I believe it was an eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake.
The god, Huitzilopochtli told them to build where they found an eagle perched on a cactus. (fun fact: that is why the symbol on the flag is an eagle on a cactus)
The Aztecs began their migration from Aztlan in the early 13th century, around 1168 AD according to Aztec mythology. They traveled from northern Mexico to Central Mexico in search of their prophesied homeland where they would see an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak.
The Aztecs believed that Huitzilopochtli, their god of sun and war, guided them to find their new home in the Valley of Mexico. They believed that he directed them to settle in the place where they would see an eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus devouring a snake, as seen in their founding myth.
Because of a prophecy that said when they found an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in it's talon they would settle in that spot.The eagle and the cactus is false it is said that they saw an eagle perched on a cactus and then they a heard the voice of Huitzilopochtli say to them this is the spot for them to build their city.The eagle and the snake concept is post colonial.
The Aztecs were told by their god Huitzilopochtli to build their capital city, Tenochtitlan, where they saw an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak. This symbol is now depicted on the Mexican flag.
The Aztecs were guided by their deity Huitzilopochtli, who instructed them to establish their city where they saw an eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake. This vision is now depicted on the Mexican flag.
It was said to fullfill the omen of the Aztecs and that would be the place they would settle
The Aztecs were wandering nomads until they saw an eagle with a snake in its beak perched on a cactus. They took this as a sign from their god, Huitzilopochtli, that they should build their capital city, Tenochtitlan, on that spot.
The Aztecs settled on an island in Lake Texcoco because they saw an eagle perched on a cactus holding a snake in its beak, which they interpreted as a sign from their god Huitzilopochtli. They believed this was the chosen site for their capital city, Tenochtitlan.
Note that the "sign" appeared before Aztecs, not Spaniards. That sign was the eagle perched atop a cactus eating a snake.
The Aztec war god told the Aztecs to look for an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak. This symbol guided them to find their capital city, Tenochtitlan, where they built their great empire.
The Aztecs were instructed by their god Huitzilopochtli to look for a sign: an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak. When they came across this symbol, they took it as a sign to establish their city, Tenochtitlan, on that spot.