Howsoeuer the opinions are, certayne it is that the scituation is called Tenuchtlitan, and the dwellers there Tenuchca Mexico.
Mexico is as much to say, as a spring or fountayne, according to the propertie of the vowell and spéech.
Others doe affirme, that Mexico hathe his name of a more auntiente time, whose firste founders were called Mexiti, for vnto this day the Indian dwellers in one strete of this citie are called of Mexica. The Mexiti tooke name of their principallest Idoll called Mexitli, who was in as greate veneration as Vitzilopuchtli, God of the warre.
Mexico is enuironed with swéete water, and hathe thrée wayes to come vnto it by calsey, the one is from the West, and that calsey is a mile and a halfe long. Another from the North, and conteyneth thrée myles in length. Eastwarde the Citie hathe no entrye. But Southwarde the Calsey is syxe myles long, whyche was the waye that Cortez entred into the Citie.
The lake that Mexico is planted in, although it séemeth one, yet it is two, for the one is of water saltishe, bitter, and pestiferous, and no kinde of fyshe lyueth in it. And the other water is wholesome, good and swéete, and bringeth forth small fishe.
The salte water ebbeth and floweth, accordyng to the winde that bloweth. The swéete water standeth higher, so that the good water falleth into the euill, and reuerteth not backward, as some hold opinion. The salt lake conteyneth fiftéene miles in breadth and fiftéene in length, and more than fiue and fortie in circuite, and the lake of swéete water conteyneth euen as muche, in such sort, that the whole lake conteyneth more than thirtie leagues, and hath about fiftie townes scituated round about it, many of whyche Townes doe conteyne fiue thousand housholdes, and some tenne thousande, yea and one Towne called Tezcuco, is as bigge as Mexico. Al this lake of water springeth out of a Mountayne that standeth within sight of Mexico. The cause that the one part of the lake is brackishe or saltish, is, that the bottome or ground is all salte, and of that water greate quantitie of salt is dayly made.
In this greate lake are aboue two hundred thousande little boates, which the Indians call Acalles, and the Spanyardes call them Canoas, according to the spéeche of Cuba and Santo Domingo, wrought like a kneding trough: some are bigger than other some, according to the greatenesse of the body of ye trée whereof they are made. And where I number two hūdred thousand of these boates, I speake of the least, for Mexico alone hathe aboue fiftie thousande ordinarily to carrie and bring vnto the Citie victuall, prouision, and passengers, so that on the market day all ye stréetes of water are full of them.
The Market place of Mexico.
