Legend has it that the Aztecs were to find a place for their new city and build it where they saw an eagle with a snake in its beak perched on a cactus plant. That story is probably anecdotal. To build a city in such a poor location needs some justification. This is in reference to the establishment of what is now known as Mexico City. The story was either true or created later to justify the fact that the city was built on an island in a swamp. The image of the eagle with snake in beak, perched on a cactus is on the Mexican flag.
The original town, Tenochtitlan was built in 1325 by the Aztecs and was later rebuilt and named Mexico by the Spaniards in the mid 1500's after it was conquered by Cortés in 1521.
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