Flesh and Blood of Huitzilopochtli: The Izcahuitli Fly Larva and the Imperial Rise of Mexico–Tenochtitlan

The migrant Aztecs consolidated their identity as Mexica and their political autonomy in the city of Mexico-Tenochtitlan as they learned to exploit lacustrine resources. In particular, they adopted the larva of the brine fly (izcahuitli in Nahuatl) as a main food staple and article of trade. The economic survival of the Mexica people was originally predicated upon the production and trade of this crucial resource in regional markets. The izcahuitli was even proclaimed to be the flesh, blood, and source of vitality of the tutelary Mexica god, Huitzilopochtli. Furthermore, a series of rituals associated with the processing, cooking, and consumption of this edible larva was instrumental in launching the wars that the Mexicas eventually waged as they became the dominant power in Central Mexico. A close reading of early Indigenous colonial sources and of recent anthropological studies of Lake Texcoco shows the importance of the izcahuitli as a religious symbol, and as a remarkable resource that facilitated the imperial ascent of the Mexica state.