Anahuac (Aztec) facts for kids
Anahuac is an ancient and important region in the heart of Mexico. It's located high up, about 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) above sea level. This area was once the center of amazing ancient cultures, long before the Spanish arrived.
The name Anahuac comes from the Nahuatl language, which was spoken by the Aztecs and other groups. It means "close to water." You can break it down: A(tl) means "water," and nahuac means "close to."
Sometimes, people use "Anahuac" and "Valley of Mexico" to mean the same thing. However, Anahuac specifically refers to the south-central part of this large valley. This is where advanced ancient cultures developed, creating unique landscapes that are now mostly covered by the huge city of Mexico City.
Technically, the "Valley of Mexico" isn't a valley in the usual sense. It's actually a closed basin, which means all the water that flows into it stays there and doesn't drain out to the sea.
Where is Anahuac?
The exact borders of Anahuac have been discussed for a long time. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica described Anahuac as having "traditional and vaguely defined boundaries" of an old American empire or group of states before the Spanish conquest.
The word is said to signify "country by the waters" in Nahuatl, the old Aztec language; hence the theory that Anahuac was located on the sea coast. One of the theories relating to the location of Anahuac describes it as all the plateau region of Mexico, with an area equal to three-fourths of the republic, and extending between the eastern and western coast ranges from Rio Grande to the isthmus of Tehuantepec. A more exact and more commonly used description, however, limits it to the great plateau valley in which the city of Mexico is located, between 18°40' and 20°30'N latitude, about 320 kilometers (200 mi) long by 120 kilometers (75 mi) wide, with an average elevation of 2300 meters (7500 feet), and a mean temperature of 17°C (62°F). The accepted meaning of the name fits this region as well as any on the sea coast, as the lakes of this valley formerly covered one-tenth of its area. The existence of the name in southern Utah, United States, and on the gulf coast of Mexico, has given rise to theories of other locations and wider bounds for the old Indian empire.
Some theories suggested Anahuac was a vast area, covering most of Mexico's high plains, stretching from the Rio Grande in the north all the way to the isthmus of Tehuantepec in the south. This idea came from the belief that "close to water" meant it had to be near the ocean.
However, a more common and accepted view is that Anahuac refers specifically to the large plateau valley where Mexico City is located today. This valley is about 320 kilometers (200 miles) long and 120 kilometers (75 miles) wide. It sits at an average height of 2,300 meters (7,500 feet) above sea level. This definition still fits the name "close to water" because this valley used to have many large lakes, which covered about a tenth of its area.
Anahuac's Reach: The Nicaragua Connection
Interestingly, the name "Nicaragua" might also be linked to Anahuac. One idea is that "Nicaragua" comes from Nahuatl words like nic-anahuac. This could mean "Anahuac reached this far," or "the Nahuas (people from Anahuac) came this far." Another possibility is nic-atl-nahuac, meaning "here by the water" or "surrounded by water." These ideas suggest that the influence or people from Anahuac might have spread quite far south.
