The word M?xihco derives from the m?tztli ("moon"), xictli ("navel", "center" or "son"), and the suffix -co (place), in which case it means "Place at the center of the moon" or "Place at the center of the Lake Moon", in reference to Lake Texcoco. The system of interconnected lakes, of which Texcoco was at the center, had the form of a rabbit, the same image that the Aztecs saw in the moon. Tenochtitlan was located at the center (or navel) of the lake (or rabbit/moon).
Response last updated by gtho4 on Oct 14 2016.
Apr 17 2009, 1:33 PM
zbeckabee
Answer has 4 votes
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zbeckabee Moderator 19 year member
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Answer has 4 votes.
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With all due respect for the bellybutton, I'd be more inclined to lean towards this etymology:
The Nahuatl word Mexiko or Mexihko is composed of the root Mexi and the suffix -co that means "place" or "city." The full name of the city, Mexico-Tenochtitlan, means "the place of the Mexica in the cactus-stone," in reference to the image of the eagle perched on a cactus that grew from a stone, in the middle of Lake Texcoco. This image is represented in Mexico's coat of arms and flag.