Editing Tenochtitlan (section)

==City plans==
{{blockquote| When we saw so many cities and villages built in the water and other great towns on dry land we were amazed and said that it was like the enchantments (...) on account of the great towers and cues and buildings rising from the water, and all built of masonry. And some of our soldiers even asked whether the things that we saw were not a dream? (...) I do not know how to describe it, seeing things as we did that had never been heard of or seen before, not even dreamed about.|[[Bernal Díaz del Castillo]]|''The Conquest of New Spain''<ref>Bernal Diaz Del Castillo, "The Discovery And Conquest Of Mexico 1517 1521", Edited by Genaro Garcia, Translated with an Introduction and Notes?, pp. 269–, A. P. Maudslay, first pub 1928 [https://archive.org/stream/bernaldiazdelcas002605mbp/bernaldiazdelcas002605mbp_djvu.txt]</ref> }}

The city was divided into four zones, or ''camps''; each ''camp'' was divided into 20 districts (''[[calpulli]]s'', {{langx|nah|calpōlli}}, {{IPA|nah|kaɬˈpoːlːi|pron}}, meaning "large house"); and each ''calpulli'', or 'big house', was crossed by streets or {{lang|nci|tlaxilcalli}}. There were three main streets that crossed the city, each leading to one of the three causeways to the mainland of {{lang|nci|[[Tepeyac]]|italic=no}}, {{lang|nci|[[Iztapalapa]]|italic=no}}, and {{lang|nci|[[Tlacopan]]|italic=no}}.<ref name="Coe, M. 2008, p. 193">Coe, M. 2008, p. 193.</ref> [[Bernal Díaz del Castillo]] reported that they were wide enough for ten horses. Surrounding the raised causeways were artificial floating gardens with canal waterways and gardens of plants, shrubs, and trees.<ref name="Walker, C. 1980, p. 162">Walker, C. 1980, p. 162.</ref> The ''calpullis'' were divided by channels used for transportation, with wood bridges that were removed at night.

The earliest European images of the city were [[woodcut]]s published in [[Augsburg]] around 1522.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Newspaper About the Country that the Spaniards Found in 1521, Called Yucatan | work = World Digital Library | access-date = 22 June 2014 | date = 17 October 2011
| url = http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2832 }}</ref>

===Marketplaces===
[[File:Tlatelolco Marketplace.JPG|thumb|upright=1.0|The Tlatelolco Marketplace as depicted at [[The Field Museum]] in Chicago.]]

Each ''calpulli'' had its own {{lang|nci|tiyanquiztli}} (marketplace), but there was also a main marketplace in {{lang|nci|[[Tlatelolco (altepetl)|Tlatelolco]]|italic=no}} – {{lang|nci|Tenochtitlan|italic=no}}'s sister city. Spanish conquistador [[Hernán Cortés]] estimated it was twice the size of the city of [[Salamanca]] with about 60,000 people trading daily. [[Bernardino de Sahagún]] provides a more conservative population estimate of 20,000 on ordinary days and 40,000 on feast days. There were also specialized markets in the other central Mexican cities.

===Public buildings===
[[Image:Reconstruction of Tenochtitlan2006.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|A picture of Tenochtitlan and a model of the [[Templo Mayor]] at the [[National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico)|National Museum of Anthropology of Mexico City]]]]

In the center of the city were the public buildings, temples, and palaces. Inside a walled square, {{convert|500|m|sp=us}} to a side, was the ceremonial center. There were about 45 public buildings, including: the [[Templo Mayor]], which was dedicated to the Aztec patron deity {{lang|nci|[[Huitzilopochtli]]|italic=no}} and the Rain God {{lang|nci|[[Tlaloc]]|italic=no}}; the temple of {{lang|nci|[[Quetzalcoatl]]|italic=no}}; the {{lang|nci|[[Mesoamerican ballgame#Aztec|tlachtli]]|italic=no}} ([[Mesoamerican ballgame|ball game]] court) with the {{lang|nci|[[tzompantli]]|italic=no}} or rack of skulls; the Sun Temple, which was dedicated to {{lang|nci|[[Tonatiuh]]|italic=no}}; the Eagle's House, which was associated with warriors and the ancient power of rulers; the platforms for the gladiatorial sacrifice; and some minor temples.<ref>Coe, M. 2008, p. 193</ref>

Outside was the palace of Moctezuma with 100 rooms, each with its own bath, for the lords and ambassadors of allies and conquered people. Also located nearby was the {{lang|nci|cuicalli}}, or house of the songs, and the {{lang|nci|[[calmecac]]}}.<ref>Cortés, H. 1520, p. 87.</ref>

The city had great symmetry. All constructions had to be approved by the {{lang|nci|calmimilocatl}}, a functionary in charge of the city planning.

===Palaces of Moctezuma II===
The palace of [[Moctezuma II]] also had two houses or [[zoo]]s, one for [[Bird of prey|birds of prey]] and another for other [[bird]]s, [[reptile]]s, and [[mammal]]s. About 300 people were dedicated to the care of the animals.

There was also a [[botanical garden]] and an [[aquarium]]. The aquarium had ten ponds of salt water and ten ponds of fresh water, containing various fish and aquatic birds. Places like this also existed in {{lang|nci|[[Texcoco (Aztec site)|Texcoco]]|italic=no}}, {{lang|nci|[[Chapultepec]]|italic=no}}, {{lang|nci|Huaxtepec|italic=no}} (now called [[Oaxtepec]]), and {{lang|nci|[[Texcotzingo]]|italic=no}}.<ref>Cortés, H. 1520, p. 89.</ref>