132 • The deaTh of azTec TenochTiTLan, The Life of mexico ciTy
and by 1545 “Ciudad de México” was the norm for the
cabildo. Table 7.1 offers a selection of names used in ecclesi-
astical, royal, and local-government contexts. In the names,
we can see two trends: in official, royal correspondence,
issued from Spain, the city is called “ Tenochtitlan Mexico”
(the first term’s variable spellings are shown in the table),
and this name persists during the course of the century.
But in a local Spanish context, as in the cabildo records, the
use of “ Tenochtitlan” (or its variants) drops from view by
about 1540.souRce/ReciPienT yeaR name used
Hernando Cortés, Second Letter to Charles V 1520 gran ciudad de Temixtitan [Timixtitan] 1
Cortés, Third Letter to Charles V 1522 ciudad de Temixtitan 2
Cortés, Third Letter to Charles V 1522 provinicias de México y Temixtitan 3
Cortés, Third Letter to Charles V 1522 Culúa 4
Cortés, Fourth Letter to Charles V 1524 gran ciudad de Temixtitan 5
Spanish cabildo 1524 grand Cibdad de Temixtitan 6
Cortés, Fifth Letter to Charles V 1526 ciudad de Tenuxtitan 7
Charles V to Spanish cabildo 1526 Cibdad de Temistitan Mexico 8
Spanish cabildo to Charles V 1529 gran cibdad de temixtitan 9
Spanish cabildo 1529 cibdad de temistitán méxico 10
Cortés, letter to Charles V 1530 ciudad de México 11
Spanish cabildo 1530 Cibdad de México 12
Cortés, letter to Charles V 1532 gran ciudad de México 13
indigenous nobles, letter to Charles V 1532 Cibdad de Mexico Tenuxtitan and Cibdad e barrio
de Tenuxtitan Mexico y su comarca 14
Bishop Ramírez de Fuenleal, head of second 1532 cibdad de Temistitlan Mexico con el Tatelulco 15
audiencia, letter to Charles V
Spanish cabildo 1533 Gran cibdad de tenuxtitan mexico 16
Cortés, letter to Charles V 1534 gran ciudad de México 17
audiencia to Spanish cabildo 1534 mexico Tenuxtitan mexico 18
Charles V to Spanish cabildo 1534 cibdad de tenuxtitlan mexico 19
Juan de Guzmán Itztlolinqui, letter to Charles V 1536 ciudad de Mexico and la cibdad de Temestitlan
México 20
Episcopal Inquisition 1536 grand Cibdad de Temistitán [also Temixtitán]
Mexico 21
Episcopal Inquisition 1536 grand Cibdad de Mexico 22
Motolinia, Historia 1536 Gran ciudad de México 23
Indian nobles, probanza 1539 gran cibdad de Tenuxtitlan México 24
[evidentiary statement] to Charles V
Episcopal Inquisition 1539 cibdad de México 25
TabLe 7.1. Changes in Mexico City nomenclature