Does "Mexico" Mean "Bellybutton of the Moon"? The True Etymology

The Short Answer: No

"Mexico" does not mean "bellybutton of the moon." This is a poetic but inaccurate folk etymology.

Actual Nahuatl Origins

The name derives from the Nahuatl (Aztec) language:

• Metztli = Moon
• Xictli = Navel, center, or middle
• -co = Locative suffix ("place of")

Mēxihco (pronounced [meːˈʃiʔko]) thus means "Place at the Center of the Moon" or "Place in the Moon's Navel."

Historical Context

The name originally referred to Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital built on an island in Lake Texcoco (modern Mexico City). The city's central island position in the lake—and its role as the political and cosmological center of the Aztec Empire—inspired the "center/navel" metaphor. The moon association may relate to the lake's reflection or lunar symbolism in Aztec cosmology.

Evolution to Modern Usage

1. 1325: Tenochtitlan founded; called Mēxihco.
2. 1521: Spanish conquest; "México" applied to the city and expanding territory.
3. 1821: Independent Mexico adopts the name for the new nation.

Why the "Bellybutton" Myth Persists

"Navel" (xictli) is sometimes translated as "bellybutton" in popular accounts, and "center of the moon" becomes "bellybutton of the moon" through repeated simplification. While evocative, it's linguistically imprecise.