Why is the eagle eating a snake on the Mexican flag?
The emblem, which was first adopted in 1823, is based on an Aztec Indian legend about how the country’s capital, Mexico City, was founded. According to the legend, Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec’s supreme deity, instructed the Aztec people to seek a place where an eagle landed on a prickly-pear cactus, eating a snake.
What is the Aztec legend of the snake and the eagle?
The Mexican coat of arms owes its origins to an Aztec legend. According to the legend, the leader of a nomadic tribe was visited by a god named Huitzilopochtli in a dream. The leader was told by the god that the tribe would come across an eagle, perched on a cactus, devouring a snake.
How did Aztecs name themselves?
The Aztecs referred to themselves as Culhua-Mexica, to link themselves with Colhuacán, the centre of the most-civilized people of the Valley of Mexico. See alsopre-Columbian civilizations: Aztec culture to the time of the Spanish conquest.
How does the eagle fight the snake?
When a soaring snake-eagle spots a delicious snake, it swoops down suddenly, grabbing with its talons. Then it immediately flies upward, as the snake writhes and strikes. The first order of business is to minimize the danger, so the eagle crushes or tears off the snake’s head.
Why did the Aztecs look for the eagle?
The legend says that one day, the god of the sun spoke to the people. The god told the Aztec people to look for a sign-an eagle with a snake in its beak perched on a cactus. On the spot where the eagle perched, the Aztec were to build a great city.
Why did the Aztecs choose Tenochtitlan?
It is said that the Aztecs chose the site of their capital, Tenochtitlan, because of the presence of a bird perched on a cactus and eating a snake. In this lesson, students will learn about that ancient Aztec legend and about how Tenochtitlan became the site of modern-day Mexico City.
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