<Li> The pedestal, on which the nopal grows, immersed in the Aztec symbol for water </Li> <Li> Oak and laurel leaves encircling the eagle cluster; tied together with a ribbon with the Mexican flag's colors </Li> <Ul> <Li> The emblem can be interpreted on at least two levels of abstraction . First, the pictographic / logographic depiction of the name of the Aztec's capital city, Tenochtitlan, as tenoch refers to the cactus fruit while - ti - tlan is a ligatured locative suffix meaning "below / among / at the base of ." On another level, it represents one of the most important cosmological beliefs of the Aztec culture . </Li> <Li> The emblem shows an eagle devouring a serpent, which actually is in conflict with Mesoamerican belief . The eagle is a symbol of the sun and a representation of the victorious god Huitzilopochtli, in which form, according to legend, bowed to the arriving Aztecs . The snake is a symbol of the earth and, in certain pre Hispanic traditions, a representation of Quetzalcoatl; more specifically, in Aztec (Mexica) tradition, the snake is the representation of Coatlicue, the personification of earth and mother of Huitzilopochtli . In some codices, the eagle holds the glyph for war to represent the victorious Huitzilopochtli . This glyph, the Atl tlachinolli, which means "water and flame", has a certain resemblance with a snake, and may plausibly be the origin of this confusion . </Li> <Li> With the element, the attributed element of the moon, it recalls the mythology of the god and hero of the Aztecs . </Li> <Li> The fruit of the nopal cactus, called tuna, represents the heart of Copil, the nephew of the god Huitzilopochtli . The god ordered the people to "build the city in the place of Copil's heart" (Ramírez Codex), where the cactus grew on his land . It also alludes to the human sacrifice customs of the Aztecs . </Li> </Ul> <Li> The emblem can be interpreted on at least two levels of abstraction . First, the pictographic / logographic depiction of the name of the Aztec's capital city, Tenochtitlan, as tenoch refers to the cactus fruit while - ti - tlan is a ligatured locative suffix meaning "below / among / at the base of ." On another level, it represents one of the most important cosmological beliefs of the Aztec culture . </Li>

Meaning of eagle and snake on mexican flag