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The Tenochtitlan legend
The Creatures
The bird featured on the
Mexican coat of arms is the
golden eagle. This
bird is known in Spanish as águila real (literally, "royal eagle").
In 1960, the Mexican
ornithologist Rafael
Martín del Campo identified the eagle in the pre-Hispanic codex as the
northern caracara or
"quebrantahuesos", a species common in Mexico (although the name "eagle" is
taxonomically incorrect, as the caracara is in the
falcon family). Even
so, the golden eagle is considered the Mexican eagle for official purposes,
and for the same reason is considered the official bird of Mexico.
When Father Duran
introduced the snake, it was originally an aquatic serpent. But in 1917, the
serpent was portrayed as a
rattlesnake, because
it was more common than the aquatic varieties in pre-Hispanic illustrations.
As a result of this, the design and color of the snake on the modern coat of
arms do not correspond with those of any species of snake, and were inspired
by the representations of
Quetzalcoatl, a
rattlesnake with
quetzal
feathers.
Symbolism
Elements
The Elements in this coat
of arm are:
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The eagle, in a
combative stance |
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The snake, held by a
claw and the beak of the eagle |
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The
Nopal on which the
eagle stands. The nopal bears some of its fruits (tunas)
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The pedestal on which
the Nopal grows is immersed in an Aztec symbol meaning Water
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Oak leaves and Laurel
leaves encircling the Eagle cluster; tied together with a ribbon with the
Mexican flag's colors. |
Pictographic interpetation of Aztec symbols
The emblem has at least
two abstraction levels. First, the pictographic representation of the name
of the Aztec's capital city,
Tenochtitlan, as
tenoch is the word for the cactus fruit and titlan means "the
place of." On another level, it represents one of the most important
cosmological beliefs of the
Aztec
culture.
The emblem shows an eagle
devouring a serpent, which actually is in conflict with Mesoamerican belief.
The eagle is a symbol of the sun and a representation of the victorious god
Huitzilopochtli, in
which form, according to legend, bowed to the arriving Aztecs. The snake is
a symbol of the earth and, in certain pre Hispanic traditions, a
representation of
Quetzalcoatl; more
specifically, in Aztec (Mexica) tradition, the snake is the representation
of
Coatlicue,
the personification of earth and mother of Huitzilopochtli. In some codex,
the eagle holds the glyph for war to represent the victorious
Huitzilopochtli. This glyph, the Atl tlachinolli, which means
"burning water," has a certain resemblance with a snake, and may plausibly
be the origin of this confusion. With the water element, the attributed
element of the moon, it recalls the mythology and rebirth of
Huitzilopochtli,
the god and hero of the Aztecs.
The fruit of the Nopal
cactus, called Tuna, represents the heart of
Copil, the nephew of
the god Huitzilopochtli. The god ordered the people to "build the city in
the place of Copil's heart" (Ramirez
Codex), where the cactus
grew on his land. It also alludes to the human sacrifice customs of the
Aztecs.
Modern Interpretation
Throughout the history of
the Mexican coat of arms, many meanings have been attributed to its
elements, although the most prevalent interpretations are
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That the Eagle
represents the Mexican People, the combative stance meaning that they are
ready to face the challenges that life and the world may bring upon them.
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That the Snake
represents Mexico's enemies, although not identified, it would mean any
foreign forces that may harm Mexicans. The snake being devoured by the
eagle means that the Mexican people will prevail over their enemies.
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That the Nopal, with its
thorny nature, represents Mexico's challenges and trouble; the eagle
defiantly standing on them means that the Mexican people will overcome
these challenges. |
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That the Earth and Water
symbols represent Mexico's indigenous origins, melded together through the
colonization and racial mixing of Europeans and Native Americans.
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That the Laurel and Oak
leaves encircling the Coat of Arms represent victory and the martyrdom of
those who have given their lives for Mexico. |
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