Anahuac

Anahuac (a term signifying, in the old Mexican language, 'near the water'), the original name of the ancient kingdom of Mexico. It is now used to designate either the whole of the tableland of Mexico or certain portions thereof, more or less extensive, with the capital as a common centre. This plateau has a height of from 6000 to 8000 feet above the sea, and is generally level, though the great volcanoes of Jorullo and Popocatepetl rise out of it. The plateau, which comprises three-fifths of the republic of Mexico, is bounded east and west by the two great chains of the Cordilleras. The Anahuatecas, perhaps so called as living near the numerous lakes of the great plateau, are the Aztecs, and figure prominently in the ancient history of Mexico (q.v.).