When Hernando Cortez arrived in Tenochtitlan, he was deeply impressed by the beauty, order and cleanliness of this Aztec city. This is what he wrote in his journal:

"This great city of Tenochtitlan is built on the salt lake, and no matter by what road you travel there are two leagues from the main body of the city to the mainland. There are four artificial causeways leading to it, and each is as wide as two cavalry lances. The city itself is as big as Seville or Cordoba.