However, its reference to the country we know today has remained over time.
Some names of Mexico have been: Mexican Empire, Mexican Republic and, the longest lasting, United Mexican States.
It may interest you:
Bibliography
Case, Alfonso (1946) The eagle and the cactus. Reception speech at the Mexican Academy of History.
Clavier, Francisco (1844) Ancient history of Mexico and its conquest: taken from the best Spanish historians […] Translation from Italian by Joaquín de Mora. Printer: Lara.
Covarrubias, Sebastian (1611) Treasury of the Castilian or Spanish language. Printer: Luis Sánchez.
Tibón, Gutierre (1975) History of the name and founding of Mexico. FCE.