Do you ever wonder how life was living in Tenochtitlan in 1325? I don't and that's because I lived through it all. At my young age I didn't understand what was going on around me but as I grew older I started to process everything. My great-grandfather, grandfather, father and I helped in the construction of the Templo Mayor. My family line was able to be apart of this because it was first founded in 1325 and reconstructed 7 times over 200 years. Amazing right? I didn't have much involvement as much as my ancestors did but I'm still glad I was able to help somehow. The Templo mayor was an expression of our beliefs and helped us unite all levels of the world. I, an artisan, will tell you about the Templo mayor. First, let me tell you…show more content… Coatepec Hill was represented on the right side and the Hill of Sustenance was on the left. The hill of sustenance patron deity was Tlaloc and the hill of Coatepec was the birthplace of the Aztec war god Huitzilopochtli. In Aztec culture, we believed that mountains brought us closer to gods. The Templo mayor was considered an Axis Mundi and a place where myths became alive. An axis Mundi is considered the connection between Heaven and Earth. Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli were fundamental to the existence of my Aztec people. I’ve heard many myths in my family that pertains to our deities and Templo mayor. It is said that Huitzilopochtli birth consisted of him fighting his sister Coyolxauhqui on Coatepec hill. The myth is that he supposedly after his victory he stayed on Coatepec hill and that's why his shrine is where it is…show more content… Aztlan was supposed to be the place where my Aztec people originated from. It was referred to as an island on a lake as depicted in the codex boturini. The word Aztlan means "the place of the seven legendary caves” which is who the legend is supposed to be about. This migration was directed by Huitzilopochtli, also known as hummingbird of the south. Chosen people were able to communicate with such gods; Huitzilopochtli was a god and instructed Mexica priest. Huitzilopochtli advised them to look for a place that had an eagle, cactus, and snake. They had to find a site where they would find the eagle sitting on a cactus eating a snake. This was a toponym for Tenochtitlan and also becomes the symbol of Mexico as a nation. This migration was very important to my people and I wish I knew more of this place since it has not been able to be
