Origin of the Name "Mexico"

"Mexico" derives from the Nahuatl Mēxihco (pronounced meh-SHEE-ko), the name the Aztecs (Mexica) gave their capital, Tenochtitlan. According to legend, their god Huitzilopochtli guided them to an island in Lake Texcoco where an eagle perched on a cactus devouring a snake—the sign to build their city. The Spanish adapted "Mēxihco" to "México."