162 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



men, who facrificed him immediately, and with great ju^ 

 bilee prefented his heart torn from his breaft on the al- 

 tar, exerciling fuch cruelty not more for the bloody wor- 

 fliip of that falfe divinity, than the gratification of their 

 revenge upon the Colhuas. Around the fandluary they 

 began to build their wretched huts of reeds and ruflies, 

 being deftitute at that time of other materials. Such was 

 the beginning of the city of Tenochtitlan, which in fu- 

 ture times was to become the court of a great empire, 

 and the largeft and mofl beautiful city of the new world. 

 It was likewife called Mexico, the name that afterwards 

 prevailed, which denomination being taken from the 

 name of its tutelar god, fignifies place of Mexitli^ or 

 Hmtzilopocbill^ he had both thefe names (o). 



The foundation of Mexico^ happened in the year 2. 

 Calliy correfponding with the year 1325 of the vulgar 

 era, when Quinatzin, the Chechemecan, was reigning in 

 that country : but by changing their fituation, the Mexi- 

 cans did not fuddenly better their fortune ; for being in- 

 fulated in the middle of a lake, without lands to culti- 

 vate, 



(j>) There is a great clifTerence of opinion among authors refpedling the ety- 

 mology of the word Mexico. Some derive it from Metzli, Mom becaufe they 

 favv the moon reprefented in that lake as the oracle had predicted. Others fay, 

 that Mexico means upon the fountain, from having found one of good water in 

 that fpot ; but thefe two etymologies are too violent, and the firft befides is ri-- 

 dlculous. I was once of opinion, that the name was Mexicco, which means in the 

 centre of Magnet, or trees of the Mexican aloe ; but from the ftudy of the hiflo- 

 ry I have been undeceived, and am now pofitive that Mexico fignifies the place' 

 of Mexitli, or Huitzilopochtli, that is, tlie Mars of the Mexicans, on account of 

 the fancftuary there eredted to him ; fo that Mexico with the Mexicans is entire- 

 ly equivalent to Fanu7}i Martis of the Romans ; the Mexicans take away the 

 final fyllable tli, in the compounding of words of this kind. The co added to 

 it is the prepolition in. The word Mexicaltzinco, means the place of the houfc 

 or temple of the god Mexitli ; fo that Huitzilopochco, Mexicaltzinco and Mexico, 

 the names of the three places fucceffively inhabited by the Mexicans, mean the 

 iame thing in fubftance. 



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