Nuevo México is often incorrectly believed to have taken its name from the post-independent nation of Mexico. But as early as 1561[5] (260 years before Mexican independence), Spanish colonial explorers used el Nuevo México to refer to Cíbola, cities of wealth reported to exist far to the north of the recently conquered Aztec Empire.[6][7][8] This name also evoked the Mexica people's accounts of their ancestral origin in Aztlán to the north before their migration to Mexico centuries prior. The Nahuatl-language history of the Mexica people, the Crónica Mexicayotl, dated to 1609, makes this identification explicit, describing how the Mexica left "their home there in Old Mexico Aztlan Quinehuayan Chicomoztoc, which today they call New Mexico (yancuic mexico)."
It's not accurate. While Mexico as a country exists from 1810, Mexico, as a nation, existed way before the Spanish Conquistadores came to the Americas. Mexico was founded into two sister prehispanic cities called Mexico-Tenochtitlan and Mexico-Tlatelolco in 1325 and 1337, respectively. Moreover, even after Spain conquered Tenochtitlan, Tlatelolco, and their allies, the city they founded on top was never called different. It wasn't called Nueva Madrid, even though the colony was called Nueva España. So, "Mexico" existed way before, during and after the Spanish occupation, and it is indeed why the Spanish called the area New Mexico, a word they never heard before they came to the Americas (América).
Actually diabolical if you think about it. We went to war with mexico, took the entire north of the rio grande from them, then were like "this shitty square is mexico now. Fuck you."
To be fair, it doesn't actually mean "coloured", it means "reddish". Spanish is weird like that. Anyway, I would like to direct your attention to Nevada meaning "snowed" or "snow-covered" and Florida meaning "flowery". Also, Montana is just "montaña" (mountain) misspelled.
30 Comments
tacosanonymous@mander.xyz · 71 pts · 277d
He’s definitely stupid.
Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works · 25 pts · 277d
Side note, I never understood this state’s name, kind of confusing but then again, with 50 states I can see how you can run out of names.
Lili_Thana@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 50 pts · 277d
New Mexico was Nuevo México before the US was the US. Hell it was Nuevo México before Jamestown was settled.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Fe_de_Nuevo_M%C3%A9xico
lauha@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 277d
Relevan section
ChicoSuave@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 277d
Love that New Mexico predates Mexico. It's so full of hope and optimism.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 277d
Motion to rename "New Mexico" to "Old Mexico"
selokichtli@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 276d
It's not accurate. While Mexico as a country exists from 1810, Mexico, as a nation, existed way before the Spanish Conquistadores came to the Americas. Mexico was founded into two sister prehispanic cities called Mexico-Tenochtitlan and Mexico-Tlatelolco in 1325 and 1337, respectively. Moreover, even after Spain conquered Tenochtitlan, Tlatelolco, and their allies, the city they founded on top was never called different. It wasn't called Nueva Madrid, even though the colony was called Nueva España. So, "Mexico" existed way before, during and after the Spanish occupation, and it is indeed why the Spanish called the area New Mexico, a word they never heard before they came to the Americas (América).
Peppycito@sh.itjust.works · 15 pts · 277d
Should have been North Mexico.
dohpaz42@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 277d
Not much different than New Jersey, or New York or any other territory named for some other territory from another country. 🤷♂️
kaklerbitmap@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 276d
Yeah but Isn't this kind of like finding out that New York has been called New York since before the actual town of York was founded?
TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 276d
RIP New Amsterdam
samus12345@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 276d
Why they changed it, I can't say.
RickyRigatoni@retrolemmy.com · 2 pts · 276d
People just liked it better that way.
RickyRigatoni@retrolemmy.com · 1 pts · 277d
Actually diabolical if you think about it. We went to war with mexico, took the entire north of the rio grande from them, then were like "this shitty square is mexico now. Fuck you."
AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 277d
That area, and a whole lot more like Texas and Arizona, was called Nuevo Mexico before both The US and Mexico gained their respective independences.
RickyRigatoni@retrolemmy.com · 1 pts · 276d
I will choose to disregard this information.
selokichtli@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 276d
After the genocide of the actual American people, why not?
stevedice@sh.itjust.works · 11 pts · 276d
WAIT. Why hasn't he renamed "Colorado" to "Coloured"?
smeenz@lemmy.nz · 4 pts · 276d
Oh my God, how did I never notice that
stevedice@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 276d
To be fair, it doesn't actually mean "coloured", it means "reddish". Spanish is weird like that. Anyway, I would like to direct your attention to Nevada meaning "snowed" or "snow-covered" and Florida meaning "flowery". Also, Montana is just "montaña" (mountain) misspelled.
Chais@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 276d
Why would he? It's just a name to him, without a meaning.
stevedice@sh.itjust.works · -1 pts · 276d
Colorado sounds too Mexican.
danc4498@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 277d
Can he rename it in an executive order?
FartMaster69@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 11 pts · 277d
He could certainly try.
danc4498@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 277d
Google and Apple would update their maps immediately.
And009@lemmynsfw.com · 3 pts · 277d
Thus rewriting modern history as we know it
smeenz@lemmy.nz · 1 pts · 276d
Not legally, but that wouldn't mean he couldn't do it anyway.
stiffyGlitch@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 277d
don't show him!
scarabic@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 276d
Oh, he has this waiting in a file full of things he can do to distract from the Epstein files. He’ll get to it eventually.
io@piefed.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 276d
he should rename it to just Mexico