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Much of what follows is taken from the Aztecs' accounts of their own history as they had learned it and passed it along from generation to generation; however, much of this history may have come from the Spanish conquistadores and missionaries of the sixteenth century. There are many conflicts among the different versions of the history, and yet many of the events described have been verified by other historical and archaeological records.

It is impossible to separate what many people consider the distinct fields of mythology and history included in the accounts. The ancient historians did not distinguish between religion and fact in the way most historians do in the twenty-first century; their idea of what constituted reality was different than that of contemporary society. In addition, Aztec rulers willfully rewrote Aztec history to unify all groups within their empire. It is helpful to remember that history is never purely factual. It is always shaped by the beliefs and views of the people who tell it. Nevertheless, the Aztec myths and descriptions provide a distinctive portrait of their historical and cultural background.

According to the Aztecs, they arrived on Earth through the openings of seven caves. They later settled on an island in the middle of a large lake called Aztlan ("the place of the white herons" or "the place of whiteness"). The exact location of Aztlan has never been determined. The supreme god of the Aztecs was named Huitzilopochtli; the name means "Hummingbird of the South or Left," the god of war and sun. Sometime in the twelfth century, the Aztec people set off from Aztlan in search of a new home. Four priests carried Huitzilopochtli, in hummingbird form, and the god occasionally twittered out directions to them as they traveled. The Aztec people wandered into the Valley of Mexico early in their travels and settled there in various places over the years.

One of the places the Aztecs stayed was Culhuacan, which had been an early home of the Toltecs. After their stay, the Aztecs called themselves the Culhua-Mexicas to associate themselves with the renowned Toltecs, the chosen rulers of the valley. By this time the Aztecs had aspired to rule the great land they were traversing, even though the other inhabitants of the valley considered them vulgar nomads.

Despite their crude behavior, the Aztecs had gained a reputation as skilled warriors. In several of the places they stayed, they became mercenary soldiers for rulers in the area. Most of the valley's inhabitants found many Aztec practices revolting, particularly their methods of performing human sacrifices and their habit of raiding other communities to take their women. After several run-ins with other communities, the Aztecs had been chased out of most of the settled areas in the valley.

With nowhere else to go, the Aztecs camped out on the marshy shores of Lake Texcoco where no one else considered living. It was there, according to their later accounts, that the Aztecs received a sign foretelling they had found the location of their new home: On a small island on the lake, they saw an eagle perched on a cactus bearing large red fruit; the eagle was eating a snake. The Aztecs settled on the lake island in the year 1325 after wandering for more than two hundred years...

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