[Aztlan] Fwd: Tenochtitlan or Mexico-Tenochtitlan??

[Stephanie Wood]

>
> ----- Forwarded message from pmg16 at columbia.edu -----
>    Date: Thu, 09 Nov 2006 13:06:16 -0500
>    From: "Pamela M. Graham" <pmg16 at columbia.edu>
> Reply-To: "Pamela M. Graham" <pmg16 at columbia.edu>
> Subject: Tenochtitlan or Mexico-Tenochtitlan??
>
> ------------------
> Hello,
>
> Apologies for cross-postings to the H-latam list. A researcher here  
> sent a question concerning usage of the names Mexico-Tenochtitlan  
> vs. Tenochtitlan.  Can anyone speak to this question of name usage,  
> and/or suggest sources that discuss this issue?  See her question  
> below.
>
> We have checked many major sources, including the Oxford  
> encyclopedia of mesoamerican cultures, Archaeology of ancient  
> Mexico and Central America, Encyclopedia of Latin American History  
> and Culture, and some toponomy-related sources.  A promising  
> source, Historia del nombre y de la fundacion de Mexico, by  
> Gutierre Tibon, was not on the shelf here.  While everything  
> provides background on the site and history of settlement etc,  
> nothing discusses usage of names or discussions of preferred usage.
>
> Any suggestions are welcome.  She is on a short deadline for this  
> writing project.
>
>
> Thanks,
> Pamela
>
>
>> I had to adapt text for a young-adult biography of Nezahualcoyotl,  
>> which of
>> course mentions Tenochtitlan (or Mexico-Tenochtitlan,
>> whichever the correct name is). At one point I was
>> told to call the city Mexico-Tenochtitlan, but that
>> has now come into question, which is why I'm trying to
>> resolve it now. I would like to find out (1) What the
>> city was called in late pre-Columbian days (i.e.,
>> Aztec/Mexica era, not before); (2) Where the term
>> "Mexico-Tenochtitlan" comes from and why some people
>> or contexts use it rather than simply "Tenochtitlan."
>>
>> What the sources seem to indicate: Most sources
>> call the city simply "Tenochtitlan" in text, but a
>> number of them use "Mexico-Tenochtitlan either in
>> titles or headings. I'm puzzled! I'm wondering if the
>> "Mexico" part is short for "[Ciudad de] Mexico" (kind
>> of like the way people in Mexico always call Mexico
>> City simply "Mexico," and is just an acknowledgment
>> that Mexico City is located in much of the same place
>> Tenochtitlan was. Or maybe it's trying to work in
>> "Mexica" for the ancient peoples who settled
>> Tenochtitlan. But I would really like to understand
>> where "Mexico-Tenochtitlan" comes from and why it's
>> used at all.
>
>
> Pamela M. Graham
> Latin American & Iberian Studies Librarian
> Columbia University, 307 IAB, MC3301
> 420 W. 118th St.
> New York, NY 10027
> 212-854-3630
> 212-854-3834 (fax)
> graham at columbia.edu
>