Where Did the Name "Mexico" Come From?

Aztecs as Mexico-Tenochtitlan

The country of Mexico derived its name from its capital city. The capital city was originally named by the Aztecs as Mexico-Tenochtitlan, which was closely related to the name of an Aztec tribe, the Mexica.

There are various hypotheses about the origin and the meaning of the name Mexico. Of these, two are the most popular: one is related to Mexico’s ancient Aztec city, while the other is related to their god.

One of the theories is that the name Mexico came from a Nahuatl word, Metzthixihtlico. This is the name of the city that the Aztecs built. The city was located in the middle of an island, which was surrounded by Lake Texcoco. The word Metzthixihtlico can be separated into metztli, which means “moon,” and xictli, which means “navel” or “center.” The word thus literally means “navel of the moon” or “center of the moon,” the moon being Lake Texcoco.

Another theory surrounding the origin of the name Mexico is that the country was named after their God, Mexitli. Mexitli, also known as Huitzilopochtli, is their god of war, and is also the patron of the tribe Mexica. Some sources say that Mexitli also derived his name from metzli and xictli, which when combined could also mean “child of the moon.” Thus, Mexico could also mean “place where the god Mexitli lives."

After Mexico was conquered by Spain, the name of the country was modified, and became Mexico. This was the name adapted by the people in Mexico. The letter X, however, was pronounced differently by the Spanish; thus, the word evolved, resulting in a variant of the name Mexico, Mejico. This variant was adapted mostly by the people in Spain. At present the accepted spelling of the name of the country is Mexico, although occasionally, the variant Mejico is still used.