in the 14th to early 16th centuries, a large city in the Valley of Mexico and the capital of the Aztec state.
According to legend, Tenochtitlán was founded in 1325 on an island in the western part of Lake Texcoco. The ancient fortified settlement covered an area of about 7.5 sq km. The city was crisscrossed by numerous canals and was joined to the mainland by three causeways with drawbridges. Tenochtitlán had a grid layout and was divided into four parcialidades: Santa Maria Cuepopan, San Pablo Teopan, San Juan Moyotlan, and Atzacoalco. Each parcialidad was subdivided into barrios. In the center of the city were monumental temples, the largest of which was 30 m high, and palaces of the rulers and the nobility. Within the city there were special artisans’ settlements, including Amantlán. Tenochtitlán was completely destroyed in 1521, during the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Mexico City was founded on its ruins.