The Sigüenza Map. (El Mapa De Sigüenza) 1500

Old map of Distrito Federal, Mexico, Mexico City.

Classical period, it is the only map of its kind known to exist. It is thought to date from the 16th century. The map shows the path of the migration, along with the story of the places passed and of the migration itself. Alongside the glyph for each location are symbols representing the amount of time spent in each location. A trail of footprints connects these locations. The original migration of the Aztec from the mythical Aztlán to Tenochtitlan marks the historical and symbolic evolution of the Aztec people: their blessing by the gods, founding events in their history, their heroes and leaders, and finally, their settlement on the island of Tenochtitlan, from where they eventually dominated their world. The community that produced the map has not been identified with certainty, but scholars believe it most likely was Chapultepec. The document has been in the possession of historians in Mexico since the 17th century, and is named after Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora (1645-1700), a Mexican scholar and government official who was an early student of Aztec history.

• Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
• Original resource extent: A single sheet of amatl paper; 54.5 x 77.5 centimeters.
• Original resource at: National Institute of Anthropology and History INAH.
• Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Map Tags

1500

1500 To 1599

Aztecs

Distrito Federal

Indians Of Mexico

Indigenous Peoples

Map

Memory Of The World

Mesoamerica

Mexico

Mexico City

Migration