Tenoch (or Tenuch, ) was a ruler of the Mexicas (Aztecas) during the fourteenth century during the Aztec travels from Aztlán to

Tenochtitlan , ; es, Tenochtitlan also known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan, ; es, México-Tenochtitlan was a large Mexican in what is now the historic center of Mexico City. The exact date of the founding of the city is unclear. The date 13 March 1325 was ...

. Tenoch's father was Iztac Mixcoatl, who had a total of seven sons with two wives. The Tenochtitlan people were originally referred to as Tenochca, then the Mexica. He was a respected chief who was elected to power by the council of elders and died sometime between 1350 and 1375, depending on the source. There is disagreement whether Tenoch is a mythological person or a real Mexica leader who was later mythologized. Tenoch was one of nine Mexica leaders who were told how Mexica could gain support from the forces of nature. After traveling southward for a span of 200 years, the Mexica found the sign. In honor of their leader, they named the small, reedy island in

Lake Texcoco Lake Texcoco ( es, Lago de Texcoco) was a natural lake within the "Anahuac" or Valley of Mexico. Lake Texcoco is best known as where the Aztecs built the city of Tenochtitlan, which was located on an island within the lake. After the Spanish con ...

, Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan soon became the capital of the Aztec Empire. The

Nahuatl Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have small ...

symbol A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...

s of his name are found in the Mexican flag: ''Tetl'', the rock, and ''Nochtli'', the prickly pear cactus. The theocratic government of Tenoch lasted from 1269 to 1363. In 1325 he founded Mexico City, which was nicknamed Tenochtitlan, in honor of the claudillo

References

{{Authority control Aztec nobility 1375 deaths Year of birth unknown Mythological city founders Nobility of the Americas