Gender Masculine & Feminine
Other Forms FormsAztlán
Meaning & History
Aztlan is the mythical homeland of the Aztec peoples. In their language (Nahuatl), the roots of Aztlan are the two words: aztatl tlan(tli) meaning "heron" and "place of". The homeland was said to have many heron birds and may have been translated to 'place of white-ness' or even 'brightness' (as used by some Chicanos) because of the large population of the white feathered birds living there. No one knows for sure where this land was exactly. Many Chicanos have said the whole Southwest portion of the United states or the areas that use to be considered Mexico's territory is in fact Aztlan during the times of the Chicano movement.