Leader and War Priest of Aztecs
Mexitli (), Mexi, or Mezih was a legendary great leader and war priest of the Aztecs during the "wandering years" when they were a nomadic tribe. After wandering for 200 years, they settled on two islands on Lake Texcoco where, in 1325, they founded Tenochtitlan, what is now modern-day Mexico City. The Aztecs became known as the Mexica, possibly in Mexitli's honor. According to The Florentine Codex writer Friar Bernardino de Sahagún, the name derives from the Nahuatl "metl" (Agave) and "zitli" (Hare). (See also, Mexico, Aztecs, and History of the Aztecs)