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​​'Mexico' just sounds better than

'Bellybutton of the Moon'

Clay Thompson

The Republic | azcentral.com

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What is the origin of the name “Mexico?” Was that what the natives

called it before the Spanish arrived, or is it some form of a Spanish word?

What would you like it to be? There are all sorts of explanations for where

the name came from, so you can pretty much take your pick.

Here is the most common explanation I came across, although there are

several variations of it.

​The Mexica were the tribe that — in union with a few other groups — became the Aztecs, the folks who built an empire and were in charge when the Spanish arrived.

Before they became big shots, the Mexica had been out and about just sort of wandering around, looking for a place to settle.

They finally arrived at a lake with an island, and on the island stood a cactus, and on the cactus was an eagle munching on a snake. That was where they founded Tenochtitlán, known today as Mexico City.

When the Mexica arrived, there were already other people there: the Nahua.

They were a little surprised about these newcomers showing up, seemingly out of the blue.

So they said their new neighbors had come from Aztlan, a name for a mythical place that meant “remote” or “somewhere to the north.”

They also used the word “metztli’’ for moon and “xictli” for bellybutton and “co’’ for place.

These newcomers came from Azdtlan, a remote, faraway place, such as the bellybutton of the moon.

It all sounds a bit convoluted, but it all adds up to the Aztecs living in a place called Mexico.

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