Editing Huītzilōpōchtli (section)

=== Origins of Tenochtitlan ===
[[File:TeocalliGuerra_Sagrada.jpg|thumb|The founding of the Aztec capital [[Tenochtitlan]]; An eagle representing Huitzilopochtli, which exhales the atl-tlachinolli (war symbol), is perched on a [[Nopal|nopal cactus]]. Teocalli of the Sacred War, sculpted in 1325.]]
There are several legends and myths of Huitzilopochtli. According to the ''[[Aubin Codex]]'', the Aztecs originally came from a place called [[Aztlán]]. They lived under the ruling of a powerful elite called the "[[Azteca Chicomoztoca]]". Huitzilopochtli ordered them to abandon Aztlán and find a new home. He also ordered them never to call themselves Aztec; instead they should be called "Mexica."<ref>{{cite book|last=Coe|first=Michael D.|title=Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs|year=2008|publisher=Thames & Hudson|location=London|pages=187}}</ref> Huitzilopochtli guided them through the journey. For a time, Huitzilopochtli left them in the charge of his sister, [[Malinalxochitl]], who, according to legend, founded Malinalco, but the Aztecs resented her ruling and called back Huitzilopochtli. He put his sister to sleep and ordered the Aztecs to leave the place. When she woke up and realized she was alone, she became angry and desired revenge. She gave birth to a son called [[Copil (son of Malinalxochitl)|Copil]]. When he grew up, he confronted Huitzilopochtli, who had to kill him. Huitzilopochtli then took his heart out and threw it in the middle of [[Lake Texcoco]]. Many years later, Huitzilopochtli ordered the Aztecs to search for Copil's heart and build their city over it. The sign would be an eagle perched on a cactus, eating a precious serpent, and the place would become their permanent home.<ref>{{cite book|last=Read|first=Kay Almere|title=Mesoamerican Mythologies: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs of Mexico and Central America|year=2000|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|pages=193}}</ref> After much traveling, they arrived at the area which would eventually be [[Tenochtitlan]] on an island in the Lago Texcoco of the Valley of Mexico.