"When we saw all those cities and villages built in the water...and that straight level causeway leading to Mexico, we were astounded. These great towns and temples had buildings rising from the water, all made of stone, and it seemed like an enchanted vision from the tale of Amadis. Indeed, some of our soldiers asked if this was not all a dream. Cortes himself would refer to Tenochtítlan as "the City of Dreams" exclaiming that it was without question "the most beautiful thing in the world." (Levy, Buddy, Conquistador, p. 101-102)**

-Bernal Díaz del Castíllo*

At times, I find myself thinking about what might have been. You see, according to Aztec mythology, the Mexica were an indigenous group residing in a region now defined by northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, around the late 1200s or early 1300s. Drought and likely famine compelled them to seek survival elsewhere, so as they prayed to their god, Huitzilopochtli, they were instructed through a "vision" to relocate to a place where they saw an eagle perched on a cactus devouring a snake. Only then would they know they had reached the right location. This journey eventually brought them to a lake high in the mountains, 7500 feet above sea level, with the massive volcano now called Popocatépetl, looming in the background. It is here, the site of present-day Mexico City, that they fulfilled that vision (take a close look at the Mexican flag). Over the following two centuries, they would construct what would surely have been deemed one of the Seven Wonders of the World at the time, and an empire unlike anything else known in the world.

By all accounts, Tenochtitlan was a magnificent city of over 200,000 people and capital of the Aztec empire. At it's height, it was lead by Montezuma who ruled over approximately 5 million people in the surrounding region. The city was literally built on a lake bed with walkways and canals throughout and a city center consisting of religious temples that towered above everything else. Surrounding the city were several causeways leading to and from the rest of their empire where up to 60,000 people per day would come and go as they explored the local markets. Adjacent to the city and in the lake itself, the "Chinampas" were floating agricultural fields rising above the water and held together by the native engineering developed to keep the soil contained underwater. These farms produced everything from corn, squash, beans, tomatoes, peppers and flowers which were heavily utilized in ceremonies and celebrations.

Within the city and along its edges, one can envision the lively, bustling sounds everywhere; the people speaking in their native Nahuatl tongue as they negotiated and exchanged goods including gold and silver, flowers, fruits and vegetables, fish, and animal skins; the noise of water splashing as carved canoes and improvised boats navigated the lake and canals transporting their owners as they traded their own items or sought their next meal. The vibrant marketplace sounds and aromas must have filled the air in this ultimate outdoor market, as people from various regions participated in this advanced and sophisticated commerce. Remarkably, all this emerged from a civilization almost unknown to outsiders and certainly isolated from the rest of the world.

Cortés Meets Montezuma at Tenochtítlan

It's difficult for me to fathom that before Cortés arrived at Tenochtitlan in 1519, only a few explorers had ever seen much of the Americas, apart from the native peoples, and they likely never encountered this city. On November 8, 1519, Cortes and his Spanish army entered the city, marching across one of the narrow causeways some in full armor, weapons in hand and some mounted on horseback. Thousands of Aztec spectators gathered along the causeway in their boats and at the "island" entrance to witness the first meeting between Cortés and Montezuma. The astonishment and wonder must have been mutual, matching the Spanish reaction to the city. These people had never seen horses, and seeing men clad in armor with their unfamiliar "objects" (weapons) riding these "animals" likely seemed as much a dream to them as the first sight of their city did to the Spaniards. As Cortés greeted Montezuma, he and some of his soldiers were showered with gifts of gold and silver, among other things. In that moment, the underlying intentions were set. For Montezuma, it was a way to keep this initial "meeting" subdued while he assessed his potential adversary. For Cortés, it was the confirmation he sought; there were indeed riches to be had, perhaps not immediately but soon. We now know how this unfolded.

If you have Mexican ancestry, this marks the beginning of a significant part of your heritage. Had Cortés and a few hundred of his Spanish compatriots not been the first to reach Tenochtitlán, another powerful nation like England, France, Portugal, or even the Dutch were sure to eventually exploit the New World's riches. Whether these countries would have engaged the indigenous people as the Spanish did is uncertain, and we'll never know. Regardless, once news of the Americas' wealth reached the Old World, another powerful nation was likely to attempt to claim it. Human nature would have taken its course, with regard to greed and power, and it would have just been a matter of time. Who knows? Perhaps we might be speaking French or Portuguese today if events had unfolded a little differently. Either way, I still find myself wondering what might have been.

* Bernal Díaz del Castíllo was a soldier in Hernan Cortes' army and the one to which the quote is attributed in Buddy Levy's book, "Conquistador". Díaz documented much of his journey with Cortés, later in his life.

** If you truly want to know more about the Spanish conquest, I urge you to read one of the best books I have ever read on this topic to get a highly detailed description of the events of 1519-1521.

(Levy, Buddy, Conquistador Hernan Cortés, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs, Bantam Books, 2009)